THE DEVELOPMENT SOUTH OF THE TOWN

The two room Centralia School, the only one in the school district, shows on the map on Hansen Street (now Knott Avenue) below La Palma Avenue. It is also noted that unlike the 1888 Los Angeles County map, Finley does not show Centralia. His map does show Buena Park and the Whitaker Addition, Northam Station (later Buena Park) on the Santa Fe Railroad, and still shows Almond Station on the Southern Pacific.

The picture of the Ist to the 4th grades in the Centralia School in 1910 indicates something of the area's growth, for this was half of the enrollment of the entire school district. Many in this class became prominent citizens of Buena Park, such as the Mitchells, the Coughrans, Ted Siems and others. It also shows a prominent citizen of Cypress, for the teacher is right corner. Mrs. Damron, the mother of Dr. Damron who is the little fellow in the lower right corner.

The farm area was typically California with dairy or citrus groves such as that of W. H. Coughran at Western north of Olive Road, now Crescent Avenue. Alma Coughran, who married E. C. Carpenter, and her brother Sam are in the 1910 Centralia print.

The farm that became best known in the area did not begin until 1920 when Walter Knott brought in his family. With his cousin Jim Preston, he began a 20 acre berry farm on leased land. His center was on Grand Avenue where he built a roadside stand and around which he bought his first land. Cordelia, his wife, added berry pies to the sales items. These were found very attractive by those traveling past on their way to and from the beaches. His commercial development of two berries (one the Boysenberry) was a big boost to his, business. A permanent building replaced the stand, and their home was built in the back. Both are still there.

THE KNOTT'S ROADSIDE STAND

Preserves made by Cordelia were added to the pies, and soon snack luncheons were served. That later led to the serving of chicken dinners. These began in the small room on the right end of the first building. But a separate restaurant with a large kitchen was soon required, even though Mrs. Knott had a sign that said, "We will serve dinners, but we will not have a restaurant."

As an attraction to the tourists who stopped, but mainly to commemorate the covered wag on trek of his own grandmother, Walter hired an artist to paint a cyclorama of a wagon train. In getting a suitable place to show it, the idea of Ghost Town was born.

GHOST TOWN - THE AURA OF THE OLD WEST

While the the town of Buena Park began 33 years earlier, and started with 690 acres against 20 at Knott's Berry Farm, they each had their main growth together. The City of Buena Park is now ten square miles in area and Knott's is less than a third of a square mile of that land, but Buena Park is known internationally largely because of that third of a square mile of Knott's Berry Farm that grew up near the old town.

WALTER AND RUSSELL KNOTT

This farm area had fire protection from a volunteer crew. Its fire station was a building on Grand Avenue donated for that use by Walter Knott. Since it was a Forestry Service crew, it could be called on for service anywhere in the area. It served an area that included all that is now the City of Buena Park except the town itself.