Orange County Almanac
No historical record exists to pinpoint who first suggested the name “Orange County.” But circumstantial evidence strongly suggests that the author was William R. Olden, a colorful real estate salesman who lived in Anaheim. Olden was an 1870s land agent, as real estate brokers were called then, for the vast Stearns Ranchos in what is now Orange County. To pump up interest in the land, Olden wrote letters to newspapers saying that the Santa Ana River Valley could grow just about anything, including oranges. At the time, however, the area did not have a single orange grove. Olden was a delegate to the Jan. 3, 1872, convention at which the name Orange County was proposed.
Today
The Spirit of Saddleback gospel choir will make its concert debut at Saddleback College with a program of folk songs and spirituals.
The 50-member choir was founded last fall and is open to community members of all ages.
At 7:15 p.m., before the concert, Virginia White of the Albert McNeil Jubilee Singers will give a talk on the history of gospel music.
The show begins at 8 p.m. in the McKinney Theatre. Information: (714) 582-4656.
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