Exploring the soul of Temecula

| Thursday, January 24, 2002 10:00 PM PST ∞

GREG SCHARF
Commentary

We are much more than a suburb. This is a place where people have chosen to live for over a thousand years, and I've said it before: There's a soul to this place.

To me, the birthplace of Temecula is the area surrounding Vail Ranch. I've always admired the tours that are given to schoolkids in Old Town San Diego. Now it looks like we're going to have that here.

It was the result of a conversation a while ago between Carolyn Davis, a third-grade teacher at Sparkman Elementary, and Darell Farnbach, who is very active in the Vail Ranch Restoration Association. They came up with the idea of "Sparkman Days" at the ranch, scheduled for Feb. 8 and 15, where 120 third-graders will tour the site and be given hands-on experience with ranch activities.

The tour will be broken up into six periods. The first is Native American history, presented by Rebecca Farnbach, where they will learn about the hunter-gatherer community that settled here because of close proximity to water. Displays about life in that time will be shown, and many aspects of life such as food, education, etc., will be discussed, and as a hands-on activity, the kids will grind acorns.

The second period will be the mission period, and Darrel Farnbach will discuss the changes brought on by the establishment of the San Luis Rey Mission and its impact on the local Indians. Books about this period often paint it in a romantic hue; Darrel's presentation will be "warts and all," discussing many subjects, including the impact of Christianity and European diseases. And the kids will make bricks.

Steve Clugston will then present the Mexican rancho period and talk about events such as the Mormon Battalion, the division of land, the closure of the mission and other aspects of what occurred here between 1822 and 1849.

Then Pam Grender and Dick Diamond will talk about statehood and the American period. They will tell the kids about the Southern Immigrant Trail, the Butterfield Stage route through here, the Gold Rush, Louis Wolf, Helen Hunt Jackson and the eviction of the Indians to Pechanga.

Then Frank Matthias will present a working blacksmith demonstration and talk about what was done on the Vail Ranch property.

Finally, Dick Fox will give a presentation on the Vail Ranch period and the Rancho California period. They will learn about the Vail Dam being built, the sale of the Vail Ranch, and how Temecula became a city.

Overall, I think the kids are going to learn that they, too, are part of the ongoing history of this fascinating place. I've often talked of the need for a sense of connectedness here, and to connect with those who've gone before us is a wonderful concept.

A while ago, I met someone who asked how as a single man could stand living in this land of SUVs and red-tile roofs. Sarcastically I told her, "Gosh, ma'am, they tell us we're going to get electricity any day now."

But the truth is, that there is a soul to this place, and I'd like to tip my hat to the folks at the Vail Ranch Restoration Association for making sure we don't lose sight of that. The tradition of the West lives on here, and I hope we never forget it.

Greg Scharf of Temecula is a regular columnist for The Californian. E-mail: Gscharf7@cs.com.

1/25/02