07/24/2026
🍊From the O.C. Archives: David Hewes died on July 23, 1915, at his longtime home between El Modena and Tustin. Hewes made his fortune as a grading contractor in San Francisco during the Gold Rush and was famous as the man who'd provided the golden spike to ceremonially complete the Transcontinental Railroad. Around 1881, Hewes moved to Orange County, where he built a home (which still stands), and established an 820-acre sheep ranch. He called his place "Anapauma," which he said meant "place of rest."
🌳But rest was not for David Hewes. When his wife died, he remarried, and they traveled all over the world. He maintained his many business ventures, collected fine art, shifted his ranch from sheep to grapes and then to citrus, and created Hewes Park in El Modena as a gift to the public. He was in the process of opening several retail establishments in Los Angeles when he died at age 93.
🍊Above is a photo of the Hewes Mansion and a citrus crate label depicting Hewes Park near La Veta Ave. and Esplanade St. in Orange. The house still stands at 350 S. B St., Tustin, but the park was subdivided in the 1920s through the 1940s.
