Paso Robles Area Historical Society: California’s Oldest Watering Place

By Camille DeVaul and the Paso Robles Area Historical Society and Museum

As far back as 1795, the Paso Robles area has been referred to as “California’s oldest watering place.”

The notion comes from its abundance of thermal hot springs and mud baths. And if that was not enough, for thousands of years, Native Americans believed in the curative properties of the area’s sulfur, soda, mineral, iron, lithium, mud, and sand springs.

Several springs and baths were frequented by Paso Robles visitors. The Main Sulpher Spring was located at what is now 10th and Spring Street and the Mud Bath Springs were about 2.5 miles north of that. Patrons of the springs would reach them by a horse-drawn streetcar line.

About half a mile from the Mud Springs was the Sand Spring near the banks of the Salinas River. One hundred feet. Then the Soda Spring was 100 feet north of the Mud Spring, the Lithium Spring was adjacent to the Mud Bath’s bathhouse, and the Iron Spring was northwest of the Mud Springs bathhouses.

The summers in the Paso Robles area can get mighty hot, and sitting in the thermal waters certainly was not a way to cool off. The Paso Robles Community pool originated in the mid-1920s as part of the Paso Robles Auto Camp. It was described as “one of the deluxe camps.”

During the summer months, local children who attended the Paso Robles Recreation Program were allowed to go swimming for a nickel. In 1937, Stewart J. and his wife Ella Bryant bought the Paso Robles Auto Court on Spring Street between 9th and 10th streets. The purchase included the old plunge, which at the time was in a declining state as the heating system had died and the filtering system was questionable. Upgrades were made, and it became a trendy place to gather for adults and children, operating as a public swimming pool. During World War II, the plunge was operated by the USO, and civilians were not allowed to use the pool.

In 1946, the Bryants sold the property. The buyer then sold the plunge 18 | pasoroblesmagazine.com

to the City of Paso Robles, who operated it for several years.

The 1950s brought many happy memories surrounding the plunge. There were swim lessons, swim teams, synchronized swimming, and simple, old-fashioned fun. However, the plunge was closed in 1959 by the county health inspectors when the City decided the necessary repairs and upkeep were too costly.

Another popular swimming hole was located about four miles west of Paso Robles off 24th Street, known as Nacimiento Lake Road.

Just west of where the Jardine Ranch, now known as Resthaven, sat “The Family Playground.” Located at the junction of Nacimiento Lake Road and Adelaide Road, it was the home of John Irving and his wife, Minnie Dellie Lomax McCord, and their four daughters.

Around 1943, John McCord built a 160-foot cemented swimming pool with an ice-cold stainless steel water slide with a separate wading pond and playground for children. It was surrounded by large oak trees and grassy areas. Many described it as a “fun pool that McCord built free form along an old stream bed.”

Admission to the grounds was 25 cents, but no charge for swimming. They advertised spinner rafts, floats, lawn and shade, barbeque pits and tables, and two acres of campgrounds. The McCords made an overhead entry sign to their acreage from manzanita wood branches that were shaped to read “Resthaven.” The property was sold multiple times, and eventually, the pool was filled in with the acreage converted into a mobile home park.

The El Paso de Robles Area Historical Society and Museum are honored to be located in the historic Carnegie Library at the center of City Park. To learn more, visit pasorobleshistorymuseum.org. 

Fallen Peace Officers Remembered

May 10 marks one year since Detective Luca Benedetti’s death

By Camille DeVaul

Two San Luis Obispo County peace officers were honored and remembered on Thursday, May 5, at the SLO County Peace Officers’ Memorial held at Pismo Beach Pier.

The annual event honors peace officers who died in the line of duty. This year’s event was especially personal to the county since it comes just days short of one year anniversary of the loss of San Luis Obispo Police Detective Luca Benedetti.

Benedetti (37) lost his life in the line of duty on May 10, 2021, in San Luis Obispo while serving a search warrant. Benedetti was laid to rest on May 20, 2021, at the Paso Robles District Cemetery, following a memorial and procession.

His memorial, held at the Cal Poly Performing Arts Center in San Luis Obispo, was attended by thousands of community members and law enforcement officers.

During the memorial service, SLOPD Sgt. Caleb Kemp said, “Detective Luca Benedetti died with a warrior’s heart, serving his community and doing what he loved. I want to thank the Benedetti family for sharing him with the rest of the world and thank Luca for sharing himself with all of us ... We will heal; we will never forget, but we will heal. Luca’s sacrifice, legacy, will permanently be etched into the lives he touched, living his life to the fullest.”

Following the memorial, law enforcement led a procession from SLO to Benedetti’s resting place in Paso Robles. The Redding Police Department, Menlo Park Police Department, Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office, Carson City (Nevada) Sheriff’s Office, City of Fresno Police, Manhattan Beach Police, and San Diego County Sheriff’s Office were just some of the agencies involved.

Also remembered at the event was Sgt. Thomas Stanley of the Atascadero State Hospital Police Department. Stanley, 56, died from covid-related complications on December 31, 2021.

The ceremony included the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Honor Guard and 21-gun salute team, a California Highway Patrol flyover, and an American flag displayed by the San Luis Obispo Fire Department ladder truck. The Peace Officers’ Memorial Ceremony is organized and coordinated by the Criminal Justice Administrators’ Association.

San Luis Obispo Police Chief Rick Scott released the following statement to Paso Robles Magazine:

“Today, we joined our community in honor of our fallen heroes who sacrificed their lives in service to our California Communities. Among them is Luca Benedetti of the San Luis Obispo Police Department, lost in the line of duty on May 10, 2021. We will always remember and honor Detective Benedetti’s selfless service for our police family and a grateful community. We will never forget Luca and the inspiring legacy he leaves behind.”

For a list of all fallen officers honored, visit bit.ly/3KNp086 

By Christianna Marks

Max Randolph

Sally Lamas

Max Randolph forges a sculpture. Photo by Bradical Photography

As a kid, Max Randolph was always up to something creative, whether it was sculpting with clay, drawing, or playing with Legos, but it was when he learned to weld at 14 that his creativity really exploded.

“Suddenly, I was able to make things out of metal, but what really started to happen was I knew I could get it hot and then I could move it, and that’s truly when, all of the sudden, I fell down the rabbit hole,” he said.

Though his dream is to one day create things directly from the source with untapped creativity, Randolph is currently working on commissioned projects.

He says that skewing his perception through someone else’s lens is a fun challenge. “Someone needs something, and then I create it for them,” he added excitedly.

Randolph has a plethora of projects currently being molded or fresh out of his forge, including a massive sculpture of an oak tree with copper leaves that will be going to Mission San Antonio de Padua.

You can see Randolph’s art locally in The Alchemist’s Garden’s sign and the clock tower located in Tin City in Paso Robles, where he lives.

No stranger to paint, Sally Lamas is a muralist who’s had her work all over San Luis Obispo County, from Pismo Beach to her newest mural in Atascadero.

“There’s something special about a public mural because it’s almost... I actually took a lot of solicited suggestions from people,” Lamas said. “When you’re working in your studio, it’s you and whoever might be your family doing that. But it’s not an integral thing with the community that then walks by and remembers how they talked to you about that piece of art.”

Lamas not only paints her art on public surfaces in the community, but she’s also been known to work on canvases, her own greeting card line, and many more artistic endeavors.

Lamas’s most recent mural, which was a part of Atascadero’s Equality Mural Project, can be found on the side of the Monarch Behavior Solutions Building. Sally Lamas paints her mural on the side of the Monarch Behavior Solutions Building. Contributed Photo

An abstract art piece by Marie Ramey. Photo by Marie Ramey

Jordan Hockett grew up in the North County, left to get his art degree from San Francisco State, and returned to Paso Robles in 2015.

Initially, Hockett started his college journey wanting to study graphic design, but along the way, he switched over to studying the fine arts. To this day, graphic design still influences his work.

“I’ve always loved color and pattern,” Hockett said. “I also worked as an upholsterer for five years, so a lot of textiles influence my current work with the color and the pattern.”

Hockett has been a part of Studios on the Park for the last seven years after working for a handful of galleries in San Francisco. He says that, in addition to textiles and graphic design, human interaction plays a big role in his work.

“I like to look at how people are interacting with different people and sometimes present it in a humorous way,” Hockett said.

You can see Hockett’s art in Paso Robles at Studios on the Park, where he is also Studios on the Park’s curator.

Marie Ramey

Since the start of COVID, Marie Ramey’s art process has changed. Over the last couple of years, she has repainted over some of her older pieces that she was dissatisfied with, using them to create new paintings. “I haven’t bought canvas since COVID started, and that’s been very fun to do, leaving a little bit of the history of the old painting. I know it’s there, and it contributes to the new painting,” Ramey said.

Ramey, who’s been a North County local for 21 years, is currently painting out of her home studio in her barn. where she also teaches classes to locals. She also taught art history and drawing part-time for 10 years at Cuesta College.

“I’m always experimenting,” Ramey said of her art process. “Trying to get looser and looser.” For announcements on classes and upcoming events, check out Marie’s website: marieramey.com.

Jordan Hockett with his exhibit at Studios on the Park. Photo by Rick Evans Jordan Hockett

t all started with an abandoned auto parts business and a creative vision. Across from the Paso Robles City Park on Pine Street sits the inspiring artist hub of Studios on the Park — the love child of its founder Anne Laddon. Studios on the Park is a nonprofit organization “dedicated to providing a creative, educational, and transformational experience to enhance understanding and appreciation of the visual arts,” according to its mission statement.

Within the studio walls lie canvases bursting with color, invoking photography and handmade creations sure to make you smile. But, more than that, the studio is a fulfilled dream for Anne, combining two of her life’s passions.

Anne’s love for art and creating is a lifelong affair. But one could say her career in the art world started in the mid-’70s when she arrived in Washington, D.C., with a degree in art history and graduate studies from UCLA and UC Berkeley.

Shortly after, she had the opportunity to be one of the founding artists of The Torpedo Factory Art Center in Alexandria, Virginia. Her experience there would make a permanent mark on her life. Anne and other founding artists would take the once literal torpedo factory and turn it into the nation’s largest collection of working artists’ open studios under one roof.

From 1975 to 1984, Anne designed the logo and graphics for the art center and worked as a silkscreen printmaker. She created dozens of limited edition serigraphs, all adorned with rich colors. Growing up in San Diego, near the Mexico border, Anne was always inspired and drawn to the bold colors used in Mexican culture. That inspiration for color can be seen throughout all her artwork.

Throughout her career, Anne has exhibited her work in New York each year at the International Art Expo and international shows in Frankfurt and Copenhagen.

San Francisco, and across Europe in Frankfurt, Germany, and Copenhagen, Denmark.

So how did Anne find herself in Paso Robles?

During a whitewater rafting trip on the Colorado River, Anne met Jim Irving, whose family consisted of longtime Adelaide ranchers. So short story shorter, Anne found herself moving to Paso and soon raising two children.

Fast forward to 2007, Anne always reminisced on her Torpedo Factory days and finally decided to gather some friends to start a nonprofit.

And the perfect location would be the old auto shop on Pine Street, right across from Paso Robles City Park. Anne instantly knew this was the spot. The building Studios on the Park now occupies was once the Pioneer Auto Parts store, which opened in 1960. But the facade of the existing building dates back to the early 1930s. Throughout the building’s original heyday, it was not only known as the place for auto parts, but also as the town’s social center — coffee and conversation were always happening in the building. But the 2003 San Simeon earthquake severely damaged the building, forcing owner Steve Encell to close the auto parts shop. However, the building’s story was not over yet. Just a few short years later, Anne managed to convince Encell to let her lease the building for her vision of Studios on the Park. And so it was, and a lease was signed. The studio opened to the public in 2009. Since then, it has hosted hundreds of free art classes, art ANNE LADDON exhibitions, and art festivals. One of the studio’s greatest passions is the Kids ArtSmart the visionary behind program. Since 2011, Studio on the Park has been bringing art into the lives of the communities youth with the program. “The key to our Kids ArtSmart program at Studios on the Park is to create situations for elementary kids that build confidence in their ability to embrace the unexpected and be open to surprises,” explained Anne. Written by Over 4,000 elementary school students CAMILLE DeVAUL from San Luis Obispo County bus to the studio each year for classes. Photos by “Our goal is to reach each student two times Rick Evans in their elementary career,” Anne said. “This is their studio as much as it is for our resident local artists.” The studio uses art to teach students the life skill of resilience. “There is a lasting sense of accomplishment and joy when kids see their final product,” Anne said. “Their parents recognize their children’s capabilities and our Studios team makes that connection.” Recently in May, the studio brought in a new executive director, Charles Miller. As a creative professional, Charles has employed his problem-solving skills in his successful business career while also advising nonprofit art organizations in Los Angeles and New York City. His family has decades of business, educational and philanthropic ties in the Paso Robles region and he recently returned to make his home here in the community. “We are thrilled to welcome him to our Studios on the Park team!” Anne said. For more information on Studios on the Park, visit studiosonthepark.org 

Out of the Boredom of a Creative Mind Out of the Boredom of a Creative Mind

Not many people can claim that they’ve even visited most of our 50 states. To have actually worked in 47 out of the 50 is even more impressive, but that’s just a small part of Aaron Trejo’s story. We first began to learn of Aaron Trejo and his artwork this past January on a local Facebook group page post offering his mural services and subsequent posts showing results and photos from happy customers. His work locally has gone from a fish pond/fountain, where he created an aquarium scene in Creston, to interior home walls with tree and baseball park murals, water tanks with horse and native butterfly murals, and a pizza oven at a farm with a pig, goat and alpaca looking over guests in Santa Margarita. Aaron’s work is quick, creative, beautiful and really adds to and highlights the uniqueness of each location and client with seemingly no obstacles getting in the way or any challenge too great. Customers of Aaron’s, like Tina Ballantyne from Giving Tree Family Farm, say that the process of working with him was very simple, giving him a rough idea and maybe a few pictures of what they would like to see and he’s off and running with his own ideas and interpretations to fit the project. Speaking with Aaron recently, I was able to get a better understanding of his background, creative process and a crash course on graffiti arts and hip-hop culture. Growing up very poor, in an area of New Jersey five minutes outside of New York City, Aaron lived in an apartment house with friends who lived a few blocks away in an area that was a “dumping zone” — a stereotypical “hood” with abandoned buildings, trash in the streets and drug dealers on the corners. This was no place for kids to grow up, but nobody seemed to care and the city just turned their back on the area. Aaron was a high-achieving honors student who hung out with kids at least four years older, totally bored at school and for four years was kicked out of every summer camp he was sent to in an attempt to keep him busy and out of trouble. After the failed summer camp attempts, his family decided to send him to be with his very talented aunt at her renaissance art studio where he learned all forms of artwork from painting to ceramics, woodworking, and more. Artistic talent runs in the family and Aaron looked up to and was influenced by his cousins, Rob and Aden, who were into comic book art, BMX riding and a nomadic lifestyle. His aunt’s work has been placed into various museums and Aden’s sketch of a pair of Converse shoes was placed in MOMA before he met an untimely death as a passenger in a car accident at the age of 16, a mere two weeks after his older brother Rob passed in a tragic train incident. That year, with the random passing of five other important people in his life, was the turning point for Aaron. He realized life is too short — anything can happen at any time to anyone, no matter what age or circumstance, and he didn’t want to waste his time. Aaron wanted to get out there, do things and make a difference.

Through BMX riding, Aaron was inspired by Joe Tiseo, a New Jersey BMX legend who rode for Animal and Kink, and who built three bikes for Aaron over the years

“Joe was a super nice guy who worked at a local BMX shop, he really liked seeing kids have a good time and elevate their lives,” Aaron said. “He just loved to help out and see others succeed.”

Written by Simone Smith

Photo by Aaron Trejo

From BMX riding to photography and the car scene, Aaron had gotten into tagging but really got into painting after breaking up with a girlfriend. Aaron and his friends had lots of time and room to practice throughout New Jersey until getting into trouble and being required to “pay back through the Jersey City Mural Arts Program”. This was the point that the friends decided to try to make their painting legal and Aaron helped his friends Robert Ramone & Andre Leone to found Rorshach brand.

“Rob was the main idea man”, who became the curator of Abington Walls, an outdoor mural and graffiti arts gallery which started when Rob wanted to clean up his neighborhood and have a block party. The friends organized “gorilla style,” — not knowing the owner of the half-abandoned building they had been painting on for years, Aaron created a fake permission slip, Andres father had access to dump trucks to help clear the area of trash and they asked drug dealers to move out of the area.

They then proceeded to put on their first event which “showcased 30 of the best of the best artists doing live painting, DJs, dancers, musicians and vocal artists performing jazz, rap and spoken word, they had food vendors and clothing companies. Not only did they clean up and entertain the neighborhood, but the event also gained the attention of the building owner and city, allowing it to become a legal, annual, one- or two-day event called “Brick City Jam.” After three years at Abington Walls, it became a city-sponsored event and moved to Riverfront Park, in Newark, New Jersey.

Through his involvement in the car scene at 19, Aaron caught the attention of Donwan Harrell “The Don of Denim” from New York. His companies, PRPS Denim and Akademiks, had more street style and a “brand at the intersection of art, music and fashion.” Aaron’s main project was for another company of Donwan’s called “GIMPT” or Gaget Import, a company fully focused on car events, street racing, and Hot Import Nights. At one point, Aaron was the youngest to ever host a BMW event as the company created merchandise, and hosted and attended events all over the U.S.

Although Aaron grew up in New Jersey, he has spent time over the years visiting relatives here on the Central Coast and most recently moved to the area near family outside of Santa Margarita to take a break after working on two of the largest murals in Jersey City.

Through Rorschach, Aaron and his friends helped paint a piece by San Francisco-based artist Mona Caron. Her 20-story-tall “Joe Pye Weed” is part of a series of beautiful murals she has done around the world to show “a vision of nature winning,” highlighting the resilience of weeds to put us in our place. The crew worked on making the mural come to life in three weeks from July 13 to Aug. 4, and although they worked hundreds of feet above the city “any fear of heights was gone after the first couple of days” and they “really had fun working on the project.” The piece was completed in August 2021, commissioned by Jersey City for their Mural Arts Program.

The second mural, titled “The Future Nurtures the Past,” was designed by friends Andre and Rob of Rorschach, and is a double-sided, quarter-milelong project taking the team two months to complete in December 2021 with the support of Newark Mayor Ras Baraka and the city’s Division of Arts and Culture to beautify Raymond Boulevard.

Aaron is planning to stay in this area, although he will continue to travel back and forth to spend time with his 5-year-old son, continue involvement with Jersey City Arts events, and work on multiple business and private mural projects. Aaron was really dismayed at the drug and homeless situation he has seen around our area and California in general and says that he would love to work on some local projects to get kids involved and give them something creative to do.

Aaron really enjoys the challenge of doing letterwork and would like to teach how to “keep the structure of letters but getting really funky with it, tweaking them to make it your own.” Maybe a skatepark or graffiti jam — there’s so much untapped talent and potential out there. He’s also thinking he’d really like to start up a West Coast version of a hybrid arts festival, similar to Brick City Jam, to highlight upcoming artists and uplift communities. Whatever he does, it won’t be boring and I’m looking forward to seeing more of what Aaron Trejo does in the future.  Artists paint from scaffolding multiple stories up