Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Saddleback Inn - Santa Ana

Whatever happened to Saddleback Inn in Santa Ana?

When my folks moved to Santa Ana in 1978, my mom got a job there cleaning the rooms, and in that time Saddleback Inn was a nice hotel. The bridge that crossed over 1st st., connecting the hotel to that little building on the other side was always a cool way to present the City of Santa Ana to drivers coming in from the east.

I know it has been out of business for years, but I'm not sure if it's no longer in use. Is it still being used for meetings, or storage? Does it still make money? One has to wonder since the building just sits there, and has not been turned into something else.

Meanwhile, the Motel 6 sitting caddy-corner across the street looks to be doing really well.

I couldn't find a photo of Saddleback Inn online, but I did find this ashtray on eBay!

Saddleback Inn Ashtray

76 comments:

  1. I will have to go check it out. I can
    t place it, which is strange because I almost bought the pool hall on Broadway a couple of years ago. It's the last basement pool hall that I know of still in existence. I'm 42 and I remember Hollywood Billiards and another one in Glendale. The days of basement pool halls is something I believe should be made into a book or documentary. There was an article in the LA Times about 10 years ago on the Santa ANA joint. I believe it is called "Broadway Billiards"?

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  2. Does anyone remember Franks Hobby Shop, we used to race slot cars there all the time.

    Orange County in the 60s was the best, Baseball on the street and the wonderfull Orange Groves.

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  3. oh, I loved going to Saddleback Inn! My folks and I used to go the the coffee shop and restaurant there frequently, and I was always in and out of the downstairs art gallery, buying orange crate art and such. The way the Inn was built, with the heavy beams/wrought iron/adobe tile floors, was just beautiful, and something I have always wished I could recreate in a home for myself.

    Across the street was an odd little shop called 'Fowlers Gun Room', where my dad and I used to go for shooting supplies, before heading on up to the range in Silverado...is either place still in existance?

    And yes, I well remember the slot car palace! My brother used to go there in the early '60s, and I wanted *so* badly to go with him, to play with the cute lil 'autopia cars'. But I gather it was kind of a 'boys only' sort of place, and both my mom and my brother (who was ten years older than me) acted horrified at the idea of a girl in that boys inner sanctum.

    Baseball in the '60s- did you ever plac 'cado ball'? No balls but avocados...and if you were in a mood to play tricks, you pitched overripe ones that would splah in a most spectacular way when hit with the bat! Funny part was, no one objected to 'cado all over themselves as much as the possibility of dinging their wooden bat with the 'cado seed!

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  4. i grew up in saddleback inn. it used to be called villagers lodge too. it was the farthest from anything nice. drugies and drug dealers rulled that hotel, i guess you could consider it a CRACK HOUSE. i recently went back there last weekend to see if any of my old friends still lived there. it was abandoned, it had a creepy scary vibe to it, all the windows were broken and the tiny rooms were littered with trash, each room was ravaged. the best way i could describe it is...it looked like a disaster was comming and everybody grabbed there critical belongings and ran for their lives. i lived there for about 4-5 years with my mom, her boyfriend, my 2 sisters and my 2 brothers. 7 peolple living in room no bigger than the one you sleep in. those were the worst years of my life. my moms boyfriend used to beat her ass nightly. the only good thing i can say about that place is the good memories it left me with all my friends. gilbert was my best homie at the time. we used to chill in bernies house and play playstation 24/7. karen was my girlfriend at the time too, she was first girl i ever kissed. i have memories of all of us chillin in the courtyard or on the bridge that lead accross the street. we would sneak into the zoo accross the street. it wasnt all that of a zoo, but to us kids who thought a dollar was worth a 20 at the time, it was paradise away from all the violence and crack heads that surrounded us.

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  5. As the above comments depicts, times have changed drastically, and that segment of Santa Ana really was hit hard.

    The Saddleback Inn has become an eerie relic of a bygone era. That stretch of First Street is known for drugs and prostitution, and the old motels, Saddleback included, cater to said clientele. The old 10-story Ramada with the glass elevator going up the side (Built in the late 70's I think) is now a run down dive with rooms for $30/night.

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  6. I used to live down the street from the inn during the eighties. I remember going to the lounge there to have a few drinks after work. I stopped drinking there as there were so many bar room brawls.

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  7. SADDLEBACK INN WAS OWNED BY BRUCE GELKER, AND WAS THE MECCA FOR FABULOUS WESTERN ART. THE FOOD WAS WONDERFUL AND I REMEMBER A SALAD DRESSING THAT WAS AVOCADO BASED. IT WAS A VERY UPSCALE ESTABLISHMENT FROM THE TIME IT WAS FIRST OPENED, AND THEN SEEMED TO GO DOWNHILL VERY FAST. I SEE THE GREAT STATUE IS STILL IN FRONT. THE DRESS SHOP SOLD GREAT CLOTHES, AND WE USED TO GO THERE TO EAT AND LOOK AROUND THE ART GALLERY.

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    Replies
    1. Here is the recipe for the Avocado Salad Dressing...
      1 avocado, peeled and pitted
      1 cup mayonnaise
      5 anchovy filets, rinsed and chopped, or Anchovy Paste
      2 tablespoons chopped green onion
      1 tablespoon lemon juice
      1 clove garlic, chopped
      1/2 t. dried Tarragon, or 1 t. fresh chopped
      salt and pepper to taste
      Blend in a blender and chill for a few hours.

      Serve on Chopped Romaine or Iceberg lettuce, top with roasted Pepitas.

      Delete
  8. FRANK'S HOBBY SHOP ON TUSTIN AVENUE...
    YES, WE USED TO GO THERE AND RACE SLOT CARS. THE GUYS THAT WORKED THERE WERE THE BEST, AND, EVEN THOUGH I WAS A FEMALE, I HAD THE HOTTEST CAR IN TOWN, AND USED TO WIN A LOT OF RACES. IT WAS REALLY FUN TO TAKE MY SON THERE AS THERE WAS NOT A LOT THAT A MOM AND SON COULD DO THAT WAS BONDING...BUT, RACE WE DID! FRANK'S WAS ALSO THE GREATEST MODEL STORE ANYWHERE, AND WE LOVED IT!!

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  9. DOES ANYONE REMEMBER THE N.W. CORNER OF MCFADDEN AND MAIN STREET? THERE WAS A LITTLE CENTER THERE MADE OF BRICK, WITH ARCHES, AND HAD A COFFEE SHOP WITH THE BEST HAMBURGERS EVER!

    I'VE BEEN TRYING TO FIND A PHOTO OF IT.

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  10. I don't know what happened to it.
    But I do know that my mother worked there and met my father there in 1965/66. So I guess you could say If not for the Saddleback inn I wouldn't be here.

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  11. In 1973 I started out as a bellman and worked my way to the front desk and eventually night audit of the Saddleback Inn in Santa Ana. It was a great place to work. Bruce Gelker did indeed own it. The western art gallery, coffee shop, restaurant and cocktail lounge were all first class. Unfortunately Mr. Gelker took a financial hit when he bought the Portland Storm of the defunct World Football League.If he kept it, I am sure it would still be a great place. It is too bad that it has gone into ruin.
    If anyone knows the Avacado Dressing of the Saddleback Inn, please send my way....scottfarrar@dinnersready.com

    It was a great dressing. Thank you in advance.

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  12. Someone asked the name of the coffee shop in the NW corner of Main and McFadden....since McFadden ended at Main Street in the 50's, the only corner was that had a coffee shop was just to the north of MaFadden on Main, it was Gracie's and they did have the best hamburgers, plus jukeboxes at every table like in the tv series of Happy Days. I attended Lathrop Jr High in the late 50's and remember it well. There was also a record shop across the street on Main that had booths where you could listen to the latest 45 rpm records with a group of your friends. Then a block or two north on the same side of Main was the In 'n Out where most of us could afford to eat at daily, a bag of great fries for a quarter!

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  13. WELL ME N MY HOMIES HAVE GONE TO SADLEBACK INN ITS A TRPY PLACE IN THE NIGHT THERES RUMORS THAT IT USED TO BE A WHORE HOUSE AND CRACK HOUSE AND IVECTIONS AND WARRENTS FOR PEOPLE THERE WHEN I TRESPASED IN THERE THERE IVICTION NOTICES ON ALOT OF WINDOWS BUT YEAH THERES ANOTHER RUMOR THAT MAIN FLOOR WAS FOR RENT FOR PARTYS N SOMEONE HAD HANGED THEM SELVES IF U STILL GO NOW THERE ARE PARTY DECORATIONS UP OF THAT LAST PARTY.......BUT YEAH GO THERE HI ITS A TRIP BUT WATCH OUT FOR THE PIGS (COPS).........

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  14. Is Franks Hobby Shop still there???

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  15. Yes, I agree...I was born in Orange but have lived all my life in Santa Ana. You are right....Saddleback in was beautiful....everytime my dad would drive us by there I would see all these nice dressed people coming out of this place. My Winter Formal from SAHS was hosted there in 1990 and it was still a very nice place...now, its just a ghost town. its in disrepair...

    I still live in Santa Ana, i recently heard someone (company) had bought the building and hopefully soon it will be brought back

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  16. Back in '91 my parents, brother, and I lived at Saddleback Inn. While there we saw everything from a dead body being removed by the police and perverts hanging around the pool, to hookers being chased through the parking lot by angry pimps. Seeing these things made us pull together as a family and realize how lucky we were to have each other. Even though it was like living in an episode of COPS, I still look back on the 6 months that we were there as being one of the happiest times in my life. Reading about the sate of the Saddleback Inn does make me sad. I do have to admit that I'm not at all surprised considering what my family's experience was way back in the early '90s.

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  17. I was a regular at the Saddleback Inn while stationed at nearby El Toro Marine base back in the 80's. The Inn is how I got my nickname. I had a great time there on the weekends, had a few brawls over a certain girl from Thailand, but she is long gone from my life...whew! I sure miss all the regulars that hung out there. When it stopped having bands, everyone headed to Baxters in Irvine or Kims Place II.

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  18. Great bands back in the 80's. Great bartenders like "Ted" to name a few. All the local Marines hung out in the lounge on Friday and Saturday nights until they got sick of the Marines on board and ended the bands. Baxters (Irvine), Kims Place II (about a block up the street on the right) and the Tustin Yacht Club on McFadden Ave in Tustin were the next destinations when that happened. I miss those days...oh yes....KENO'S Restaurant in Tustin.

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  19. Does anyone remember the little mexican resturant across the street from the Saddleback Inn called the Acapulco Cafe? It was right next to Fowlers Gun Room, on the corner of 1st and Lyon. Bruce Gelker owner of the Saddleback used to take his friends to eat there along with the girl who is pictured on the Saddleback horse logo. Anyone remember her?

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  20. I remember the Saddleback Inn very well. Its dining room was a special place for a night out, a great place for its brunches and lunches. There were a handful of other dinner houses in the area - one was the Ancient Mariner - that have long since passed into history. The Saddleback's neighborhood now has all the charm of Tijuana - whores, drugs, murderers - thanks to sleazy landlords and "undocumented immigrant" criminals.

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  21. I worked at the Saddleback Inn and so did my brother and his wife in the 80's.
    I was a bell boy my brother was one of the grille chefs and his wife was a maid.
    We had a wonderful time working there and met some nice people.
    Have lots of memories. Would love to talk or meet some of the other empoyees one day.Regards Kiwi

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  22. I drive by the Saddleback Inn everyday on my way to work. It breaks my heart to see what it has become :( I try to just remember how it was in it's glory days.

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  23. My husband and I spent our wedding night in the Honeymoon Suite of the Saddleback Inn in 1970. It was a very nice up-scale place then. A bottle of complementary champagne was given to us in our room. Almost 39 years later - I still have the champagne bottle with the Saddleback Inn label.
    Still have the husband too!

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  24. I live in Oregon now and I'm going to O.C. over the weekend and I thought about checking out the Saddleback Inn. On Google, it looked like it was still up and running but now I read this site and apparently not. I worked there in the lounge from '71 to '74. What a blast. One of the best times of my life. Yes, it WAS upscale and we had the best bands and the place was packed on the weekends. I'll go by there anyway. Kind of curious.

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  25. My friend I went all through school with, her mom owned the dress shop at Saddleback, I think it was called Joan Buck fashions, that was her! We bought my 8th grade grad dress there. It was a place for all the people with money. So sad to hear what it is now. Never thought in a million years it would turn into that. I went to Marywood High School, and we also had lunches and dinners there for various events.

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  26. Watching NCAA College Baseball World Series Champioship and saw Univ of Texas and their head coach Auggie Garrido who dated Bruce Gelker's older daughter. I googled Bruce Gelker and found this site with people thinking about the good old Saddleback Inn memories just like I do from time to time. I've lived in Hawaii for 25 years but always drove by Saddleback Inn whenever I had the opportunity to get back to Southern California. However, I stopped doing this when the communinty changed and I started to see the palce run down and wanted to keep the good memories that I had. I worked at Saddleback as the night manager from '75-'83 under the guidance of Hugh Knapp who was the GM at the time. The hotel was the ultimate place in the area and I remember guests of the Inn such as the flight crew of Airforce One, Country Western singer Loretta Lynn and her family. Dennis Erickson (College and NFL coach) used to always stay at Saddleback on football recruiting trips. The hotel was always around 99% oocupied during the week and the lounge was always packed on the weekends with great bands. Banguets were always busy I one can't count how many wedding receptions were held there. Western Art was also big and Bruce Gelker made sure the two buses that took the USC boosters from Saddleback Inn to the USC home football games were always loaded with food and booze. It definitely was the good old days. The people who worked at the hotel were also wonderful. Would love to hear from anyone who worked their or had great memories. My email address is abell@hawaii.rr.com

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  27. After I posted my comments I realized my email address is apbell@hawaii.rr.com

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  28. I am one of those former Marines who used to go to the bar on the weekends and have great memories from then. I was at El Toro in 83-84.
    Good times by all.

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  29. Met my Thai girlfriend at the new years eve party Dec 31, 1986. Used to hang out alot at Kims Place 11. My Thai girlfriend was a cook at the royal Thai Restaurant in Garden Grove across from the Crystal Cathedral.

    Boy if she read this she will know who I am. I would love to see her again.

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  30. I also worked at the "Saddleback Inn" from 70-73 for Hugh Knapp (GM) as bellman and relief desk clerk, What a great place to work, Bruce Gelker was the greatest employer, sorry to see it gone
    chuckpierce55@hotmail.com

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  31. While driving to the Santa Ana Zoo this afternoon, I pointed out to my boyfriend what an awesome building Saddleback Inn is and caught sight of the name. I commented that it must have been a stunner in its day although its all caged up and vacant-looking. He pointed out the bar and grill and we both agreed it could be a nice place with a little help and perhaps that would better the vibe in the neighborhood. I couldnt wait to "google" it when we got home and am so pleased to get some insight from all the comments on this site. Hope to see it in a refreshed light next time Im in the area or at least see some old pictures of it.

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  32. Anyone remember the bands that played at the Inn in the early to mid 80's? The "Liars" was one of the groups from back around 84 to 85. Ted was the bartender around that time. I miss all the regulars like Betty D, her daughters Barbara and Boo Boo. Remember Noy, the local Thai girl who hung out for the good times? If you remember, email me (Tim), I was stationed then at El Toro:

    saddlebackmac@comcast.net

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  33. My High School boyfriend and I used to go to the Saddleback Inn restaurant in the early to mid seventies about once a month. They had the best aged steaks and a Green Goddess type house dressing on their salads. Oh, it's sad, but at least I still have my memories. Kim, if you're out there, remember?

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  34. I was a Marine stationed at MCAS Tustin from 84 to 88. The Saddleback was one of those places on our weekend drinking tours that we would stop at.
    There were other places on 1st. street that we would hit, but I sure remember the Saddleback. Good times...

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  35. Kims Place! Yes, that was one of the places on the drinking tour! ( Or "starboard delta pattern", as we called them.)

    There was that Filipino bartender who was always trashed.Can't remember her name ,though.Anyone here remember?

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    Replies
    1. The starboard d. Kims Place. spent alot of time there myself. I think you are talking about Rita....

      Delete
  36. Bill what year is it your talking about

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  37. Pamela Ponte GallegosJanuary 11, 2010 10:56 AM

    I was Bruce Gelker's secretary in the late '60's, early 70's - he was the greatest gentleman who ever set foot in Santa Ana. His wife, Lois, was a doll, a double for Doris Day with the personality to match. I was double lucky, for I met my husband-to-be at an event Bruce insisted that I attend in his stead - honoring some boxing greats - 'Mando Ramos, the great lightweight and Raul Rojas, the great featherweight - I did not want to go to the event, but Bruce wanted to go home to be with his family and it was in the evening so I had to stick around. The rest is history. We have been married over 39 years! Have two wonderful sons and 2 wonderful grandchildren. I think back fondly on that time. Bruce was tireless in promoting all of the wonderful events at this gorgeous venue - from the USC buses to the "Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda" banquet to honor the last chosen in the NFL draft with Paul Salada - also a wonderful gentleman. They would draw 400 of the local movers and shakers! They had an annual "Western Days" fiest that you had to wear a costume to and I still have pics from that. Those were the days. So many wonderful memories.

    Some thought I was the model for the Saddleback girl - but it was another, earlier version of me, I think.

    Wherever Bruce is now - I hope he is healthy and happy and that his family is doing well also. They were the nicest kids.

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  38. I do remember the days when Mando Ramos and Raul Rojas were the featured guest at the Saddleback Inn. Both were champions of their perspective divisions at the time, but Raul Rojas lost the title in his first title defense. I also remember the orignal Saddleback girl with the jet black hair, tall and thin. If my memory serves me correctly (and it might not) I always thought Bruce Gelkers secretary was about 19 at the time and was a very pretty blond and smoked, but I might have her confused with the front desk girl. Anyway those were good memories!

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  39. My father was the architect for the Saddleback Inn and I remember the original hotel from when it was under construction through its glory years, then the rooms expansion across the street along with the iconic bridge across the street. That was a big deal in Santa Ana when that huge crane hoisted the bridge into place.
    I had a blast riding on one of the buses that went to the USC Homegames. Riding to the game on the bus their was a pool $1 on the total combined score and $1 on total attendance. I loved the whole USC booster experience so much I decided that I wanted to go to USC. Thanks to my parents and the influence of Bruce Gelker I enrolled at USC in the fall of '74 and graduated from USC in January '79.

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  40. Hey Bill,

    My God Kims Place was awesome. Did alot of drinking there from 86 to 90. Could always depend on that place for a good time. I had just come back from a 3 year tour in Asia, came back to El Toro and really felt out of place. Kims Place and all the oriental girls that went in there made me feel right at home, if you know what I mean.

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  41. Anonymous,I hung out at Kim's from 85 through 88.

    Don,we doubtless crossed paths many times!

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  42. Bill,

    Im retired and live in the Philippines now. My landlord came buy with his Filipino mother that was visiting from the states. Its a small world because we knew each other from Kims Place. Didnt get the time to have a real good talk with her as my girlfriend had her radar up and pinging warnings. LOL. Hope to have a good talk with her the next time she comes here.

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  43. Good on ya, Don.That's where I'll be retiring as well.
    Yeah,flip radar is amazing....

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  44. This is Bruce Gelker and I am still alive and well. I live in Catalina Island and Belmont Shore with my wife. Thank you everybody for your kind thoughts and remberances of the Saddleback Inn. They were indeed a wonderful period and I also am filled saddness when I go by the now empty shell. If it were possible to have all the wonderful people that worked there with me to help, I would re-open in a minute. My e-mail is lgelker@verizon.net

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  45. Bruce -

    Do you or possibly any other reader recall a bartender/manager named Jose (Joe) Castillo in the 60s? He was quite good looking and reported to have been the originator of the Margarita mixed drink. Any and all information about him is appreciated. I do understand that he was killed in Mexico while visiting his hometown in the late 60s or so.

    Thanks, Bob

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  46. i remember Mona Powelson downstairs in the art gallery and the picture of theda barra hanging over the bar. it truly was a fantastic place to visit. i may be wrong but wasn't dan gurneys racecar shop right next door?

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    Replies
    1. i remember Mona Powelson, a kinder more loving person would be hard to find, yes Annie it was gurneys shop.

      Delete
  47. The Saddleback Inn was the beginning of my career in the fashion business. I opened five dress shops after the first one at the Saddleback, thirty years I retired and still living in Tustin. Joan Buck

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  48. Joan Buck! Now that is a name from the past! Were your shops named Joan Buck??

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  49. I first went to the Saddleback when I was TAD Marine Corps Glenview, Ill. The two weeks I was in El Toro, spent almost every night there. Then in the mid 80's I was stationed in Tustin, and spent a great deal of the time there. I transferred into the Army,and I had a lot of fun picking fights with the Marines. i would bring my girlfriend there and when I went to the bathroom, the Marines swooped in on her. They would ask for her phone number and she always gave my office number, I was an Army recruter, many times the phone was hung up. She was an officer in the nurse corps Army. It was fun, I live in Minnesota and I am coming to Lake Arrowhead and I want to see the place again, but dosen't sound like how is was. That will bum me out.

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  50. Yesterday I drove by the Saddleback Inn and was sadden about how things have changed in 40 years.
    The Saddleback Inn was a grand place. My highschool had their Junior Senior Prom there in 1970. One of my sisters had her wedding reception there and I can remember shopping at Joan Buck.

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  51. Wow what wonderful memories...my mom was good friends with one of the entertainers (Laureene) that performed in the lounge @ the Saddleback Inn so we went there frequently when I was little (this would have been the early 70's). I remember the lovely Swedish hostess Margrit (who had the same name as my Mom only spelled differently!) and the wonderful fried shrimp and delicious salad dressing. And my sister and I had so much fun exploring the downstairs and the shop and the courtyard. I remember we really weren't supposed to be in the lounge but I guess in the 70's they weren't quite so strict about that and since my sister and I were pretty well-behaved little girls they let us watch our friend sing. We felt really special and grown-up with our Shirley Temples!

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  52. More on the fire:
    http://www.myfoxla.com/dpp/news/local/fire-burns-saddleback-inn-in-santa-ana-20110124

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  53. i useee t00 live there :'(

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  54. 3 days before the fire, my husband and I drove by the Saddleback Inn (I hadn't been by there for a few years), and I almost cried when I saw it in its current condition. I told my husband that I remember it in its fullest glory, such a beautiful and elegant place at the time. My oldest brother used to work there between '63-'81, and I remember going there and seeing the beautiful lounge and the Saddleback girl. It was all very impressive looking to a 12 year old in '72. I also remember the breaded shrimp, steaks and the salad dressing, the best ever!
    3 days later, I was switching t.v. channels, and the first shot I saw on the news was of a burning building, it was dark already and all I could see was one corner of the building, I watched in disbelief as I recognized it, and even before the newscaster said the name of it, I knew exactly it was Saddleback Inn. Very sad indeed! I texted my brother to watch the news. My brother was very sad, remembering old times there.
    By the way, the horrible memories some of you have, of prostitution and druggies, are from the time after the building was being used as a shelter for the homeless and they closed it down. My church, Calvary Church on Tustin Ave. was a regular sponsor to help the homeless at Saddleback Inn.

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  55. This sad state of affairs seems to be the current description of so much of OC. The Saddleback was so upscale in the 60's that even the coffee shop was a special occasion on a student's budget!

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  56. Hi. My name is Gilbert. I am the guy who Robertduenas talks about in his post at the begining of this discussion. Is there anyway I can get an email to robert? or if you see this robert, please respond!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. email me at r.duenas9688@yahoo.com

      Delete
  57. How sad. I worked at the Saddleback Inn in 1978 as a front desk clerk, making something like $3.50 an hour. It was a very nice place and had a great coffee shop. I lived in a garden apartment on McFadden St. and paid $240 a month. It was right down the street from the late Don Drysdale's bar and restaurant, Don Drysdale's Dugout, and around the corner from the Ramada Inn.

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  58. Wow what memories this read, really this blog is more like a reunion of owner, workers, servers, and customers, how amazing. I grew up in Cowan Heights, attended Arroyo, and later Mater Dei and remember fondly the Saddleback Inn, I think one of my mom and dad's friends and her husband owned the Men's shop there, or maybe the dress shop. I too remember the fried shrimp, Sunday brunches, and salad dressing, recipe please! Sad indeed to see how OC has been overtaken by LA degradation and with it great places like the Saddleback Inn! Oh and Frank's Hobby Shop, it was heaven for any OC kid in that time.

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  59. gilbert email me at r.duenas9688@yahoo.com...or look me up on facebook (robert duenas)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I tried finding you on facebook but I don't know which one is you

      I emailed you.

      OR search me on facebook. Gilbert Vargas

      Delete
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  62. The Saddleback Inn burned last nigh and was completely destroyed,it is no more.

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  63. Another fire at the once grand hotel, I'm quite certain the city is going to make sure it's the end of the line for saddleback inn. I wish I could see what it looked like back in its prestigious days.

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  64. Another fire at the once grand hotel, I'm quite certain the city is going to make sure it's the end of the line for saddleback inn. I wish I could see what it looked like back in its prestigious days.

    ReplyDelete
  65. This past weekend the hotel suffered its third fire since it closed, this one destroying the second floor of the main lobby building. The walkway bridge was removed on Sunday, and the buildings themselves will probably be finally bulldozed within the next two weeks.

    (My personal connections to the property: my mom worked there for eight years when I was a kid. Going back further, my great-grandfather's brother owned the property when it and the zoo were an orange grove. Uncle Ed Prentice's house was on the spot that became the lobby.)

    ReplyDelete
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    ReplyDelete
  67. Does anyone remember Guillermos La Fiesta Restaurant in Sants Ana on Main st?

    ReplyDelete
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  69. I worked at Saddleback Inn in Norwalk for 17 yrs, am trying to find out what the Saddleback Sand. had on it, was served at lunch time. Anyone know please send message to caroleiscrafty@yahoo.com

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  70. I stayed there for about 10 days at the end of 1983. It was a nice hotel then. I have good memories of that trip (visitor from The Netherlands).

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