A Bit of Local History

 

A Bit of Local History

By Bill Barksdale, Columnist

When I began my real estate career in Willits I had a stroke of very good fortune - I met Lee Persico.  I worked with Lee for thirty years and over those years we grew an abiding friendship.  We could hardly be less alike and yet we’ve always had a great respect for each other.  I have sometimes thought of Lee almost as an older brother.  In addition to the world-class initial training I received from Coldwell Banker, Lee patiently guided me through the real on-the-ground, day to day realities of becoming a good agent.

I’ll always remember one of the first things Lee said to me, “Every single word in a contract is important.  The best contracts can only be interpreted one way.”  Take for instance the huge legal difference between the words “may” and “shall”.  Legalize is a whole different language.  “May” leaves the door wide open for ‘anything can happen’.  “Shall” says ‘this is what must happen’, it’s legally binding.  When reviewing a contract, a misunderstood or ambiguous word can make a huge difference.  When there’s a dispute between parties you always go back to the contract to see what it says.

I was surprised to learn that Lee went to L.A. after graduating from high school to study commercial art!  He designed logos for a decal company for a while but L.A. was not for him.  “Horrible smog” he told me.  “It was like a forest fire everyday”, so he came back north with the goal of studying TV set design, but ended up working for PG&E in the mapping department in San Raphael for a while.

He eventually returned to Willits.  His friend, Mary Ann Remstead told him “You have to meet my roommate, Evelyn.”  That was 1956, and Lee and Evelyn have been together ever since, raising five children. 

As someone who was born and raised in Willits, he’s also kind of a walking encyclopedia of this town.  The Persico’s came to Willits in the early 1900’s.  Willits most famous citizen, Edie Ceccarelli, was Lee’s second cousin.  Her mother was Lee’s grandmother’s sister.  When Edie was only 108, Willits historians, Kim Bancroft & Judi Berdis interviewed Lee & Edie and have generously allowed me to supplement my conversations with Lee, with their interview notes. 

When asked where she lived as a child Edie answered, “In town.  We always had a cow for milk.  We always liked to have a well so we could have our own water.  Papa always saw to that.  Oh my god!  When I think of all of that.  Seven children.  I was the oldest.”  Note: Edie passed away on February 22^nd of this year at age 116, the oldest documented person in the U.S. and the second-oldest documented living person in the world, at that time!

On a personal note, Edie used to live around the corner from me.  When she was 105, she was still living alone with daily visits from Evelyn Persico, and walking downtown and back almost every day.  We used to chat while she was sweeping – with a broom – the leaves up from the graveled parking area next to her house.  She was still going out dancing regularly with her friend, Ed Burton, at that time.  Joe and I would often stop and chat with them as they sat in lawn chairs outside when we walked our three-legged McNab dog, Sophie.  Ed loved Sophie.

Edie was born in Willits on February 5^th, 1908, one of seven children.  “I got a job at Penny’s when I was a senior in high school.”  “I sang at the Colonial Theater (later renamed the Majestic Theater) where you go to see a movie. I sure did.  They had an intermission…I sang with the piano.”  They were showing silent movies in those days.  “I did have a very pretty voice, yes I did!” “In the band (at the high school) I played the saxophone”.  Note:  You can still see the word “Colonial” in the tile work to the entrance of the old theater building on Main St, it’s that brick building with the two arches Across from J.D. Redhouse.

When Lee was only three years old he became a horse trick rider.  He was in Ripley’s Believe It Or Not as the World’s Youngest Cowboy.  He rode his mare, Buck.  He rode at the World’s Fair at Treasure Island in 1939.  I think there’s still a small mural of Lee and Buck on the side of the old Al’s Redwood Room, facing the parking lot for Savings Bank. 

“I toured with Buck, then later with a horse from Charlie Howard’s ranch till about 1956.”  Charlie Howard owned the famous race horse, Seabiscuit.  “I was put on Seabiscuit for a publicity shot when I was a kid.”  “Clark Gable and Bing Crosby and those guys were all down at Ridgewood Ranch because Charlie Howard was a great friend of theirs.  Of course, my dad and Charlie were great friends. 

“In those days there were thirteen saw mills in Willits.  Sawdust was so thick you had to wipe it off your windows.  They switched to teepee burners but they created so much pollution the burners were shut down.  That was in the 1940’s.  The Van Hotel was built back in the 40’s.  That was across the street from the beautiful Willits Hotel.” That’s now a vacant lot on Main St at the corner of Commercial & Main Streets. 

In the ‘50’s, when loggers would get laid off in the wintertime, “many windows were replaced on Monday ‘cause everybody would get into fighting and throw them through the windows.”

“Yde’s bakery was in the parking lot next to Buster’s.  That bakery burned down.  The Book Juggler was Wittiger’s Drug store, then became the Rexall Drug Store.”  I’ve seen pictures of The Book Juggler before it had a “make over” and the beautiful old tile work is still there, covered up.  “J.D. Redhouse was originally Johnson’s Merchantile.  They sold everything.”

“Peter’s Chinese Restaurant was the old ice works and also bottled sodas.  Ice was important because people still used ice boxes.  Joe, the ice man, wore a leather apron and shoulder pad.  He’d pick up blocks of ice with hooks and throw them over his shoulder to deliver“.

 “The old Ron’s Old Beauty Shop on Wood St was the city jail.  Jake Thom was the police chief.  He drove his own car. When I was about three, Jake picked me up and locked me in the cell.  I never forgot that slamming door.  That’s why I have such respect for the police to this day.”

Lee’s grandparents came from Italy “probably 1905 or 1906.  He had to send for my grandmother because she was still in Italy.  One of my uncles was born coming over.  My dad was born here, on the corner of East Oak and Central Street….My grandfather – you know where Jeff’s Gas is on Central Street, that was my grandfather’s.  In that big building in the back, I used to stomp wine grapes for him!”

“He put up hay.  He hauled freight out to Eden Valley in wagons ‘cause there was a stage stop out there.  I remember riding with him in a wagon when I was three and four years old…”.  “In those days there were a lot of Portuguese, Finnish and the Italians….they came to work in the woods…They made shakes, paling and posts.  That’s where the railroad started – the Skunk.  They had the ox teams that would take the logs down logging roads.  Then they’d float them down the Noyo River.  Then they brought the train in.  That’s how the Skunk train got coming from Ft. Bragg.  Ultimately it was built to come to Willits….that diesel smell stunk, so they called it the Skunk!  I don’t know any of this as gospel.  It’s just part of the legends that I know.”

“You know, in those days, we had the Native Americans or Indians who were my close friends.  We had a few Chinese people here.  We had all walks of life.  We had what they called in those days the Okies, those poor people who moved from the Dust Bowl in Oklahoma and they came out to work in the sawmills and what have you.  We were just all friends.”

“There’s some great books out there.  One that I enjoyed the most was Badges of Buckshot.  It goes back to the 1800’s.  It talks about all of the robberies and murders and horse rustlers and cattle rustlers in this area.” 

Kim asked: “There was a time when the back-to-landers came to town and they were seen as a bunch of hippies.”  Lee responded “Yeah, they were that element that wanted to become a part of Willits.  You can say we had the rednecks and the hippies and the cowboys….I sold a lot of property to them and I had no problems.  I believe you should be able to do what you want to do and leave me alone.  Don’t expect me to go the way you want me to go.  I’ll go my way.  I think finally everybody decided we were going to get along.”

Edie concluded “A lot of people come to America from other countries, not only Italians, the Germans, French.  They could come here and work, be honest.  Nothing wrong with it!  We’re all people, making a life for ourselves.”

There’s so much I had to leave out.  I recommend visiting the Mendocino County Museum on East Commercial Street, next to the Library.  They have books and rotating displays of local history.  It’s worth the visit.  My thanks to Lee, Edie, Kim and Judi.  We live in a wonderful place.  As for me, I love it here.