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Two of the most common animals in the Mojave desert are the Desert Cottontail and the Black-tailed Jackrabbit. These animals, though cute, posed a big problem for early Antelope Valley residents. The coyote, which is a natural predator to these rabbits, were targeted by pioneers as they frequently raided chicken coops. With the local coyote population reduced, the local rabbit populations flourished and began invading local farms and destroying their crops. The rabbit population quickly grew out of control, with pioneer Evan Evans even saying that the ground appeared to move at night because there were so many rabbits. Rather than using poison to eradicate this problem, rabbit drives were held in which men on horses corralled hordes of rabbits into improvised wooden enclosures. The men would form a circle around the rabbits, gradually closing in until they were driven into the corrals. Once rounded up it was easy to hunt the rabbits, with men, women, and children all participating. These rabbit drives were a common Sunday practice from the 1880s until the 1920s, with special trains from Los Angeles bringing people from outside of the Antelope Valley to participate. After the drives, participants would return to Lancaster for a large communal barbecue referred to as a "big feed". Any leftover meat did not go to waste and was sent to orphanages throughout Los Angeles. "Gurba, Norma H. Lancaster. Arcadia, 2005. Photo courtesy of MOAH Collections"

Otis Milton "Milt" Stark was a wildflower expert and author, community activist, amateur botanist, and long-time resident of the Antelope Valley. Milt's family moved from Texas to the Antelope Valley in 1923. Since that time, Milt has lived in Palmdale, Pearland, Leona Valley, and Lancaster. After graduating from Antelope Valley Joint Union High School in 1938, he continued his education and became a graduate of Antelope Valley College in 1940. Milt began working for Lockheed and enlisted himself in the Army Air Corps in 1943. Following WWII, Milt obtained a Bachelor's Degree from the University of Southern California and became the director of juvenile work and probation camps for the Los Angeles County Probation Department. For nearly thirty years, Milt served areas from Lake Hughes to Big Rock Creek. In 1968, Milt was appointed to the Westside School Board of Trustees where he served twelve years, including becoming president four times. He was also the president of the Antelope Valley Trustees Association for three years and due to his ongoing service to the community, the board of trustees named the building at 17th St. W and Avenue G the "O. Milton Stark Administrative Center." A respected historian, Milt served on the board of the West Antelope Valley Historical Society for twenty-five years and edited two volumes on valley history. He also chaired the Antelope Valley State Parks Advisory Committee while maintaining his other civic roles. In 1972, Milt began volunteering for the State Department of Parks and Recreation, along with the Sierra Club. In 2000, he was elected president of the Poppy Reserve. Meanwhile, the Arthur Ripley Desert Woodland Park awarded Milt the Medallion Award, the highest award allotted to volunteers. If that wasn't enough, Milt had a lifelong interest in photography and had been taking photos of wildflowers since 1969. In 1991, Milt published his first book titled, "A Flower-Watcher's Guide to Spring-Blooming Wildflowers of the Antelope Valley." He later released a second version called, "A Flower-Watcher's Guide to Wildflowers of the Western Mojave Desert" (2000), which has become the definitive reference guide for wildflower enthusiasts. In late 2016, Otis Milton Stark died at the age of ninety-five after a short illness. He's survived by his four children, ten grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. "Gurba, Norma H. Legendary Locals of the Antelope Valley. Arcadia, 2013. Photos courtesy of MOAH Collections and The Antelope Valley Times"

Rainfall events such as the one that just occurred in the Antelope Valley are typical for the region. Topographical boundaries of the Mojave Desert include the Tehachapi Mountains to the west, as well as the San Gabriel Mountains and San Bernardino Mountains to the south, placing the Antelope Valley in a rainshadow. A rainshadow is a region having little annual rainfall because it is sheltered from rain-bearing winds by a range of hills, with local rainfall averaging less than 8 inches annually. Most of the annual rain falls between November and April, leading up to a spectacular display of spring wildflowers. When it does rain, accumulation of water on the ground surface is common because ground absorption capacity is limited by dry desert soil. During rainfall, water tends to run off of alluvial slopes and creeks and collects in low places like dry lake beds or in washes called arroyos. Cycles of El Niño tend to bring more rainfall to the Mojave Desert than usual, increasing the risk of flash flooding. Flash floods can be produced when slow-moving or multiple storms occur over the same area. When storms move faster, flash flooding is less likely since the rain is distributed over a broader area. The Antelope Valley frequently experiences flash floods and standing water from storms, such as the El Niño event of 1914 that led to much of downtown Lancaster being deluged with water. This single storm dropped an average of 1 inch of rainfall in the area, brought in by a tropical cyclone off of the Pacific that had moved northward from Baja California into the desert areas. This 1914 storm, known by early residents as “the Great Flood of 1914”, led to a flood that washed out the train tracks at the Lancaster Train Depot. During the 1910s, Lancaster experienced a series of bad flooding events due to overflow problems at Amargosa Creek and Littlerock Creek, but the event of 1914 was the most severe at the time. KCET, Rain Shadow Desert: Why the Rain Often Skips the Desert

The history of bands and music in the Antelope Valley is nearly as long as the history of Lancaster itself. The Almondale band is widely accepted to be the Antelope Valley’s first band and was composed of both men and women. Formed in the 1890s, the band is best known for its storied march down Lancaster Boulevard in 1896. The Almondale Band’s 1896 performance was evidently quite the spectacle to behold and was orchestrated as part of a political meeting involving the AV association and local Democrats. One notable member of the original Almondale band was Susie Wright Oldham Davis. Davis, who moved from Iowa to Almondale in 1895, was an important figure in Lancaster’s development. She would become a permanent Lancaster resident in 1899 after a drought hit the valley and forced her and many other Almondale residents to relocate. Another local band was formed in the Fall of 1926 by Lancaster resident Paul Hubbard. The 25-piece AV band, also known as the Lancaster Town Band, performed at many events and civic functions throughout Lancaster and surrounding settlements. The band was said to have performed with “zest and flare,” and represented the growing community of Lancaster with pride when performing in neighboring communities. Both the Almondale Band and the Lancaster Town Band had an inarguable effect on the music landscape of the Antelope Valley. However, it can be said that one woman had an even more profound impact on music in early Lancaster. Adelaide Ladd Kinnamon was a celebrated music instructor who spent over 21 years teaching music to students of the Antelope Valley. She arrived in Lancaster in 1921 and it didn’t take long before the small town’s residents began to affectionately refer to her as the “first lady of music.” In the 1940s, Kinnamon conducted the AV Little Symphony, which performed “Coffee Concerts” at Jane Reynolds Park in Lancaster. A farewell concert was held in the 1940s after Kinnamon announced her retirement from teaching. As a testament to the impact that she had on her students, over 200 of her pupils performed at the event, and much more undoubtedly attended the farewell event. "Gurba, Norma H. Lancaster. Arcadia, 2005. Photo courtesy of MOAH Collections"

Many Antelope Valley residents enjoyed the 69th Almond Blossom Festival in Quartz Hill over the weekend, held from March 9th through March 11th. The free event typically draws 2,000 to 3,000 visitors. Considered to be the longest-running annual almond blossom festival in America, this unique local festival emphasizes the blooming almond trees of the city’s past. The event also includes the Almond Festival Parade, one of the oldest parades in the Antelope Valley, historically taking place on the first day of the festival. Before the endless housing tracts that we know today, Quartz Hill housed a myriad of almond trees and orchards. The pink and white blossoms associated with the trees would blanket Quartz Hill in late winter, officially announcing the season's end and the coming of spring. In the 1950s, records indicate that nearly 100,000 trees were covering 2,000 acres of land. In early 1950, Jane Pinheiro and Byron Glenn proposed the idea of a festival in celebration of the blossoming almond trees to the Quartz Hill Chamber of Commerce and, shortly after, the Almond Blossom Festival was instituted. The Quartz Hill Almond Blossom Festival was first held in 1950 as a two-day event on March 4 and March 5 to celebrate the staple tree. Festivities started with a dance at the Quartz Hill airport hangar on Saturday night, where the first Almond Blossom Queen, Jean Eastman, was crowned. The Antelope Valley Flying Club offered night sightseeing flights over the blooming groves. The next day began with a breakfast at the Quartz Hill airport, followed by the first Almond Blossom Parade. The parade commenced at noon, marching through downtown Quartz Hill. The Grand Marshall of this first parade was William Stratman, an 88-year-old resident who was among the first to plant almond trees along Portal Ridge in the Quartz Hill district. A BBQ followed the parade, hosted at the Antelope Dude Ranch on Quartz Hill Road, where local growers first introduced their new phase of almond production - the beloved candied almonds! The 2nd annual Almond Blossom Festival was welcomed by a dusting of snow a week before the event. Despite the questionable weather, the festival still went on. A highlight of this 2nd Almond Blossom Festival was a special event, a search and rescue simulation at the site of a “crashed plane” in the hills. Radioed reports from the “rescue party” were broadcast to the airfield. The 3rd Annual Almond Blossom Festival was also impacted by the weather, postponed by substantial snowfall the night before the event. After postponing for a week, the festival went on even in the face of light snowfall continuing, with locals eager to begin the annual festivities. The Almond Blossom Festival continued as a two-day event until 1958, when it was first advertised as a three-day fete beginning Friday, March 7, and ending on Sunday, March 9. In 1974 it was extended again, advertised as a four-day event. However, by the 1980s, the Almond Blossom Festival was scaled back and reduced to a three-day event; by this point, most of the trees were already gone, with the festival commemorating the community’s history of almond cultivation. Although the almond trees have continued to disappear over time, the festival is held each year as a show of community history and pride, celebrating the almond groves that once dominated Quartz Hill. In addition to the noteworthy parade, other activities such as various crafts, games, carnival rides, car shows, puppet-shows, performances, and live music continue to be highlights of the festival.

The first newspaper in the Antelope Valley was most probably the Lancaster News, which was launched sometime between 1885 and 1886. Leo Issacs would publish the next paper, the Lancaster Gazette, with the first issues printed in Los Angeles and transported to Lancaster. The Lancaster Gazette was sold to S.A. Drummond in 1888, who established a partnership with E.Y. Cammer. After an argument between the two, Drummond left the Lancaster Gazette, later becoming the Antelope Valley Ledger Gazette, to found the competing Antelope Valley Times. A massive fire in 1912, on the west side of Antelope Avenue between 10th and 11th street, ultimately destroyed the headquarters of the Antelope Valley Gazette. Most of the contents were lost along with the building, erasing a majority of the records documenting early Lancaster and Antelope Valley history. Despite this devastation, the Antelope Valley Ledger Gazette would reopen and continue business for several decades to come. Though all of the documents present during the 1912 fire sustained damage to some extent, the surviving documents were preserved over the years and are now housed within the Lancaster Museum of Art and History (MOAH) Archives Vault.

Jane Porter Reynolds, another leading pioneer of the Antelope Valley, was born in Cork County, Ireland, in 1864. She immigrated to the United States when she was 22 years old, staying in Chicago for several years. Jane came to Lancaster in 1896, securing work as the Western Hotel's cook. It was at the Western Hotel that she met and fell in love with Maurice Reynolds Sr. who was staying at the hotel. The couple married in 1897 and later had four children, three surviving past infancy. The family resided in a house on Ninth Street (present-day Jackman Avenue), where Jane lived until her death. The Reynolds became fairly successful farmers, owning and tending to an alfalfa farm that was located on what is now Lancaster Boulevard and Fig Street. With so much land in her possession, she donated a block of property between Elm Avenue and Thirteenth Street to be used as a park in 1937. Reportedly, she felt sorry for the farmer's children who came to Lancaster and had nowhere to play. This park is still in Lancaster today, with a public pool addition made in honor of Jane's good friend and employer, Myrtie Webber. Jane and her husband are both buried in the pioneer Lancaster Cemetery on the northeastern corner of Division Street and Lancaster Boulevard. Her name is carried on within Lancaster, with descendants of the Reynolds still living locally. "Gurba, Norma H. Lancaster. Arcadia, 2005. Photo courtesy of MOAH Collections"

The Jazz Candy Shop, owned and operated by Charles and Ethel Wakefield, was a popular hangout spot for teens and adults alike in the 1920's. The shop sold an assortment of candies, ice creams, and sodas, with a feature in a 1920's issue of the Antelope Valley Ledger Gazette describing owner Charles as "the Onlyest Candy Maker in this neck of the woods." The treats made by Charles and his wife Ethel quickly became well-known and loved throughout the Antelope Valley. During its early years of operation, Constable Ed Glidden was killed by a bandit just outside of the Jazz Candy Shop in 1920. Wakefield would become proprietor just two years later, in 1922. A devastating fire in 1935 ultimately led to the destruction and closure of the shop. "Gurba, Norma H. Lancaster. Arcadia, 2005. Photo courtesy of MOAH Collections"

In 1890, only three to four gaslights along 10th Street provided nighttime illumination. In 1914, the Pacific Light and Power Company brought the first power lines into Lancaster and the greater Antelope Valley region. Although Lancaster had electricity, this was for lights only and service reached less than fifty customers. Toward the end of the year, the question of whether or not a lighting district should be formed was put to a vote. According to the local paper, ''the election held Saturday last resulted in a majority of forty-five votes in favor.'' By winter, streets and homes were lighted by electricity; service grew to 200 and three electric ranges were being utilized. In 1915, Pacific Light and Power sold to Southern California Edison Company and moved its headquarters to Antelope Avenue by Milling. Around 1920, Edison Co. began assigning street numbers to businesses and homes. By 1925, 878 homes were under electric light and over 200 stoves had been connected. By 1936, there were over 3,100 customers within the Lancaster division and more than 1,000 electric ranges were in use. "Gurba, Norma H. Lancaster. Arcadia, 2005. Photo courtesy of MOAH Collections"

Wyatt Kenneth Coleman's work on display at MOAH When spending time with photographer Wyatt Kenneth Coleman's work, it's not uncommon to be filled with a sudden and unmistakable warmth that isn't unlike the feeling you might get from hugging an old friend. It shouldn't come as a surprise that the man behind the lens is just as warm and friendly as his pictures -- a trait he maintains has helped him get the best of his subjects, his camera and himself through his 50 years as a freelance photojournalist and artist. Coleman's work is currently being feature in the Lancaster Museum of Art & History's newest exhibit, It Takes a Village. His section of the exhibit, which is entitles Beyond the Village, is located on the second floor, in the south gallery, and includes dozens of pieces that document the plight of Civil Rights activists and the people who aim to create positive, peaceful change in the world through kindness, loving and understanding. "I don't treat (my subjects) any differently than I would treat someone in my family," the Lancaster resident said during a recent phone interview. "You become part of them and they accept you. You become one with them and then they don't even notice the camera. "The camera is just an extension of my personality," he added with one of his infectious laughs. As a teenager, Coleman was inspired to start taking photos after his brother, Eugene McMiller, a Brooks Institute alum who graduated with honors, began working in the field. "He had a studio and I was fascinated by some of the assignments and work he was doing," Coleman said of his late brother's passion that became his own. "I didn't know anything about photography, but it looked exciting to me! I decided that I was going to do that same thing, in other words: to follow in his footsteps." While serving overseas during the Vietnam War, from 1964-'66, Coleman began studying photography at the United States Air Force Photography School. It was there he gained the skills that would follow him throughout his military career and various artistic and professional endeavors (he has been features in publications like 3M, Ebony and Jet, among others). Coleman's work was featured in an exhibit last year at MOAH:CEDAR which focused on his photography of Civil Rights activists, but for this new exhibit, he attempts to show the many ways of life that human beings build for themselves in a modern America. "If we treat each other as half-way decent, we can all get along and see one another as human beings," he said. Coleman, 74, takes his photos with an old Nikon and occasionally uses a Hasselblad -- equipment he likens to an "old friend." He largely shoots in the monochromatic majesty of black and white, but will also be showcasing some color photography in this exhibit. "I don't actually like doing color to be honest!" he said with a laugh. "With black and white, you have to look at it and really see -- and hopefully think about -- what I was trying to say with that image. But with color, it can sometimes overpower whatever it is I'm trying to say or do." He made the accommodation in an effort to show how various cultures use colors in their everyday lives. "It's probably the most color work I've ever shown," he admitted. One of that show's most mesmerizing pieces is called We Are More Alike than Unalike (a title he culled from the writings of Maya Angelou), which Coleman completed in a 1994 collaboration with friend Jason Chang. "It was done after the riots in Los Angeles," he said. "What we were trying to show with that was: if you look on one side, you see an African American family. If you look from the other end, you see the Korean family. If you look in the middle, you see them standing together. That's kind of what the show is about in a way." Through his are and humanitarian practices, Coleman has made frequent attempts at bettering the community surrounding him. He has documented the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and even established a collaborating with Coretta Scott King which was active until her death in 2006. Since settling in Lancaster with his wife Linda in 2001, Coleman has engaged with the Antelope Valley community to do just that. He was recently recognized for his volunteer work at Elm Ave. Community Garden by Assemblyman Tom Lackey and received an award from the Lancaster City Council for his continued contributions to the community. "I try to show that people are just human beings We don't have to go through all the nastiness that is sometimes exhibited," he said. "I've done a lot of things in my life. I'm very blessed, very fortunate." Coleman will lead a special talk and tour of his work at 2 PM on Sunday, February 18 at MOAH. A natural people-person, Coleman is excited to speak with others about their experience with his work. "MOAH being there and allowing me to show this work and what I was trying to say ... has been very important to me," he said. "I'm looking forward to it! There isn't anything I won't answer if anyone wants to know how I did this or that. I just try to make life better for everyone that comes in contact with my image." For those who make it out to the exhibit, there isn't any doubt he'll succeed. More to see at MOAH's 'It Takes a Village' In addition to Wyatt Kenneth Coleman's photo journalistic work, It Takes a Village also features the work of five other artists, all of whom will be holding their own upcoming community engagement sessions. Lisa Bartleson: Kindred When: 2 PM Saturday, February 17 Where: East Gallery What: Referencing the Japanese tradition kintsugi (the art of repairing broken pottery), Bartleson uses resin and ceramics to create expansive works in two and three dimensions. This large-scale installation is composed of over 200 porcelain houses to convey a community in the process of shared healing. Enhancing the experience is the repeated aural drone of heartbeats ( her own, and a baby's still in the womb) to remind onlookers of the universal, shared experience of life. Scott Yoell: Tsunami When: 2 PM Saturday, February 24 Where: Moore Family Trust Gallery What: A recent fascination with trinkets has lead this traditional and electronic media artists to create Tsunami, a striking collection of three thousand four-inch-tall figures formed in an imposed wave of nostalgia and community. Guest are encouraged to look closely: you'll notice superficial differences and imperfections that are a by-product of being cast from the same mold. Richard S. Chow: Distant Memories When: 1 PM Sunday, February 25 Where: North Gallery What: The Hong Kong native, Richard S. Chow, imagines a childhood under the sunshine of Southern California in this series of black and white documentarian and conceptual images. Human interest colors these dozens of black and white photos that feature shots of the beach, the ocean, the city -- memories he never lives as a young boy and now imagines in his adopted home. Memory & Identity: The Marvelous Art of Betye, Lezley and Alison Saar When: 12 PM Sunday, March 25 Where: Main Gallery What: Betye, Lezley and Alison Saar explore their cultural history with a collection of striking mixed-media pieces. From sculptures and high-concept installations to paintings and photography, this family of creatives mix "low" and "high" art forms, they create something wholly new and deeply invigorating. Every objects tells a story. Jane Szabo: Family Matters When: 2 PM Sunday, March 25 Where: Wells Fargo Gallery What: Photographed against crushing black backgrounds, Szabo's pictures evoke a feeling of home, displacement and sentimentality. Using fabrication and household materials, she explores complicated family dynamics in tableaus that redefine what it means to be a daughter, mother and caretaker.

With how modern the Antelope Valley is today, it may be easy to overlook its roots as a "cowboy town". Like a scene straight out of the Wild West, early Lancaster saw its fair share of shoot-outs, prison breaks, bank robberies, and illegal cattle-rings. Those that were arrested for their crimes were held at the Lancaster jail, which was just a small two-cell wooden shack with a single barred window located on Antelope Avenue (now Sierra Highway) behind the Oak Bar. This small structure, measuring only 8 feet by 10 feet, served as the town jail from the 1880s until 1916. The door was often mistakenly left open, leading to numerous jailbreaks. It was common for the arrested criminals to not give their true names, with a common alias being “John Lancaster”. While most of the early Lancaster Constables were decent men ensuring the well-being of Antelope Valley residents, Mace Mayes was quite the opposite. Mayes served as Constable of Lancaster in the late-1880's and early-1890's while he also worked as the keeper of a local saloon and meat market. During this time, he and his nephew Newton Morris were accused of running a cattle-rustling ring in Palmdale. It was determined that their illicit activities were conceived at his local saloon. He was tried and found guilty by Judge Bulkley, who sentenced him to 6 years in San Quentin. This was hailed as the AV’s “Trial of the Century”, with a majority of the Antelope Valley’s population coming to witness the 10-day trial. "Gurba, Norma H. Lancaster. Arcadia, 2005. Photo courtesy of MOAH Collections"

An efficient and reliable means of sending and receiving mail is a necessity for any growing settlement. The establishment of a well-run postal service can, therefore, be seen as extremely important in the establishment of a self-sufficient town or city. As the town of Lancaster became more well established a locally based postal service soon became vital for the growing community. The first Lancaster post office was established in 1884 and was run out of a small house located off the northwest corner of Milling Street and Antelope Avenue. This first postal office was run by William Baylis who was appointed as the Antelope Valley’s first postmaster. This office would later be run by Lancaster’s first postmistress, Abbie Dunning. Miss Dunning was later succeeded by J.F. Dunsmoor in 1897. Dunsmoor had previously served as a state-appointed inspector in public elections. Dunsmoor chose to run the post office out of a room in his own home which was located off of Tenth Street. Crowds would often form outside of Dunsmoor’s home every day at 6:00 pm in anticipation of the arrival of postage to the office. Dunsmoor served as postmaster until 1913. In 1914, local business owner and civic leader Leo Harris took control of the local postal service and moved the office into his general goods store. The position of postmaster was then granted to Lancaster resident William Redman, who would retain the position until 1922. As Lancaster continued to grow in both size and population, the store-based postal office became inadequate for dealing with the ever-increasing mail flow through the valley. In 1925 the post office was moved yet again. This time, the postal office was run out of its own building and coincidentally located just adjacent to the home of former postmaster J.F. Dunsmoor. In the 1930s, the post office would again switch locations before the sixth Lancaster Post Office was built on the northeastern corner of Cedar Avenue and Lancaster Boulevard. This sixth office would prove much more permanent than the preceding five offices and remains in operation to this day. "Gurba, Norma H. Lancaster. Arcadia, 2005. Photo courtesy of MOAH Collections"