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Tape 1 Side A pp. 1-19 The June 22 portion of the interview takes place at the site of the former Albers ranch, south of Manzanar. Louis Arcularius was born in 1898; he recalls seeing Halley's comet in 1910. He describes the irrigation system at the ranch, which belonged to this grandparents, Fred and Anna Albers. His father, William Arcularius, drove the first twenty-mule team hauling borax from Death Valley and later from Darwin. He recounts how his father confronted the Carson and Colorado railroad over a wagon crossing at Swansea. He describes refrigeration at the ranch; there was a vineyard, and the family made wine. The ranch also had fruit trees, corn, and wheat. There was a second house on the property, moved by the City of Los Angeles to Lone Pine. He describes the interior of the main house and an irrigation ditch from the Albers to the Strohmeyer property. He recalls the Strohmeyer family. Orchard properties stretched from Manzanar to George's Creek. Louis helped wire the Shepherd house for electricity in 1916 or 1917 and install other electric lines at Manzanar. He names the ranches and families in the George's Creek area and recalls the school there. Tape 1 Side B pp. 19-37 Louis continues to recall layout of his family's home and property. Fred Albers was reluctant to sell to the City of Los Angeles but finally did in 1926. Louis describes helping with haying on the ranch and how he later arranged to have an old hay derrick placed in the museum at Laws. He helped Julius Roeper from Independence butcher cattle. Louis, the interviewer, and Louis' daughter Caroline look at pictures taken at the Albers ranch and name family members and friends. Louis lived at Keeler until 1908 and recalls the day of the San Francisco earthquake in 1906. He went swimming in Owens Lake when it had water. He recounts a story of John Henning, a prospector from Caso who showed him how to deal with altitude problems in the mountains. He recalls a later trip to the top of Mount Whitney and the view from the summit. Tape 2 Side A pp. 37-54 Louis comments on more pictures of family members; he is related to other pioneer families in the valley. He lived in Independence before electricity came and describes a dark, snowy Christmas Eve. The one-room schoolhouse there was in back of the present courthouse, and he recounts stories about the teacher Mrs. Stevens, and about Kate Walters, his teacher at Keeler, and another teacher, Christine English. After finishing grade school, he began cattle work and tells stories of breaking a mare and going on cattle drives to Long Valley. He worked for the Eaton Land and Cattle Company, then went to work for the City of Los Angeles as a mule skinner (teamster) . He worked with wire for telephone service from Haiwee to Lone Pine. He explains how he became a lineman in 1914, learning to climb poles near Division Creek. He worked on power lines throughout the valley and put house numbers 011 all the homes in Lone Pine and Independence for the City. He also worked as a patrolman and meter reader and describes patrolling the lines on horseback. Tape 2 Side B pp. 54-70 After a power pole accident, Louis went to work for Norm Mairs in 1918, bringing cattle out of Big Whitney Meadows. He tells colorful stories of herding cattle in the southern Owens Valley and someone finding a note he had left in a can many years earlier. He recalls his classmates at the Independence school. He spent three winters at Caso Hot Springs at a cow camp and recalls people coming to soak in the waters and instances of healing. He met an osteopath there who helped him and others with back problems. A resort there was run by Frank Adams. Bill Bramlett ran the store at Little Lake and raced cars. Tape 3 Side A pp. 70-85 (June 24, 1995) His grandparents told him about the 1872 earthquake at Lone Pine and other stories of Indians visiting them. He tells about Frank Epperly, an old cowboy he met in 1916, and the Crackers from Big Pine, who kept their cattle in Monache. He describes the route for taking cattle into Ramshaw Meadows from Independence through Olancha when he made his first trip into the Sierras with the Glade and Schabbell cattle. He recalls the sawmill at Cottonwood Creek. Many of the old cattle brands are in the Laws museum. During dry years, ranchers in the George's Creek area took turns using creek water to irrigate their alfalfa. He describes the fencing separating the ranches; cattle were rarely mixed up. He relates other cowboy stories of branding and lost calves. He was a heavy smoker but quit smoking after the illness of a friend. He frequently fished on George's Creek and recalls how he found lost sheep from the sheep drives through the valley. Tape 3 Side B pp. 85-101 Limits on fishing then were fifty fish; he fished in George's Creek and Bair Creek and others and hunted quail and other game. He worked at the slaughterhouse in Independence and tells stories of running cattle into the chutes there. He recalls stories of hunting deer on Oak Creek and Jordan Hot Springs. Louis worked for Proctor and Pierce, packers, packing ore from Ballarat, and describes working with mules carrying heavy loads. One mule packed an ore car out of a mine. Tape 4 Side A pp. 101-117 Louis also packed tourists with Proctor and Pierce into the backcountry and up Mount Whitney. Around 1919, cowboys, - packers, and tourists gathered at Monache Meadows and had a playday with roping and races. He roped at a rodeo in Big Pine. He recalls childhood fun and attending George's Creek school. When John Shepherd died, Indians came from all over the valley to his funeral. An Indian named John Shepherd lived in a settlement near the Moffat ranch and worked at the Albers ranch. Other Indians worked on the Shepherd ranch. A post office at George's Creek was later combined with the one at Manzanar in the store. Louis began work for the City in 1917 and read meters; by then, many of the houses in Manzanar had electricity. He recounts how reading meters in Manzanar became a social occasion. Tape 4 Side B pp. 117-133 He recalls the blacksmith shop at Manzanar; he put wiring in for the garage and gas pumps. Louis says he knew little about electricity but learned as he worked. Silent movies were shown in Independence, and Louis helped the projectionist. He recalls helping Henry Lenbeck from Manzanar with his cattle. Louis recalls buildings in Independence; he was a member of the Oddfellows and names other members. He describes work as a lineman for the DWP; he developed a new technique for installing power poles throughout the valley and in Los Angeles. Tape 5 Side A pp. 133-150 A s a cowhand, Louis did cooking in the hot water at Caso Hot Springs; he describes the mud baths and bathhouses there. Ed Schober took care of irrigating water in Bishop. fire wood at the Albers ranch came from George's Creek. His grandparents (Albers) sold vegetables to mining camps in ·the Mammoth area. He recalls collecting opium cans in Keeler as a child. His grandfather Albers held off selling the George's Creek property to the City of Los Angeles because he didn't want to leave. He did finally move to Lake County. The failure of the Inyo County Bank was due to mismanagement by the Watterson brothers. Many people sold out and left the valley because they were not doing well. He recalls ice skating on the aqueduct during its construction. He did electrical work on the aqueduct dredge. Louis went to work in LfJs Angeles for the DWP in 1931 and had a serious accident in which he suffered a head injury. Tape 5 Side B pp. 150-155 Louis recounts his difficulties with the Department of Water and Power over job classifications and civil service rules. He was living in Los Angeles during the period of the Manzanar Relocation Center.
Eastern California Museum California Revealed is supported by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act, administered in California by the State Librarian.
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