Santa Ynez Valley News from Solvang, California • 9

Las Cruces Store During War Years With a stuffed owl in the corner and a buck's head over the door the old Las Cruces store reflected the vogue of the day during World War II Standing behind the counter ready to serve the war time populace are Mrs Cesarina Loustalot center left and her sister Mrs Lucy Raffetto assisted by Mrs Lou stalot's daughter Jeanette and son Jean A neighbor boy can be seen on the right The store was torn down in December after 50 years of serving the highway traveler RELATIVE PEACE CALM ALONG HIGHWAY AT LAS CRUCES US Highway IO I was a two lane route and still retained the aura of the quiet countryside as depicted in this photo taken in front of the old Las Cruces Store and service station during the early 1930's Las Cruces Store a landmark for half a cen tury is no longer a part of the highway scene It was demo lished the end of December to make way for the development of a new interchange at Highway 101 and State Route I Area Landmark Old Las Cruces Store Gives Way to New Interchange By JOANNE RIE Valley News Staff Writer A landmark of 50 years was bulldozed under recently The Old Las Cruces Store built in 1917 by Mrs Jacob Lou stalot for her oldest son Pete was tom down and burned to make way for the interchange at Highway 101 and State Route 1 With it went a paragraph tom from the books on local history and in its place will be a bit of asphalt a sign reading AB Left and the smell of automobile fumes in the air The Las Cruces Store has watched the progress of motor car and indeed was nurtured by it until the bene factor turned and bit the hand that had offered it gaso line and a respite from the tiring trip between Santa Bar bara and Buellton Pete Loustalot and his wife operated the store and its serv ice station and garage for only one year before it was taken over by his sister Justine Lou stalot Meloling and her hus band Albert They operated the store for 10 years before turn ing the garage and service sta tion over to Mr and Mrs Gene Hess and the store over to Wil liam Moffett in 1928 In 1938 the management of the three businesses returned to the care of the Loustalot family when it was taken over by the late Jean Loustalot and his wife Cesar ina Originally the land had been a part of the Hollister Ranch In 1894 Louis Loustalot came from southern rance to Cali fornia He rented property from the Hollisters and built the Loustalot Corrals where sheep and cattle were held after be ing shipped to the Gaviota Pier on their way to the Lompoc Val ley via the route of what is now State Highway 1 the Las Cru ces road Louis Loustalot built an adobe Beauty and Privacy i Come any day of the week or after church on Sunday eV Just off the press our new PICTORIAL BROCHURE of Santa Ynez Oaks SnntA Vnez Oaks office on nronertv 2695 MISSION DRIVE (Highway 246) 2 miles East of Solvang business district TELEPHONE 688 5911 Eric inlay resident Manager MARLOW DEVELOPMENT CO ully improved SITES of 1 2 3 ACRES now on sale in NEW UNIT See lovely homes recently completed in newly established nicely restricted residence area of gently rolling hills level sites and secluded glens Truly a location of scenic inspiration prestige and fulfillment of fondest dreams jO I fcnLA Xg I tew I I house near the site of the Las Cruces store The adobe is still standing and may possibly be designated as a historical land mark in the near future The Las Cruces Store was in its hey day during the war years when thousands of based at Camp Cooke now the site of VAB used it as a way station on weekends According to Cesarina Loustalot all the leave buses from Camp Cooke stopped by each Saturday morn ing and 12 to 14 bus loads of soldiers spilled out for sand wiches and coffee Every Satur day morning on the way out and every Sunday night on the way back the big Greyhound Buses pulled in with their hordes of hungry khaki clad men In the kitchen hours before the buses arrived Mrs Lousta lot would be making sandwiches salami and cheese There was lots of space outside in the yard and after the GIs had filed through and obtained their sandwiches and coffee Mrs Loustalot could look out side on a sea of soldiers sprawled in the yard eating their bologna salami and cheese sandwiches The store looked like an old fashioned country edition with antlers on the wall a great old display counter and eight stools lined in a row Many people stopped during those days for sandwiches and coffee sitting along the counter and talking about gasoline rationing or the lack of rain that year The Lousta lots also had an antique col lection drawing customers As a Greyhound Bus Agency flag stop there were those who got on and off the 'bus and if truth be out the Las Cruces Store was whispered to be Little Las Vegas West for two years during the war There were pin ball machines and slot mach ines and other such evil doings and in fact it was practically the Club for the Coast Guard station at Gaviota Not to be outdone by the Army at Camp Cooke and the Coast Guard at Gaviota there was also a contingent of Marines from the radar station at Re fugio Beach Mrs Loustalot said she was almost running a private USO The Jean Lcustalots leased the store to Standard Oil Co in 1957 It was then subleased until the state condemned the property last year The store operated until ebruary 1957 But the store fell on hard times this past year as across the way the Las Cruces Inn boarded up for many years was cut down to make way for the highway Then at last its turn came too and Walter Brothers Construction of San Luis Obispo and Milburne and Sanson of Riverside tore it down on a Thursday (Dec 28 1967) and burned it on a ri day By Saturday it was hard to see that anything had ever happened there on that spot at all STUDENTS NAMED TO HONOR LISTS Jack Chester and Mary Engles of Solvang have been named to the honor lists at the University of California at Davis More than 1200 students were honored for maintaining an over all grade point average of at least 30 thru the end of the 1967 spring quarter Chester is majoring in veter inary medicine and Miss Eng les in letters and science Rambow Garden Center Highway 246 BUELLTON 688 4484 BARE EOOT ROSES TREES fate BERRIES VOLUME XLIII THURSDAY JAN II 1968 NUMBER 13 fornita WW SECTION PUBLISHED EVERY THURSDAY SOLVANG CALIORNIA intensive Hom Pfeifers ftrfw CoMaify Assessor On ApiaSiral Presene barite County Assessor Harry Holmquist underwent an inten sive hour of questioning last week by County Planning Com mission members seeking to learn what assessment prac tices he intends to follow for agricultural preserves Holmquist made the follow ing significant observations: Land in agricultural preserves in the county could get more favorable treatment the in regard to property assessments than similar other land remaining under agricul tural zoning without preserve status Agricultural preserves could conceivably be in any area where landowners within them chose to sell their properties instead of maintaining preserves be fore the 10 year period was up some areas such as San ta Maria Valley where land sales are few and high valu ation is increased with higher product prices it would be pos sible for land in agricultural preserves to receive higher in stead of lower assessments Twenty acre parcels will have a higher value placed on them than 100 acre parcels with the same zoning and char acteristics because the smaller parcels in greater de mand as more people are able to buy smaller holdings in an un classified district say 100 acres could generally face higher assessments than similar par cels in an agricultural district This is because the district ART SUPPLIES RAMING GALLERIA de SANTA YNEZ 3555 SAGUNTO ST SANTA YNEZ allows of use for sale disparity between eco nomic value of land and the high sales value of the land is greater in Santa Ynez Valley today than anywhere else in the county The ratio is about 15 1 in favor of the high sales value is practical value especially in Santa Ynez Val ley in placing much non prime land in preserves as it is grazing land and an aid in food production Lands in remote Santa Ynez Valley areas are increasing in value as a result of inflation large ly and even in Cuyama Val ley where is no great rise in urbanization land values are rising thru comparable sales of land in the area defense was given to the practice of capitali zation of rentals in some parts of the county including Lom poc Valley but not in Santa Ynez Valley Where sales are few this is done Holmquist of fered to discuss this matter fur ther with Andrew Petersen commission member from San ta Ynez Valley at a later time when Petersen said he felt his area was being ed (Continued on Page 8B) I EXQUISITE LANG JEWELRY I "The riendly Store Where Neighbors' WE INVITE YOUR PATRONAGE BUELLTON PARKWAY BUELLTON Safe Easy Access Ample Parking NOW OPEN OR YOUR CONVENIENCE am II pm EVERYDAY MUST MAKE ROOM OR NEW SPRING SHIPMENT Also OOD OOD OOD dairy ROZEN GROCERY DELI BAKERY COOKIES POTATO CHIPS ETC TRY US We Deliver Bulk Orders Phone 688 4010 CL 1 i i.