Time begins to catch up with El Toro

An article appearing in the LA Times, May 19, 1968 — prior

to erection of the Santa Fe overpass that obliterated the town of El Toro.

A Boy's-Eye View of Old El Toro [Lake Forest Patch] 

An early family's youngest son reminisces about his youthful fascination with stagecoaches and trains. 

Posted Fri, Oct 14, 2011 

[Author:]…George Nathanial Whiting, born four years after his brother Dwight Anson on June 1, 1895, and who passed away almost 84 years later in April 1979… 

The Crossrails of El Toro 

     "It was fun for us kids to go to to watch the afternoon train come through. The depot was at the corner of El Toro Road and the railroad right-of-way. 

     "At this time, four passenger trains a day stopped at El Toro: a south bound train morning and afternoon, and a north bound morning and afternoon. 

     "Laguna Beach would be reached only by a dirt road which followed the route of the present road from El Toro. From El Toro the transportation was by , two-and-a-half day hours over the hills, through wire gates and down the canyons. 

     "The stages were open four-wheelers, equipped with cross seats, one with a capacity of eight people and baggage and the other for six people. 

     "These stages had already arrived when we got to the station and were now tethered to a hitching rail in front of the El Toro store, where, no doubt, their drivers were refreshing themselves after the long trip from Laguna. 

     "The passengers and their baggage are gathered on the station platform awaiting the arrival of the train from San Diego to Los Angeles. 

     "Along Front Street, which paralleled the rail tracks, was the Moulton Ranch warehouse and beside it, the smaller Whiting warehouse. Just beyond was the railroad water tower. On the other side were a number of dwellings and a blacksmith shop (another fascinating place for small boys.)" 

Here Comes the Northbound! 

     "If you were a small boy, you suddenly became aware of a soft humming sound coming from the railroad rails. This sound was caused by the friction of the wheels against rails, telegraphed through the steel, and was the first indication of the approaching train from San Diego long before it arrived. 

     "Since it is train time, there is an air of expectancy among the waiting passengers. Eyes are focused on 'the cut,' a mile south, waiting for the locomotive to appear. 

     "Suddenly there it is, framed in the cut, emitting clouds of smoke and steam after its long uphill pull to the summit. The whistle sounds as it approaches the station and comes to a stop with a hissing of steam and groaning of air brakes. 

     "The stationmaster loads the baggage and mail sacks in the baggage car. The passengers say goodbye to their friends at the platform and board the day coaches. The conductor sings out a long drawn 'All aboard' and the train starts moving slowly away, gathering speed as it goes. 

Curious "Dirty George" 

     "If you happened to be on the train, as I often was, you looked out the window over the rolling brown Irvine plains, shimmering in the summer heat, toward the blue sea beyond. In the foreground was a symmetrical cone-shaped hill with a single pine tree on its summit. This hill was a landmark of sorts, then locally known as 'Dirty George's Hill.' I have never been able to find out who Dirty George was or why the hill was so named."….

From the Tustin News, March 7, 1968