[Image]      ----------------------------------------------------------------

                                         [Image]

               HOMEPAGE | CLASSIFIEDS | CALENDAR | ABOUT OJAI | ABOUT US |
                                        ARCHIVES

                   --------------------------------------------------

                  One mention by Charles Nordhoff put cottages on the
                  map
                  by David Mason

                  "Beneath the shade of fine oaks, and in the midst of
                  what has the air of a great park, is a cheerful and
                  comfortable inn, the Oak Glen Cottages, which have
                  acquired a deserved popularity among health seekers
                  and travelers in Southern California."
                  "California for Health, Pleasure and Residence" -
                  Charles Nordhoff, 1862

                  W.S. McKee advertised in the 1880s, "These cottages
                  contain from two to eight rooms each, all of which
                  are sunny. They afford to families the advantages of
                  a home without the cares of housekeeping; and, as
                  they are clustered around the Central Boarding House,
                  where there are single rooms, society is at hand.
                  Many of these rooms are 15 feet by 18 feet, and are
                  supplied with open fireplaces. The advantages of a
                  climate beneficial to invalids, especially those
                  suffering with pulmonary and asthmatic complaints,
                  are probably more thoroughly combined in The Ojai
                  than anywhere else."
                  Suffering from a bronchial disorder, McKee    [Image]
                  and his wife came to the valley in the 1870s
                  and settled in the upper valley. The health benefits
                  of the area were the driving force that led them to
                  this valley. As promised, he became cured, and
                  wishing to help others by encouraging them to also
                  try Ojai's healing qualities, he had a desire to
                  establish a sanitarium.
                  A site was finally selected. It was flat, well
                  covered with trees for shade, and had a gentle
                  cooling breeze. The location is now the northeast
                  corner of Ojai Avenue and Gridley Road.
                  A boarding house was built and opened to the public
                  and business was a success. Soon, the need for
                  additional rooms was evident, and cottages were
                  added. An old building that had stood across the
                  street was moved over and added to the property.
                  With the popularity of the Oak Glen Cottages, a large
                  hotel in the Victorian design was built to
                  accommodate the many more visitors who were coming to
                  the little valley. Charles Nordhoff mentioning the
                  cottages in his world famous book, put the cottages
                  "on the map."
                  Charles Nordhoff came to America in 1835 at the age
                  of 5 and attended school in Cincinnati, Ohio, until
                  he turned 13. He quit school to become an apprentice
                  for a printing firm.
                  In 1844, young Nordhoff enlisted in the U.S. Navy,
                  for it was not uncommon for boys of 14 to enlist and
                  go to sea. He spent three years in the Navy and
                  sailed around the world, at one point visiting San
                  Francisco.
                  Nordhoff felt that sailing strengthened his body and
                  mind, helped him to develop a keen and accurate
                  observation of people, ports and events and a
                  sympathy and understanding for ordinary people in
                  many trades.
                  Leaving the sea, he went to New York City, where in
                  1857, he became the editor for Harper and Brothers,
                  and after several years, became managing editor of
                  the New York Post, a position that he held for 10
                  years.
                  In 1871, Nordhoff returned to California and this
                  time discovered Southern California. His book
                  "California for Health, Pleasure and Residence" grew
                  out of that visit.
                  Nordhoff was a strongly religious and patriotic man,
                  traits were which perhaps best revealed in his books
                  "God and the Future Life" in 1883 and "Politics for
                  Young Americans" in 1885.
                  The popularity of his books encouraged him to write
                  again about California and he titled the second book
                  "Travelers and Settlers," pressing the advantages of
                  California's mild winters.
                  His timing was perfect, for at the same time, the
                  railroad had reached Los Angeles and many people
                  arrived with Nordhoff's books in hand.
                  In 1870, the entire population of California was
                  560,247 and by 1899, it had grown to 1,485,053.
                  During the same time period, Nordhoff's books on
                  California had sold more than 3,000,000 copies, which
                  made him the darling of the developers and the
                  Realtors.
                  One of Nordhoff's trips to California was mentioned
                  in the Ventura County paper, "The Nordhoff family
                  passed through that seaside town and went directly to
                  the Ojai Valley and stayed at the Oak Glen Cottages."
                  The Oak Glen Hotel was, indeed, becoming a resort. It
                  was equipped with a billiard room and tennis and
                  croquet courts, and with the opening of the Casitas
                  Pass Road, Santa Barbara residents had found a new
                  vacation spot.
                  B.W. Gally of Wheeling, W.Va. heard of the miraculous
                  healing qualities of the Ojai Valley and came in
                  1881. Gally was so taken by the valley that he
                  persuaded McKee to sell him a half interest in the
                  Oak Glen Cottages.
                  Gally returned to West Virginia and married Mary
                  Davison, a descendant of Edward and Martha Carey, who
                  owned most of the famous town of Jamestown, Va. in
                  the 1600s.
                  She was a well-educated and respected young lady of
                  old Virginia stock whose life was to change
                  drastically.
                  After a journey by rail and stagecoach to San
                  Francisco, then south by ocean steamer along the
                  California coast and, finally, a rough, all-day drive
                  over the Casitas Pass by stage from Santa Barbara,
                  they arrived in the valley.
                  The new Mrs. Gally, not accustomed to the "wild
                  west," wrote in her diary, "We reached Nordhoff (now
                  Ojai) about sundown and my heart was like lead for
                  the few houses were no larger than chicken coops, and
                  when I found my house also was a one-story building,
                  and that I must sleep on the floor, I lost all hope.
                  I was sure the mountains would topple over on me by
                  morning."
                  Gally was a man of foresight and vision and was not
                  slow in recognizing the wonderful possibilities of
                  the valley as a tourist resort. He bought out McKee's
                  other half interest in the cottages in 1883 and,
                  backed by his faith, followed Nordhoff's lead by
                  advertising to the world the advantages of the
                  beautiful Ojai Valley.
                  Gally died suddenly in 1893, but his very capable
                  wife continued to operate the popular resort.
                  In 1894, the paper reported, "Sleeping in tents
                  scattered about the Gally's Cottages grounds is
                  popular just now."
                  Mrs. Gally brought with her from the East a desire
                  for a golf course. Her husband had purchased 75
                  adjoining acres when he bought the cottages, and the
                  fact that it was wild and covered by native brush did
                  not discourage her.
                  In 1889, the links were opened on 40 acres of her
                  land and the paper reported in regards to the grand
                  opening of the course: "The Cottage links were filled
                  with wondering persons with an uncontrollable desire
                  to learn all about the game in one day.
                  They wanted to know the name of the various sticks
                  and all the strokes, and seemed tickled half to death
                  when they got some faint idea of the uses of the
                  different clubs."
                  It was by no means an 18-hole course. In fact, to
                  play 18 holes, the players had to go around the
                  course three times. The rules were changed slightly
                  to compensate for the rough terrain.
                  The dues for the game were not cheap. They were 15
                  cents for a half day, 25 cents for the whole day, $1
                  for one week, $2 for one month and $10 for the
                  season.
                  The newspaper for the valley, The Ojai, reported in
                  the March 2, 1901, edition, "The club has a good and
                  increasing membership, and is prosperous."
                  The course was watered from artesian wells that were
                  found on the property and since lawn mowers were not
                  a popular item, the cutting of the grass was a
                  problem to be dealt with. The solution was to drive a
                  flock of sheep on the grass. The problem took care of
                  itself.
                  After the turn of the century, other hotels in the
                  valley were opening, some much larger and with more
                  extensive golf courses, and the Gally hotel and
                  cottages were being used more and more for permanent
                  residents.
                  The property came into the ownership of Sara Peacock
                  Rogers in the late 1940s, and the golf course acreage
                  was subdivided and sold. Upon Rogers' death in the
                  1960s, a gift of the property created the
                  Rogers-Cooper Memorial Foundation, an affiliation of
                  the Liberal Catholic Church.
                  The hotel building was showing signs of age and decay
                  until a few years ago, when it was lovingly restored
                  to its original grandeur. Today, it is a beautiful
                  reminder of years past when life in the valley was
                  slower and each day was an inspiration to all who
                  visited.

                  © 1999 The Ojai Valley News

                  Back to the news