CLIPBOARD

Two centuries ago, the peaceful Santa Ana neighborhood of Fairview-Willits--with its modest family dwellings, its neighborhood watch programs, its schools and businesses--was part of the 62,516-acre land grant to Pvt. Jose Antonio Yorba and Sgt. Juan Pablo Peralta by King Carlos III of Spain for their faithful service in his military.

“That land was known as Rancho Santa Ana de Santiago de Los Chinos,” said Paul Apodaca, curator of folk art for the Bowers Museum and a recognized authority on Native Americans and their history. “The true meaning is the Ranch Along the River of St. Ann in Honor of St. James in the Land of the Curly-Haired People.”

According to Apodaca, the ranch was named for the Santa Ana River in honor of Santiago (St. James)--a hermit priest who was the patron saint of Spain--and the curly-haired people, who were the Indians who had settled along the river. And it was those Indians--most notably the Gabrielinos and Juanenos, who helped their new neighbors acclimate to the land, find food and build shelters.

But when the Spaniards began to establish their settlements and their missions, the Indian population there diminished--dying of European diseases such as smallpox, being absorbed into the mission system, or simply moving out of the grasp of the Spaniards.

But a couple of major wars changed the destiny of the area. The first was the bloody Mexican Revolution, which liberated Mexico and California from Spain. The second was the Mexican-American War, in which the United States on a quest for “manifest destiny” wrested control of California from the Mexicans.

It is here that things take an interesting turn.

“In the Treaty of Guadalupe Hildago, the Mexican government gave California to the Americans, in exchange for which the Mexican land titles would continue to be honored,” Apodaca said.

“But the Americans devised a scheme where interests in the East would finance the breaking up of Mexican land holdings by sending squatters to sit on the Mexican land. The Mexicans landowners would notify the American sheriffs, who would say ‘prove it,’ and the whole thing would be tied up in American courts for years being handled by American lawyers and judges,” Apodaca continued.

Eventually, the Mexicans would have to sell parcels of their land to help finance their legal battles, and there would be a James Irvine, a William Spurgeon or a Jacob Ross or some other individual or investment group eager to purchase the now-available land.

Looking at the Fairview-Willits area today, its colorful past is benignly reflected in street names such as Arapaho, Shawnee, Mohawk and Nakoma and by an ethnic mix that is predominantly Latino, with whites, blacks and Asians rounding out the neighborhood. That mix and the cooperative spirit of respecting other cultures is in full practice at Jackson Elementary School on Nakoma Drive.

“This is such a nice neighborhood school, and I think it reflects the community,” said Principal Gloria Roelen. “We’ve been fortunate to get a lot of support from the community and businesses, who realize that these kids are our future.”

But nowhere is Jackson’s cultural cooperation more evident than in the prolific and colorful student artwork that hangs all around the school and in the administrative offices. Artist Halinka Luangpraseut, who teaches art at the school, is a Polish immigrant who specializes in ethnic art and is married to a Laotian immigrant.

“Halinka comes from a background of English as a second language and she is trying to promote international awareness by giving the children an opportunity to express their cultures through art,” Roelen explained.

And if Jackson Elementary bridges the gap of understanding for children, then Goodwill Industries on Fairview Street is the helping hand for adults.

“I’m not sure people realize that we have a vocational- rehabilitation program for the mentally and physically handicapped,” said Andrea Pronk, director of marketing for Goodwill Industries of Orange County.

At the center, trainees learn skills in electronic assembly and word-processing. The center also contracts with various outside companies to do shrink-wrapping, collating and non-critical mechanical assembly.

To finance the endeavor, Goodwill uses its “as-is” lot and retail store to generate revenue.

The community comes by its spirit of lending a helping hand honestly. And everything and nothing has changed in the Ranch of St. Ann in honor of St. James in the land of the curly-haired people.

Population Total: (1990 est.) 6,751 1980-90 change: +12.3% Median Age: 29.7

Racial/ethnic mix: White (non-Latino): 28% Latino: 43% Black: 10% Other: 19%

By sex and age: MALES Median age: 28.4 years FEMALES Median age: 30.9 years

Income Per capita: $13,406 Median household: $41,149 Average household: $39,850

Income Distribution: Less than $25,000: 32% $25,000-49,999: 33% $50,000-74,999: 25% $75,000-$99,999: 8% $100,000 and more: 2%