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“Why,
it is to be another Montecito. That means that the very rich are going
to flock to the Ojai Valley to live. They will build fine homes and improve
the Valley. Hurrah for The Ojai. Bless her; she is entitled to all that
she is to receive.” – Editor (Ventura) Free Press, September
1916
The
journey north from the community of San Buenaventura, through the settlement
of Stoney Flats (now Casitas Springs), to the town of Nordhoff (now Ojai),
was a long and sometimes treacherous trip.The buggy trail switched back
and forth across the flowing San Antonio Creek at least a dozen times
on its way to the Ojai Valley. The trail was commonly referred to as Creek
Road, and by today’s standards, it was indeed a scenic route.
In 1883, Mary Gally, who owned a small hotel in the Valley, wrote in her
diary, ‘My favorite drive was down the Creek Road for it was the
one green spot in The Ojai, with the wild grape vines hanging down from
the trees and the grassy banks above the running water.’
Dr. Benjamin Saeger was the town doctor at the time, and by 1891, he had
opened the Ojai Drug Store, along with his “country doctor”
practice. In 1896, the Sunset Telephone and Telegraph Company, of San
Francisco, asked Dr. Saeger to become their agent for the town of Nordhoff,
and in so doing, Dr. Saeger became the first person in town to have a
telephone. That phone would serve the Valley as a direct link to the outside
world.
The message process for Dr. Saeger and the citizens of Nordhoff was not
complicated. The doctor would simply turn the crank on the strange device,
and when someone miraculously answered, he would give them the message.
The directory at the time showed that there were 19 telephones in Ventura,
and one in the town of Nordhoff. Today, the Ojai Valley Directory, which
was first published in the Valley in 1926, contains the advertising of
nearly 1,000 businesses and more than 12,000 telephone numbers.
Nordhoff was like most Western towns of the time, with false fronts on
the stores and board sidewalks. The streets were unpaved and dusty. The
character and appearance of the town and the Valley would forever change
with the arrival of Edward D. Libbey, the cut-glass manufacturer from
Toledo, Ohio.
Libbey envisioned the town as a small, romantic Spanish village, with
graceful arches covering the store fronts, and across the street, a sweeping
pergola covered with fragrant wisteria blossoms. A majestic tower was
to be the centerpiece of the town.
Today, it is easy to see that Libbey’s dream did become a reality.
The stores of the Arcade are fronted with arches; there is a pergola across
the street; and the post office tower is the centerpiece of the downtown.
In 1917, a petition
was circulated through town that called for a change of name for the community.
Four names were suggested: Ojai, The Ojai, Ojai Valley and Nordhoff. Nearly
everyone in town signed the petition, which made a list nearly five feet
long, and in 1917, official word came from Washington D.C. that the town
could change its name from Nordhoff to Ojai.
Newspapers of the time claimed the reason for the name change was the
confusion created by the two names … Nordhoff and the Ojai Valley.
Besides, one paper wrote, since “Ojai was the first name, it is regarded
as the best and is entitled to the recognition.”
While this controversy was going on, the U.S. entered World War I, and
many who originally did not want the name changed from Nordhoff were ultimately
persuaded to change their vote because Nordhoff was a German name and
there were obviously bad feelings toward the Germans at the time.
With the growing popularity
of Ojai, Libbey built a small hotel, named the El Roblar (now The Oaks)
and a country club and award winning golf course, which ultimately became
the Ojai Valley Inn. When Libbey finished his building projects, and was
so pleased with the result, he said: “There has been too little attention
paid to things aesthetic in our communities and in our homes. The time
has come when we should encourage in ourselves, thoughts of things beautiful,
and the higher ideals which encourage and promote them.”
Today, the Ojai
Valley is highly regarded the world over as the great Shangri-La.
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