The land has been owned for generations by the Richardson estate heirs, the family of Virginia Gunderson, whose ancestors arrived in the Santa Clara River Valley in 1867 and homesteaded property; the location of the SP on South Mountain was purchased by Gunderson’s father, Norman Richardson.The area surrounding the SP remains private property where trespassers are not only discouraged but prosecuted.Kerr said the Centennial Committee is “very pleased that Limoneira stepped up to the plate; we’re looking for other companies that want to get involved in the centennial,” by becoming actively involved with a hands on project.Because Santa Paula is a “such a historic city, the SP on South Mountain is one of those great traditions that needs to continue; it’s hugely important to Santa Paula, like the Hollywood sign a giant statement of self-respect and something the whole community can be proud of.”
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South Mountain landmark SP sign is back in time for city’s Centennial
March 06, 2002
Santa Paula News
By Peggy Kelly
Santa Paula TimesThe headline in the Dec. 7, 1922 edition of the Santa Paula Chronicle read, “Carve Face of South Mountain,” with the subhead noting “High School Makes Trip to Height to Carve SP on Hillside.”And after eighty years a group of volunteers again made the trip up steep South Mountain to mark the outlines to clear the brush obscuring the city’s initials and refurbish the SP just in time for Santa Paula’s centennial.The Dec. 7, 1922 story noted that “Students of the local high school united in a pilgrimage to old South Mountain for the purpose of carving high above it’s weather-beaten brows” - a great line, by the way - “the initial letters of the high school,” and the city’s name.Those who recently worked on restoring the giant SP that again looms over the city are far from high school students, although graduates of SPHS did dominate the group. And when they visited the site, “we found the SP so overgrown that we could only guess if we were standing on it or not,” said Bill Glenn.It was the Santa Paula Centennial that again created interest in restoring the SP, according to Glenn and Mike Kerr, members of the Centennial Committee appointed by the City Council. After a joint meeting was held to discuss centennial related events and issues, Glenn and Kerr spearheaded the effort, which spread to include Limoneira Co. - former President Jack Dickenson, President Pierre Tada and Vice President Ron Hendren were heavily involved - which provided labor to clear the brush after volunteers marked the outline using a process of spotters giving directions where to place brightly colored construction cord.Andy VanSciver, City Councilman John Procter, Art Gunderson, Mike Kerr, and Bill Glenn were involved in the marking effort, which included studying aerial photos and those taken in 1986 when an effort had been made to cover the letters with corrugated roofing material. Also involved in the process were Chris Wilson, Gus Gunderson and Mike Binsley.
