Yorba Linda pioneer Eldo West describes Santa Ana winds from winter 1909-10

 Early Yorba Linda pioneer Eldo West (1879-1969), the father of prominent novelist, essayist and short story writer Jessamyn West, was active in the formative stages of this community.

Eldo served twice on the Yorba Linda school board, first as a founding member 1912-15 and the second 1918-21. He was superintendent of the mutual water company 1914-21.

He moved his Quaker family from Indiana to Whittier before settling in Yorba Linda in 1910 for a 13-year residency before moving to Anaheim. His Yorba Linda home at the site of the present-day Jessamyn West Park burned to the ground in an arson fire in 1982.

According to the late historian Phil Brigandi, who was in contact with Jessamyn West before her 1984 death, Eldo, at Jessamyn's request, around 1955, wrote down several descriptive “notes” about Yorba Linda in the early 1900s.

Jessamyn used many of the descriptive passages as background material in her novels and short stories, including in the novel based in early Yorba Linda, “South of the Angels” (1960) that was set in the Yorba Linda of 1916.

Since the Santa Ana winds season is nearly upon us, here's Eldo's description of a 1909-10 event:

“My most vivid recollection of the first winter we lived in Yorba Linda is of the Santa Ana Wind that came howling through the canyon with a force that we feared would blow the house down.

“The first one struck with a surprising suddenness soon after we had gone to bed. The house shook, swayed, trembled and groaned. Every minute we feared the next gust would either turn it over or cause it to collapse.

“I went outside and got some 2x6 timbers that were left over from building and put them up as braces on the west side.

“They helped but still we were afraid the house would come down in a heap and trap us in the pile of lumber, so we gathered up our bedding and went outside to sleep on the leeward side of the large concrete weir box close by the house.

“The wind howled all night. Everything loose on the hilltop took off for lower ground and landed in the gullies somewhere westward.

“We didn’t sleep much, but we didn’t hear the house fall, and when daylight came we ventured back inside, glad to get out of the flying dust and debris.

“Our confidence in the stability of the house was strengthened, but we still had some fear and either during that Santa Ana Wind or a later one, we made our beds in the feed room of the stable where we used the barley hay to spread our bedding on and had a fairly comfortable night.

“And again the house stood. Our confidence in its ability to stand up against the wind was further increased. It would groan, creak and complain, but never left its base and always settled back after the hard gusts, seemingly as strong and stable as ever.”

Brigandi preserved Eldo's descriptions, labeled “Notes Concerning Yorba Linda,” including passages on agriculture, water and community development on the “OC Historyland” web- site.