Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Smokey's Stables and Bob's Big Boy

My Cousin, Darla, and I would ride at Smokey's Stables in Huntington Beach whenever we could talk one of our parents into driving us there. Smokey's was on the Bolsa Chica Wetlands from 1980 to 2000.

If I remember correctly, Smokey was an actual person. He was a short older man who wore plaid flannel shirts, suspenders and smoked a pipe. But maybe this was all in my romanticized imagination.

Smokey's is where I fell off a horse named Storm and broke my arm. I was a chronic crier and a tad dramatic as a child, so no one believed me when I wept, "I think it's broken."

My Aunt picked us up from Smokey's and took us to the Bob's Big Boy, which used to be located on Edinger and Gothard (now a CoCo's). My Aunt ordered me my favorite shake-strawberry.

I remember sitting there, watching the yummy strawberry shake melt down the tall silver gobblet, clutching my arm, never touching the treat. It was then, FINALLY, they realized I was really hurt.

Anyone remember Smokey's? Was there really a man named Smokey? Anyone else miss Bob's Big Boy?

15 comments:

  1. Not sure if there was a real smokey but we were always on the look at for him when we went playing out there. Rumor had it he'd shoot you with salt rock if he caught you on his property. We were always looking over our shoulder...

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  2. There is still a Bob's Big Boy in Diamond Bar and Burbank, CA.

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  3. I lived off Green St. and Pearce St. during the 60's til 1973... My dad used to take me on walks at what is now the Wetlands. There was an older indian guy who ran that place called "Smokey"... (I'm basing this off "memory" as a kid).

    There were several horse stables in that area during that time-frame. I'm not sure which one was referenced as "Smokey's" there was one off Pearce and Green St, another right off Heil and Bolsa Chica, and another right across Warner off Green Street.

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  4. do you remember renting horses to ride for $2.00 an hour at the ponderosa stables in santa ana on the river bed on 5th st. that was back in 1965 - 1980 they had about 75 head of horses you could rent aww the good ole days

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  5. I do remember going with friends to the riding stable for rent in Santa Ana. I had never ridden a horse, and I was in my early twenties. The horse knew I was dumb and kept turning around and trying to head back to the stable because when they got back they got water and grain. The horse made a fool of me. When I got back the young cowgirl that worked their said I should have kicked it. Shows you what I knew about riding!

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  6. I use to live on misty lane, Ed's dairy use to keep their cows across the street in the field next to the wetlands/ oilfields. We use to tease Smokey and get him to chase us. He drove an old yellow ford/van truck. The legend is true he would shoot at you with salt rock. After he died they named the stable after him. One of my friends actually had the guts and talked to him once. Good times in HB!

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  7. We boarded our horse at both Esperanza Stables and then over at Espys. There was a group of us, and we'd ride all over Placentia - YL. We'd ride way back in the hills, or play tag in the orange groves. Sometimes, we'd ride over to Tastee Freeze (because they had a hitching rail) for ice cream cones. Occasionaly, we'd go out to El Rodeo in Carbon Canyon and show our horses, or to Hidden Hills for a playday. We also rode along the Santa Ana Riverbed alot. There were a lot of places to ride back then. It was a different time, and we had very long leashes. No way would I let my daughter wander as far from home as we did!

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  8. I lived on Harvard street near Greenville from '58 to '72. I used to ride my bike to the stables on the river between Warner & Harbor. They'd let me ride 1/2 hour for a buck. Since I only got $2 a week allowance, I loved it.

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  9. I lived in the track right next to Smokey's Stable. Rumor was that he would shoot you with salt pellets if you walked on his property. I kept my Pony Lu Lu Belle at the Meadowlark stables. It was the good old days! Does anyone remember the bunkers?

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  10. I lived next to smokey's and would walk past on my way home from school. Remember the walkway bridge with the dirt road? Rumor was he would shoot you with a salt pellet if he caught you on his property. We would go into the woods on his property and swing on a wooden swing. Never got caught. I bet he wasn't so bad! I had my pony at the stables next door. We would run through the bunker hills.

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  11. Yes Smokey was a real person. He was my dad's stepdad! Died before I was born unfortunately

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  12. I used to work there for Fred and Alexis. I met my wife there! It was the Fall of 1987 and CSULB offered a horse back riding class. The second week I was driving in andi saw a car pulled to the sde of the road next to the entrance blowing steam. I would have stopped to help but I was late for class, anyway the cr had nowwhere to go but the stables since it was just homes all around.

    A few miuntes after I got there, the little blue doge came down the road. I went over to offer help and lo' and behold, the driver was a beautiful girl.. I offered to help and when I lifted the lid the radiator hose was broke. It was an easy fix but to her I had performed some sort of miraculous feat.

    After that we went to lunch, had pizza at a place right up the street, after tht we akways saw each other, it was love at first sight of sorts.

    Smokey was a guy Fred knew. The stables were a lot of fun. We had two Belguim Draft Horses and a wagon for hay rides, ponies for pony rides and about 150 horses. Its too bad that place closed, so many happy memories.

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  13. I boarded my horse at Smokey Stables before it was called Smokey's. I never knew or met Smokey so he must have come after Mr. Carr. If you were down at the stable and looked straight up, you'd see Mr. Carr's house....well, I really wouldn't call it a house. It was a wooden box with a bed in it. My mom said he looked like Yul Brynner (the actor). My horse was a Buckskin Appaloosa mare named Halfmoon. Her mother was all white mare named White Dove. Then there was another young bay horse (can't think of her name) but the gal that bought her was named Tracy Fabiano. She died in a horse accident on this horse later on. Then there was a racehorse that came in. I'm not sure if the horse or the gal was named Fran. And yes, there were rumors about being shot with rock salt. I was more afraid of the German Shepard I had to cross that lived in one of the dikes I had to cross. My mom would drop us off at the end of Bolsa Chica and we would have to walk down to the stables. That dog was on a long chain but he was big and always barked at us. My sister and I were down there almost everyday (Debbie Baak). She was only about 5 or 6 years old at that time. I also remember Nelson Stables that was down the street. Eventually we moved our horse to Nelson Stables off Goldenwest Street, then Gold Bar Stables.

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  14. I boarded my horse at Smokey's before it was called Smokey's. Mr. Carr ran the stables and he looked like Yul Brynner (the actor). I bought my first horse from him: A buckskin Appaloosa mare named Halfmoon. Her dam was there also who was a pure white mare named White Dove. Another horse named Full Moon who was bought by Tracy Fabiano who later died in a horse accident on her. Anyone remember Kim Kelter with her horse Honk?
    I wasn't afraid of getting shot by rock salt but that was the rumor. I was more afraid of the big German Shepard tied to a chain on the way down into the stables. I remember the bunkers and riding through the little forest. Great memories for me. Another gal eventually joined us - not sure if her name was Fran or if that was the name of her off-the-track Thoroughbred who I rode once at full blast and bareback along the top of the dike and I couldn't get her to stop. A chain link fence was the only reason she stopped and I broke my tailbone. I was in 6th grade (College View School/Mrs. Blauert) at the time and had to sit on a rubber inner tube the rest of the year. We eventually moved our horse to a stables off Ellis Street. They didn't feed well so then we moved her to Gold Bar Stables on Ellis and the corner of Goldenwest Street. I dated a guy later who had horses at Smokey's stables. I think I remember him talking about someone named Fred. The guy I dated had a business with clothing and I remember he said they had a business office on the top floor of the New York World Trade Center. I wonder what happened to him.

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  15. Fred Burkett owned Smokey's stables ! He named it after the old caretaker of the land ! Smokey lived in the house over looking bolsa chico beach! Fred was my uncle!

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