In the Pipeline: A cultural gem in the midst of an office complex

When it comes to local historical discoveries, I had quite a surprise recently, as you’ll read in a bit.

For me, the Fourth of July in Huntington Beach is the truest reminder our city’s rich history. After all, the parade dates to 1904, and it commemorated the arrival of the first electric passenger train linking Huntington Beach with Long Beach and Los Angeles.

Thinking about that time, it’s impossible not to consider structures that have managed to survive — places we can see every day, such as the Newland House (1898) and the Helme/Worth House (1901).

The Northam Ranch House across from City Hall was one of those places until a fire destroyed it in 2000.

Today, in front of a cottage where Sunrise Senior Living is located, a plaque reads, “Uphill from this marker once stood the Northam Ranch House, a pivotal landmark in the history of Huntington Beach.”

Between 1894 and 1897, Col. Robert J. Northam, manager of the Stearns Ranchos Co., bought seven parcels from the company and built his mansion off Yorktown Avenue near Main Street. He had a mule team move at least one home to the property, and then “Diamond Bob,” as Northam became known for his expensive tastes, added to it over the years.

Throughout the 20th century, the Northam Ranch House served as a ranch headquarters, a private residence for company managers and a symbol of the Huntington Beach Co.

But on the evening of March 22, 2000, the Northam Ranch House was destroyed in a fire. It had been abandoned for a long time and had become a local hangout. Arson or carelessness were considered probable causes.

As I shared in this column once before, a historical marker was constructed using brick from the house. That’s what visitors find today after following the path up a slight hill from where the plaque is near the parking lot.

They will also see a small, beautiful park, set up high enough to have a steady breeze in a calm, quiet environment. In 1981, local author Carolyn F. Baily wrote a nice, descriptive passage about what life was like on the hill when Northam was there:

“From there the view was grand. The mesa’s verdant barley and alfalfa fields, interlaced with a chain of sparkling freshwater ponds, spread all the way to colorful Shell Beach. Seed barley from the mesa was sold to farmers who had purchased, drained and cultivated the rich alluvium of the swamps. Farmers fed the grain to their cattle, and one by one, many farmers began growing celery, an excellent money crop.

“Of interest was the colonel’s use of a flag system to signal prospective feed buyers. When the flag was raised, he was ready to transact business; when lowered, it signaled ‘No business at this time.’”

Recently, I visited a friend at the office complex next door to Sunrise. After our meeting, she asked me if I knew anything about the odd old structure in the middle of the complex, in a courtyard with a small pond and pretty landscaping.

I had no idea. Walking the path to the area she described, I saw it. And I almost could not believe my eyes: an old grain silo from the Northam Ranch. Evidently, after the better part of the ranch was torn down in the late 1970s to build the complex, the piece was saved so that an artifact of the ranch would remain among the new buildings.

The silo, several stories high and built to last, at first seems like a bizarre anomaly in the modern world. But standing in its shadow, you get the sense that it still serves a clear purpose: It is a connection to the past. It is a link to another dimension, when farms and fields expanded seemingly to infinity, when cattle and horses roamed freely, when Huntington Beach was an infant.

Wishing you all a safe and fun Fourth of July. Should you be in the mood to experience some forgotten history this weekend, it awaits near the intersection of Yorktown and Main.

CHRIS EPTING is the author of 25 books, including “Legendary Locals of Huntington Beach.” You can follow him on Twitter @chrisepting or at facebook.com/hbindependent.