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Title: RSF Historical Society publishes new book, celebrates 25th anniversary at Feb. 7 eventAuthor: Diane Y. WelchPublisher: Ranco Santa Fe ReviewDate: 1/25/10Last November, the Rancho Santa Fe Historical Society completed 25 years of existence. To recognize this major milestone, current society members will now remember and honor founding members who had the vision to start the organization and the will to put their ideas into action.A celebratory, free event is scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 7, from noon until 3 p.m., at the historical society's location in the historic La Flecha House, located in the heart of the village on the corner of La Flecha and Via de Santa Fe. Hot refreshments will be served and the program of events will be led by the society's current president, John Vreeburg.Of the five founding members—Gwen Whitehead, Pat Cologne, Eleanor Shefte, Sandy Somerville, and Marcia Van Liew—three will be present to be recognized in person. Cologne, Somerville and Van Liew will each receive a commemorative certificate in honor of their past accomplishments and their recollections will be shared with those present. Several longtime charter members of the society will also be recognized, as will current board members, said Susan Bartow who is the chair for the committee established to organize the celebration.“On October 30, 1984 the articles of incorporation were signed and that was the beginning of a great adventure!" said Gwen Whitehead, the society’s inaugural president, on the home page of the historical society’s Web site. By Nov. 29, 1984, the corporation was recorded and the historical society became a reality, with 350 people signing up as charter members.Through the efforts of the Rancho Santa Fe Historical Society, in 1989 the community of Rancho Santa Fe was designated a California Historic State Landmark. Two years later the Historic American Buildings Survey documented several of the Ranch's historic buildings and from its findings a book was published in 1993. A five-person book committee led by Cologne and Somerville produced the book “Rancho Santa Fe, A California Village.”Now a new generation of historical society members has published a pictorial book titled simply, “Rancho Santa Fe.” The book will be available for purchase at the event and was officially released Jan. 25, 2010. One of the “Images of America” series published by Arcadia Publishing, the book contains more than 200 vintage black and white photographs culled from the collection held in the historical society's archives. Board members Peggy and David Brooks helped with the organization and documentation of the photographic images; Gijs Hanselaar scanned and digitized the images; and authorship was contributed by board member Vonn Marie May, an expert in historic preservation.The book contains seven chapters that trace the history of the Ranch from its former Spanish land grant days, through its era as a vast eucalyptus grove, to its current status as an exclusive, restricted residential enclave. May volunteered to author the book as a gift to the society and all proceeds from the sale of the book will benefit the nonprofit organization, she said.The Rancho Santa Fe Historical Society is known for its dedication to the preservation, documentation and the education of its members, the local community and visitors to the area. It's location in La Flecha house was made possible by the donation of the home by E.L. Bus and Margarita Reitz. The building was designated Historic Landmark #1 and commemorated on July 4, 1989, according to the society's website. The house, a Lilian Rice design, built in the 1920s, now serves as a museum which has helped preserve artifacts, documents and photographs of Rancho Santa Fe for future generations.Call (858) 756-9291 if you plan to attend the anniversary event. All are welcome and the event is free.Signed copies of the newly published book, “Rancho Santa Fe”, will be on sale for $21.99 which includes tax. There is also a companion calendar for sale at $10. All proceeds benefit the Rancho Santa Fe Historical Society which is a nonprofit organization.Title: Rancho Santa Fe history comes into focusAuthor: Roger ShowleyPublisher: The San Diego Union-TribuneDate: 2/14/10Rancho Santa Fe, which began in 1906 as a eucalyptus farm of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad, in 1921 began to morph into the exclusive enclave of the rich and powerful it is known as today.In the newly published “Images of America: Rancho Santa Fe” (Arcadia Publishing, $21.99), local historian Vonn Marie May has captured the rigorous building period as well as the romance of the early days, when Douglas Fairbanks Sr., Bing Crosby and corporate executives set the tone for the 9,000-acre former Rancho San Dieguito.“The community of Rancho Santa Fe reveals itself through layers of California history,” May says in the introduction to the 128-page book. “History that moves from a Spanish pueblo, to a Mexican rancho, to an ambitious horticultural experiment gone awry, and finally to an inspired planned community.”Although well-known to residents, Rancho’s history as depicted in May’s book comes alive in rare pictures, maps and brochures. Beyond those walls, hedges and gates is a genteel world, where horses, golfing and citrus groves still hold sway. But it’s not a stuffed-shirt place: Residents, especially the children, then and now had fun.Acquired from the heirs of the first rancho owner, Juan Maria Osuna, the ranch was master-planned in the 1920s by Leone G. Sinnard; landscaped under the direction of A.R. Sprague and Glenn Moore; and given its architectural theme by Lilian J. Rice, one of the first women to earn an architectural degree in California. The final touch was the 1928 protective covenant, drafted by town planner Charles H. Chene. Still in effect, it provides for a design review board (the “art jury”) and the Rancho Santa Fe Association, which acts as a homeowners association and quasi-local government for the unincorporated community.