Peralta Hills was originally part of Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana, which was given as a crown concession by the King of Spain to Jose Antonio Yorba in 1810. Yorba’s nephew, Juan Peralta, gave the Peralta name to the portion of land that extended from the Santa Ana River hills to the Newport bay when he joined his uncle. In 1915 Jonathan Bixby acquired the land and established Peralta Hills.
Peralta Hills grew slowly between 1916 and 1950. It was pristine land. Native oak trees, sage, sycamores and willows lined the riverbanks and covered the hills. Deer, cattle, pheasants, bobcats, raccoons and other creatures great and small inhabited the hills. When the Richfield Oil discovery hit it was boom time and Bixby hoped the find would extend south of the river. He wanted to share this boom with his friends and employees so he had his ranch superintendent, Hugh Thompson, subdivide 350 acres of his ranch into 1 to 20 acre parcels.
In 1957 Lucille and Roland Krueger were looking for property in the area. Their real estate agent knew of a 15 acre parcel in Peralta Hills owned by a Mr. Hamilton. They met with him and put a bid in on 5 acres. The rest is history. The bid was accepted and they began the arduous process of building their hilltop home. The county required them to put in the road to their property with specifications that there had to be so many citrus trees on each side of the road easement. When the road was complete it was nicer than the main road that wound through Peralta Hills. Work on the Kruegers’ home began in 1958, Roland would work long days at his job at the Union Oil Research Center and then come and work on his home. He did most of the rough work and most of the electrical work. Contractors helped with finishing. 1959 the family moved into a small trailer that had been placed on the property. Later that year they moved into their finished home.
Lucille thought Peralta Hills was beautiful. It was made up of just a few homes that were surrounded by orange groves. Eucalyptus trees stood on the edges of all the properties to serve as wind breaks. During the day her view was of the rolling hills, statuesque mountains, and avocado groves that filled Yorba Linda. At night it was completely dark.
The first friends Lucille and Roland had in Peralta Hills were Ward and Rosie Howland. They already all knew each other from their Union Oil Research Center workplace in Brea. The Howlands had moved to Peralta Hills in1954. Their friendship with the Howlands has been cherished. The Kruegers’ children’s first friend was the Howlands’ daughter, Dana who still lives in Peralta Hills and is a dear friend to this day. Other couples from the research center soon made their homes here as well. They included, Polly and Frank Liggett and Inez and Eugene Schluter.
Lucille and Joan Schlund met while picking up their mail near Cerro Vista, on Peralta Hills Drive. The two discovered they had much in common and a lifelong beloved friendship was formed. Joan’s daughter, Jonell and Lucille’s daughter, Francisca started kindergarten together, and to this day the “girls” often reminisce of the ideal childhood they had growing up in Peralta Hills.
Lucille met Helen Curtis when Helen’s son, Lane, started kindergarten at Olive Elementary School. Helen and Lucille’s friendship grew strongly through the years. When the 91 freeway build took the Curtis home further down the canyon and they moved to Peralta Hills their bond became even stronger. At its onset Peralta Hills was county property. It had its own water company that was incorporated by the Bixby Family in 1916. The Peralta Hills Water Company served the entire neighborhood until it was acquired by the City of Anaheim in 1986. This was 26 years after Peralta Hills had been annexed to the city of Anaheim.
In Peralta Hills’ in the 60s and early 70s there were no close grocery stores and shopping had to be done in the Orange, Anaheim, or Santa Ana downtowns. Going out to dinner was uncommon and there was no such thing as fast food. Life was simpler. Children played outside. Due to the distance between homes they had to be driven to a friend’s home when they were younger. As they grew, however, they could travel by bicycle or horseback. Children riding in the open groves and fields was common and Lucille has fond memories of traveling down Santa Ana Canyon Road in the cart pulled by Francisca’s white pony. There was barely any traffic and they could safely travel far down the canyon.
A strong neighborhood bond has always been a part of Peralta Hills. Only 64 residences were in the neighborhood in the 50’s, but this sped up in the 60s and soared in the 70s. As growth occurred, homeowners worked to keep the rural feeling of the neighborhood. Anaheim created a special RE zoning for Peralta Hills, preserving one-acre lots, with no streetlights, curbs, or gutters. Included in this zoning were agricultural area provisions allowing for up to four horses and wild stock per acre. Children during the 50s, 60s, and 70s loved their animals. Many were part of 4H clubs and you could see pigs, goats, and lambs being lovingly walked down the streets. One of the neighborly things that happened at this time in the 60s was when several Mom’s got together and created Halloween get-togethers since trick or treating was inpractible. At the first party they served donuts and cider. The children bobbed for apples and two older teens lead a scavenger hunt through the groves. It was a grand time and harkens to today’s Peralta Hills Kids’ Club gatherings.
Lucille is 99 years young and could go on and on. She has loved her Peralta Hills life. She feels blessed to have her two children living on the property her and Roland were so fortunate to acquire. So much has changed through the years and Lucille could never have imagined how things look today. One thing remains though, Peralta Hills is still a thriving community. Through all its growth and changes the neighborhood has remained very caring and nurturing. Neighbors talk to one another and share many good times together at which they are making their own blessed memories.