Orange County Almanac
The Spanish expedition that marched into what is now Orange County named many of the existing landmarks, including the Santa Ana River. The river was given two names on the same day in 1769 by expedition leader Gaspar de Portola, but it was a third name that ultimately stuck. Portola discovered the Santa Ana River on July 28, 1769, and he named it “The River of the Sweetest Name of Jesus.” Within hours after naming the river, Portola and his soldiers experienced an earthquake. Portola therefore modified the name to be “The River of the Sweetest Name of Jesus of the Earthquakes.” Soldiers, however, had informally called the newly found tributary “The River of St. Ann,” and that name, Santa Ana, is what endured.
Today
“Allende by Pinochet,” a new play by Chilean-born playwright Guillermo Reyes, continues at Cypress College’s Studio Theater.
The playwright, whose works include “Immigrants in Exile” and “Men on the Verge of a Hispanic Breakdown” is artist-in-residence this month at the college.
Tickets are $7 for general admission to the theater, 9200 Valley View St. (near Lincoln Avenue), Cypress.
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