Garey Jennifer A. - San Clemente

Scotty Watson, Thomas F. Muphine, and Trafford Huteson pose for a photograph outside their Tent Tract Office. On December 6, 1925, Ole Hanson began to share his vision with potential buyers, telling them, We will build a pleasure pier, a golf course and a social club. Ole Hanson and Hamilton Ham Cotton purchased 2,000 acres from Adlai Goldschmidt and borrowed $1 million from Hellman Bank, which was bought by Mercantile Bank, and then by the Bank of Italy. A. P. Giannini of the Bank of Italy (later Bank of America) agreed to match any principal investments Ole Hanson and Hamilton Cotton raised. Ole Hanson and H. H. Cotton were joined by investors Cornelio Echinque, Frank Forster, William May Garland, H. G. Moulton, C. C. C. Tatum, and Ed Fowler. (Courtesy of Liz Hanson Kuhns.)

Horace Taylor, William Ayer, and Ole Hanson Jr. begin surveying the villages first 125 acres. Ole Hanson wanted his city to resemble a theater, using the lands natural bowl-shaped formations, with the ocean as the stage, the pier and bowl as the orchestra, and the homes and streets as the mezzanines and lodges. Every home would have an ocean view.

The citys first investors included Hamilton H. Cotton, pictured in the center. Pictured from upper left are founding members of the Ole Hanson Organization (OHO) Thomas F. Muphine (the citys first mayor and a close friend of Ole Hanson), Ole Hanson Jr. (Ole Hansons son and key sales representative), salesman Trafford Huteson, and Hugo Carlson. (Courtesy of Liz Hanson Kuhns.)

Traveling down Highway 101, the scenery was cattle and orange groves. Lloyd Hanson recalls his first visit to San Clemente. Ole Hanson turned onto a wagon trail soon to be called Avenida Del Mar, which took motorists to the ocean. However, cattle were still grazing in the area. Ole said, Forster is going to herd them to San Onofre; thats the county line. You can tell; theres a trestle there. (Courtesy of Liz Hanson Kuhns.)

Traveling the train tracks winding along the coast, Ole Hanson first saw potential in the location for his vision of a Spanish Village. Later he would drive down Highway 101 toward San Diego past the Mission San Juan Capistrano and the Goldschmidt palisades. His vision of building a village of white stucco homes with red tile roofs grew steadily for five years until the opportunity to begin building his dream city presented itself. (Courtesy of Liz Hanson Kuhns.)

The mules are put to work on building San Clemente. An 8-foot-tall wooden post set on a corner of Highway 101, also known as historic El Camino Real, marked the corner of Avenida Del Mar. The only other main artery through the area was the Santa Fe Railroad. (Courtesy of Liz Hanson Kuhns.)

Thomas F. Murphine (left) and Ole Hanson stand together. The first official act of Thomas F. Murphine, San Clementes first mayor, was to accept on behalf of the city a water system built by the Hanson and Cotton syndicate worth $500,000 and purchased by the city for $1.