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The following is from a work-in-progress about the history of Fullerton. You can support my ongoing research and writing on Patreon. As part of my research into the history of Fullerton, I occasionally read books about broader California history, to give appropriate context for what occurred locally. I’m currently reading Carey McWilliams’ excellent 1946 book Southern…

The following is from a work-in-progress about the history of Fullerton. You can support my ongoing research and writing on Patreon. Fullerton College’s weekly newspaper was called The Torch. The college library has digital archives of the Torch going back to 1923 (the college was founded in 1913). Here are some clippings from 1929:

The following is from a work-in-progress about the history of Fullerton. You can support my ongoing research and writing on Patreon. Lulu Launer was a school teacher in Fullerton for many years. Her husband, Albert Launer, served as the city attorney of Fullerton, and had a law practice in town. The Launer Local History Room of…

The following is from a work-in-progress about the history of Fullerton. You can support my ongoing research and writing on Patreon. The Local History Room of the Fullerton Public Library has microfilm from the Fullerton Tribune newspaper stretching back to 1893. I am in the process of reading over the microfilm, year by year, to get a sense…

The following is from a work-in-progress about the history of Fullerton. You can support my ongoing research and writing on Patreon. There are two shows on Netflix right now called “Selling Sunset” and “Selling the OC” which follow the activities and drama of the Oppenheim Group as they sell upscale SoCal real estate. The two owners…

The following is from a work-in-progress about the history of Fullerton. You can support my ongoing research and writing on Patreon. The Local History Room of the Fullerton Public Library has microfilm from the Fullerton Tribune newspaper stretching back to 1893. I am in the process of reading over the microfilm, year by year, to get a sense…

The following is from a work-in-progress about the history of Fullerton. You can support my ongoing research and writing on Patreon. The Local History Room of the Fullerton Public Library has microfilm from the Fullerton Tribune newspaper stretching back to 1893. I am in the process of reading over the microfilm, year by year, to get…

The following is from a work-in-progress about the history of Fullerton. You can support my ongoing research and writing on Patreon. Orange County has long had a well-deserved reputation as a bastian of right-wing conservatism. In the 1960s and early 1970s, the John Birch Society had a strong influence in shaping the consensus of the county.…

The following is from a work-in-progress about the history of Fullerton. You can support my ongoing research and writing on Patreon. In the book Kids of the Black Hole: Punk Rock in Postsuburban California, Dewar Macleod writes, “For those whose eyes and ears were open, who were waiting for something to happen in a world where…

The following is from a work-in-progress about the history of Fullerton. You can support my ongoing research and writing on Patreon. Here is part two of a story about an obscenity trial held in Fullerton City Hall in 1967. Part 1 introduces this fascinating episode in local history in which ultra-conservative politicians like John Schmitz (a…