My life as a History Buff

I always knew that I was a history buff.  Even when I was a child and reading children's books on Crazy Horse and his battle fought against General Custer...

However, I never pictured myself just driving to every historic spot nearby and looking at it all.  That is what I do for fun though.  Since I am finished college and I have my car, I have made a habit of driving to nearby historic places and learning as much as I can.

 

My latest find was Fort Tejon in Lebec.  I only took this one photo since I was either reading plaques or talking to reenactors the entire time.  I got distracted. 

This is a picture of the Barracks where the dragoons would stay. 

I met several awesome people who asked me if I would be interested in reenacting for a special upcoming event.  Of course I said I would be interested...so we exchanged contact info.  This event was last weekend and I was able to borrow a costume and play games with the kids who came.  It was so much fun.  Below this picture is a picture of me, in my "garb." 

 

 

 

 

When I left the Fort, I was on my way home, driving along the freeway minding my own business when I saw the roadsign for Pico Canyon Road.  That jogged my memory of a ghosttown I had read about online that was off of Pico Canyon Road.  On a whim, I took the Pico Canyon Road exit and continued to follow the road until I reached the Stevenson Ranch Park, which I remembered was the public park that owned the ghosttown. 

I followed a narrow, winding road back through the canyon and finally came to the abandoned town of Mentryville.

 

Call me crazy, but I was the ONLY car in the parking lot.  Nobody was around, no park rangers...nobody.  I paid the $5 fee which honestly seemed pointless since nobody was even there.  But then I walked toward the town.  Not too much is left, but there is an old schoolhouse, outhouses, the remains of an old building, a few old wagons, the oil rigging area where the first oil well was, and the Mentry house.  It was windy, and this old building was swaying in the breeze and kept creaking. 

Honestly, I was a little bit scared being there completely by myself.  It would have been the perfect setting for a murder mystery. 

 

 

This is the house, which was fenced off.  I can't tell you how tempted I was to jump the fence and go peer in the windows...but I didn't.

 

I saw a lady walking/exercising on the park road nearby and so I thought I would try to talk to her and see what she knew about the town, thinking she was probably a local who knew about the place.  She was walking straight towards me, so I pleasantly said "Hello ma'am? Are you from the area? Could you tell me about this old town?"

She COMPLETELY ignored me, looked straight ahead and continued walking briskly.  I tried again, but she walked right past me very fast and would not look at me.  It was so weird. 

I don't think I have ever had a complete stranger ignore me like that before.  And on top of the fact that I was by myself in a ghosttown, it was sort of eerie.   

 

Anyway, as you can tell, I made it out alive.  When I told my landlady about the strange woman who would not talk or look at me, she said "Well if I saw a girl, by herself standing in a ghosttown trying to talk to me, I would ignore her too! I would think you were crazy."

haha...so I guess maybe I can understand it from that point of view.  But goodness, it's not like I looked violent or drugged up or something.  I had a camera haha. 

Ah well.  Next time I go back, I want to take someone along with me. 

Until later!  I think my next post will be a rant about something...