SOMETIMES
FRIENDLY RESIDENTS who perchance were going into town would give Birma a
ride home. One afternoon, a man driving a fine span of high-stepping
horses hitched to a flashy rig stopped and offered Birma a ride back
into town. She accepted. The man seemed pleasant and gentlemanly, but
beyond that, Birma gave the matter little thought. Several weeks later,
she learned the man who had given her the ride was the well-known author
Jack London. At the time, he had a ranch in the Valley of the Moon,
Sonoma County.
During the next few years, Birma and
Jack MacLean moved back and forth between Petaluma and Santa Rosa,
depending on the demands of his work. Sometimes Jack's work caused him
to travel to the Bay Area and even to Los Angeles or San Diego. Because
of the long-distance traveling and being away from home long periods of
time, Jack and Birma decided in 1920 to return to La Panza, where Jack
could do accounting for towns in San Luis Obispo County.
Birma and Jack returned to live on the
Still family home ranch, clearing and planting Burbank prune trees that
did well in the La Panza climate. Gradually, with their hard work, the
ranch improved. However, the 1920's brought several years of drought,
and their hard work was undone.
BIRMA MACLEAN RIDING ORIETA
SPAR IN THE 1951 PIONEER DAY
PARADE. SHE WON FIRST PRIZE FOR
COSTUMED RIDER
Despite this setback, Birma and her
grown sons and daughters: Othor, Ione, Mentley, Duncan and Una stayed on
at the La Panza ranch. Later, Ione married John Bowman and they also
lived and worked at the family ranch. Ione became a noted artist and
illustrated Othor's books on western history. In 1987 she was named
Pioneer Day Queen. Una married Leonard Todd, also became an artist, and
taught school in Santa Margarita. She was Pioneer Day Queen Attendant to
Ione in 1987. Duncan studied engineering and was employed in the oil
fields and Mentley worked on ranches in the La Panza area as a ranch
hand.
In 1947 with the ranch not
as productive as it once was, Birma moved to a small house in Paso
Robles with Othor and Mentley. Birma participated in many Pioneer Day
parades, winning several awards for horsemanship and authentic costume.
Othor achieved recognition as historian and noted western author Angus
MacLean.
John "Jack"
MacLean died in 1955 and was buried at the Still ranch in La Panza.
Dabirma Still MacLean, pioneer lady photographer, passed away in 1968
and also was buried on the Still family ranch in La Panza.
|
About the author:
Bill Dellard came to Paso Robles in 1964 when he and his wife,
Barbara, were hired by the Paso Robles School District. Bill
taught at the high school and served as principal for nine
years. In 1986 they both retired and wrote for The Daily Press
and edited the annual Pioneer Edition of the newspaper. Their
work, "Centennial Family Memories," was awarded first
place in its category by the California Newspaper Association in
1989. |
