"It was a Thursday afternoon, around 1959, when I volunteered to help Bob
Kallman and the Jaycees clean the tangle of Eucalyptus, vines, and weeds at the
Child Estate. The house had been razed by the fire department and the place
was a mess." Ted McToldridge was filling me in on a bit of local history as we
strolled the lushly planted paths commanding panoramic views of the Santa Ynez
Mountains, Andree Clark Bird Refuge, and Pacific Ocean. "It was the kick-off
event to develop a new park that would include a community center, ice skating
rink, botanical garden, and farmyard."
Long ago, this area served as a camp for Chumash who fished the coastal
waters. Centuries later, John Beale, a retired New York coffee and tea merchant
built a pink stucco, red tile roof mansion on the site and named it Vegamar,
meaning Star of the Sea. At age 68, he married 35-year-old Lillian Bailey, who
years after Beale's death, married John H. Child, hence the more recent estate
name. Through the Great Depression, Mrs. Child extended her compassion to
dozens of out-of-work "hobos" who rode the nearby rails. She allowed them to
live in shacks on the property, governed by their own mayor, provided they lived
respectful, sober lives. Locals called it Childville, but it was also known as the
Hobo Jungle. The hobos have passed away, but "jungle" still applies.
More flora and fauna fun at Edhat.com
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