Rep.
James B. Utt, City Clerk Ruth Poe, Councilman L. E. Marsters and Mayor
A. J. Coco cut the ribbon at ceremonies changing D Street to El Camino
Real as Ernest Osuna, an honored guest, watches
I goofed three
weeks ago when I wrote about street names in Tustin. D Street was renamed El
Camino Real in 1968 during the yearlong celebration of Tustin’s Centennial,
not during the 1976 Bicentennial observance.
Columbus Tustin
and his partner, Nelson O. Stanford, completed the purchase of an undivided
1/64th of Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana in 1868 although the deed of
partition was not signed with Tustin taking possession of almost 840 acres
until 1869.
Because the plat
map was not filed until sometime between August 1870 and May 1871, many
historians use 1870 as the date of Tustin’s founding. The city of Tustin,
however, used the year of the purchase for the Centennial celebration date.
A. J. Tony Coco
who served as mayor from 1968 to 1972 presided over the festivities with the
help of the city council, which because of the beginning and ending of terms
during the year included five men, Gerald Mack, Ronald I. Klingelhofer,
Laurentz Marsters, Clifton C. Miller and Duane J. Ring.
Harry Gill was city
administrator, Ruth Poe was city clerk, and James Rourke was city attorney.
The City Hall was located at 135 W. Third Street. A gala dinner dance at the
Newporter Inn launched the Centennial celebration on Feb. 17, 1968. Most of
the movers and shakers in Tustin attended. Many women, including Mrs.
William Leinberger, Mrs.Leon Lauderbach, Mrs. Douglas Gorrie and Mrs. Worth
Alexander wore elaborate gowns from the Victorian era.
President Lyndon
Johnson and Gov. Ronald Reagan sent messages of congratulation to the
citizens of Tustin. Lucille Moses, wife of Tustin News publisher Bill Moses,
and Lee Wagner, a local businesswoman, planned a number of events during the
celebration including the selection of Centennial Queen Linda Hoffertberg, a
home tour, and a tea for the ladies. A mayor’s luncheon and a street dance
were other activities.
The Centennial
celebration climaxed in September with the renaming of D, H, and Fourth
streets. D Street was renamed El Camino Real (The Royal Highway), after the
route Father Serra used as he traveled from mission to mission in the
pre-rancho days.
Fourth Street,
which had retained its Santa Ana name after being extended into Tustin, was
renamed Irvine because it joined Irvine Boulevard at Newport Avenue, and H
Street became Centennial Way. The streets received their new names as
Representative James B. Utt, City Clerk Ruth Poe, Councilman L. E. Marsters
and Mayor A. J. Coco presided in a festive dedication ceremony.
A parade followed
with Ernest Osuna, a descendent of the Alcalde of San Diego, as Honored
Guest. That evening the community continued the celebration at a street
dance on Main Street between El Camino Real and Prospect. You might want to
mark your calendar for Tustin’s Sesquicentennial in 2018 and an
Incorporation Centennial in 2027.
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