I’ve been inspired by the recent horse races – the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness – these last couple weeks and thought about when I arrived in Crestline 50 years ago. Many people, especially teens, were riding horses everywhere in town and and there were many stables and riding trails. Owning a horse is a great responsibility but also offers transportation for teens.
The history of cowboy culture in Southern California is deeply rooted in the region’s ranching history. Ranching began with the first European/Spanish settlers, 18th century Spanish adventurers and missionaries who brought horses with them, becoming the vaquero tradition. The Spanish government allowed settlers to establish rancheros for raising cattle.
The vaqueros, or cowboys, played a crucial role in the economy, responsible for raising livestock, slaughtering, butchering and processing hides. The vaquero tradition laid the foundation for the cowboy culture that is still celebrated today in Southern California. Horse racing was an integral part of that culture, as each one wanted his horse to be considered the best.
Oh, the sun shines bright on my old Kentucky home, on my old Kentucky home far away. Oh, the sun shines bright over old Kentucky, over Kentucky on the Derby Day, they let him run, they let him run, they let the big horse run.” (“Let the Big Horse Run,” by John Stewart)
Locally, back in the 1940s through 1970s, you would see horses trotting down Lake Drive in Crestline and other Crestline streets. You could rent a horse from one of the many stables, including from the Rovera Ranch in VOE, to ride down the Heart Rock Trail and other trails down into Dart Canyon, where there were many equestrian trails, even today. Children used their horses for transportation around town as well. There were even stables on the shores of Lake Gregory for riding the trail around the lake.
In Crestline today, you can still see the wooden rail where horse owners may tie their horses down in front of the world-famous Stockade Grub and Whiskey Bar, even today.
That cowboy tradition persists through local barbecue culture, rural rodeos and the historical, urban equestrian tradition of groups like the Compton Cowboys, who continue riding at local events, such as they did a couple years ago in Crestline’s yearly Jamboree Days parade. And they did tie their horses on those Stockade hitching posts.
Oh, the sun shines bright on my old Kentucky home, on my old Kentucky home far away. Oh, the sun shines bright over old Kentucky, over Kentucky on the Derby Day, they let him run they let the big horse run, they let him run, they let him run, they let the big horse run.
Keep it flyin,’
Uncle Mott
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