Friday, March 21, 2014

Van Nuys Ranch 2014

The history of the Jue Joe Van Nuys Ranch has fascinated many people including residents of the local community, and fellow online bloggers and I have received many comments , emails and pictures sent by people who have discovered my family history blog and who are interested in the history of the property. Part of the old property has been developed as a public tennis facility and the other part of the ranch including the main property that includes the historic barns and older buildings built by my late great grandfather Jue Joe, and the main house and swimming pool built by my late grandfather San Tong have been preserved intact. The buildings are not part of the tennis facility and the only part of the old residence being used by the public is one bathroom. Here are some recent pictures of the ranch property taken from the public areas of the property that were forwarded to me for my blog. I will include some of the pictures of the property from the old days for comparison sake. Here is an aerial view of the property surrounded by farmland circa 1947.


Here is a view of the front of the main house circa 1949.


And here is a view of the main house in the early days after an unusual winter snowstorm . Snow is unusual for the San Fernando Valley !


Here are some recent pictures of the property . Part of the property is being used as a public tennis facility.


Here are some views of the main house and side house that are not part of the tennis facility but can be seen from inside the tennis facility.






Looks like a lot of clean up or other work has been done to the main house or is in progress. Here are some views of the back of the property.




I remember the back of the house from my childhood. There was a large solarium with multiple windows that could be opened to let the breeze in . You can see the windows in the current picture above as well as in this family photo of my mom and dad's engagement party at the ranch circa 1950.


The big pool was a central area for family gatherings in the old days. I had a lot of fun swimming in it as a child . Here are my Aunties Soo-Yin and Pingy as hula girls by the pool when they were kids.


Here is a view of the pool in 2014.


The inside of the house which I remember as quite grand as a young boy is not open to the public and the only part of the main house open is a small bathroom .


Here is a picture from the interior of the house in the old days. On the couch are my Dad's stepmom , my mom and my Dad's grandmother and sisters.


Recently the "San Fernando Valley Blog " did a nice piece on the Jue Joe Van Nuys Ranch . The blog has some additional current pictures of the property including this nice picture of the historic redwood barn which I think is one of the last such barns left in the San Fernando Valley.
Here is video of our family during the Van Nuys Ranch days Here is a hand drawn plan of the Jue Joe Ranch Property circa 1947 courtesy of Auntie Soo-Yin 
First is the ranch buildings and layout of the ranch property and then the interior plan of the main ranch house. 






5 comments:

  1. As a Van Nuys historian I am so happy to see the history of this place being recognized. Also, my niece recently played tennis there. Keep up the good work and I look forward to seeing more. Thanks. Richard Hilton

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  2. I was trying to get a hold of the person in charge of the Van Nuys Tennis Ranch Is the facility. I was wondering if it is still being used or is it available to be rented or leased for a youth program. If you have the name of a contact person with their email and phone number can you please contact me with that info. My contact information is Frank@BurbankRollerHockey.com or 818-360-4302. Thank you for your help.

    Frank

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  3. I'm a high school history teacher at Daniel Pearl Magnet High School just half a mile walk (10 minute walk) from the Van Nuys Tennis Ranch. I'll be doing a major event at my school focusing on Immigration in November. As part of that event, I planned to take my students on a walking tour to the Jue Joe Ranch. If I can't get in touch with anyone, our plan is simply to walk in the perimeter of the property on Vanowen. But if we can get a contact name that would be so much better. Either a family member, or someone who could tell us something more about this ranch.

    I also hope you don't mind me rewording some info that I found online to create my own article on the Jue Joe Ranch: https://wordpress.com/post/wwiifrankyortega.wordpress.com/116

    Is there any interest in looking into setting up a memorial marker?

    I'll be doing a lecture in October on WWII in the San Fernando Valley and one piece I'll include is the transition from agricultural to suburban development by highlighting the Jue Joe Ranch. Please reach out to me if possible at: frankylikestoteach@hotmail.com

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    Replies
    1. Hello , thanks for your comment and your interest. I have replied to you via Email
      Regards, Jack Jue Jr.

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  4. Hello, this is a fascinating history of your family! I have just started to trace my family's history to San Fernando Valley and then to Santa Clarita. You have worked hard to uncover so much! I am impressed!

    My mother is of Chinese/Japanese descent. Born in Los Angeles until she was around 9, then taken by her father to China. She tried to find family in San Fernando in the '50's, but didn't have any luck. So fortunate to have an aunt that remembers so much!

    Have you come across any information about Chinese graveyards around these areas of the railroads? If so, could you kindly respond in an email to mckadalee@gmail.com? It would be much appreciated.

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