The House on Valido Road: The Homestead Challenge
By Lee C. Hanson, Ph.D.
With historic descriptions from Esther Egan, daughter of the Egan Homesteaders
At daybreak one morning, two men left their homes in Spadra (a small town near Pomona) and rode their horses 50 mile through rough terrain to a camping site in South Laguna.
Courtesy of the Hanson Files
Egan horses at stables (early 1900s)
Herein the words of Esther Egan, daughter of the homestead family, is the beginning of their story:
Aliso Beach (early 1900s)
In 1902, my father Will Egan and his uncle James Shrewsbury, were on a camping trip to Laguna Beach and found that some of the South Laguna property was open to homesteaders. Between them they ultimately homesteaded 200 acres, running roughly from Aliso Canyon south to Honeycomb Canyon.
It’s likely that the two campers stayed at Aliso Beach, a popular camping site at the time which, conveniently, was near the Thurston homestead. The Thurston family had established their homestead in the back of Aliso Canyon in 1871. The land south of Thurston’s property was owned by the U.S. government and, when Will Egan and his uncle arrived, was still open for homesteading.
Will Egan and James Shrewsbury rode over the available land, and when they returned home, they took with them an ambitious plan for obtaining government land through homesteading.
Although filing for homestead land was practically free, there were other costs involved; homesteaders needed to clear the land, plow the soil, add amendments, level the field, create rows or beds to plant, and maintain them throughout several months with no income in sight. During that time, shelter and food for people and animals needed to be provided. All of these steps required hard labor and hard cash.
The two men did their homework and decided that their plan was possible. After four years, they had everything in place. They filled out the required applications and, as “entrymen,” promised to work the land, build the structures and make the required “improvements” on 200 acres – all within five years. Were they up to the challenge?
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Will Egan in the Homestead’s fields
From Esther Egan’s notes, we learn:
The property was covered with deep underbrush which had to be cleared with teams of horses and was terribly hard work.
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Valido Trail showing the hills and rough terrain (typical of the Egan Homestead)
Tools for clearing underbrush
Example of a wood burning stove, typical of the era
On top of the “terribly hard work” of clearing the land, farmers faced drought, hail, high winds, pests and diseases – just to name a few obstacles that homesteaders had to overcome.
Hard winds would sometimes make it impossible for Mother to use the big cook stove; then she would make it such fun cooking over our fireplace, calling it our surprise picnic.
Homesteading is physically, economically and emotionally demanding. While it offered the promise of land and a new life, the harsh realities of the environment, constant economic struggles and social isolation made it a demanding (often unsurmountable) undertaking for many pioneers. Most could not meet the challenge and abandoned their homesteads. Looking at the reality makes it clear why only around 40% of those who began the homesteading process actually completed it.
Were Will Egan and Jim Shrewsbury destined to be among those who gave up?
Time reveals the answer: In 1910, William F. Egan obtained a patent for 40 acres, and in 1911, James Shrewsbury obtained the patent for one-quarter of a section (160 acres).
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(L-R) Jim Shrewsbury and Will Egan in bean fields (identified by Deborrah Allen)
So much happened between the fateful day when the two men rode to Aliso and when they received patents for their homesteads. Their farms grew and thrived; so did the Egan family.
Next: Homestead Honeymoon.
• • •
The words of Esther Egan (Will Egan’s daughter) are part of a record buried in the files at the FamilySearch Library in Los Angeles. Over the years, Esther documented historical and family events, writing on a series of index cards which were passed down to her granddaughter, Deborrah Allen. It was Deborrah who included the cards – her grandmother’s words – in the tribute: Our Family Heroes – My Grandmother Esther Egan Hind.
Researcher/author Dr. Lee Hanson taught in the Art Department at San Jose State University for several years. She moved to Southern California and retired while serving as associate director of Arts Education, Art Department, School of Arts and Architecture, UCLA.
