One for Murph

[sabredance2]

E.L. Doheny was one of the most brilliant and acclaimed Geologists of his era. His life exploits form the basis of the Academy Award character played by Daniel Day-Lewis in the Movie, There will be Blood.
So, what is the relevance to Orchids?

[Murph]

Got me there Sabre. I will need to ask a friend.
Help Gary, Dianne.

[Diane56Victor]

I have found a few connections but some are very tenuous to say the least!

1. E L Doheney's son Ned married Lucy Smith in June of 1914. In 1928 E L gifted them a 429 acre site complete with a 55 room mansion called Graystone.
This mansion was one of the locations for the film There will be Blood.

2. In a 1926 novel called Oil! by Upton Sinclair there was a character called Arnold Ross, it has been said that the Arnold Ross character was the inspiration for the character of Daniel Plainview in the movie There will be Blood played by Daniel Day-Lewis.

3. In the Perry Mason series there was character called Lydell McCutcheon who was loosely based on E.L Doheney.
The connection to orchids there would be that Raymond Burr who played Perry Mason was an orchid grower.

4. E L Doheney was also an oil baron as was Sam Mosher who was also an orchid grower. (See the Trivia thread for further details on Sam Mosher)

5. After Ned's death in February of 1929 (in quite dramatic and intriguing circumstances) Lucy remarried in 1932 and her wedding was held in the living room of Greystone. The room was decorated with roses, spring blooms, gardenias, lily of the valley and ORCHIDS.

[MrCym]

#2 I suspect but I learned from all the other snippets!

[sabredance2]

I have to say great sleuthing by all.
Here is a significant thread. Get your hands on the January 1959 edition of Town and Country Magazine, the one with the coloured cover photo of Maria Callas at the wheel of a wooden hulled speed boat.

[sabredance2]

It would appear Forum members haven't been able to put their hands on a copy of the 59 edition of Town and Country. It's a good illustration of how in pre internet times much knowledge has become very difficult to access. So lets rap up this thread. Here is an excerpt from the featured article:

Mosher's acquisition of Dos Pueblos is but a half told story unless the amusing irony of its acquistion is revealed. The ranch had previously been owned by one of the most brilliant and successful geologists of the time, famed oil tycoon E.L. Doheny. He had spent a fortune developing the ranch property, including houses and constructing roads, yet it never occurred to him, oil geologist that he was, that through his ranch ran a geolocical fault that led to off shore oil deposits snugly hidden beneath kelp beds in the Pacific Ocean. Thus Sam Mosher snatched a plump oil plum from right under the nose of a renown oil expert. Further evidence of his bold perspicacity is reflected in the fact that when Standard oil Company of California rejected his invitation to participate in the purchase of Dos Pueblos because they thought it too much of a wildcard proposition. Mosher, unperturbed, went it alone.

This explains the need for whiplash drilling, why wife Leedja, one of three, stated she had many lovely children, beautiful little oil wells, and how the ranch was further developed into Mosher's Orchid Shangri-La. Imagine too Englishman Lord Rothchild's delight whenever Mosher visited on a buying spree.

[Diane56Victor]

I've just read an interesting article from the Santa Barbara Independent called Daring Dreams for Dos Pueblos Ranch.

It gives a potted history of the area and describes how it will, hopefully, be turned into a preservation area. While the selling price has not been disclosed, the 214 acre property had been on the market for many years listed for $40 million.
It's new owners, the family of Roger Himovitz hope to operate it as an outdoor classroom teaching sustainable agriculture.

[MrCym]

Sounds just like the type of people I would detest!

[jjurlina]

Whether we like it or not the mood of change is upon us and all forms of agriculture is facing criticisms for their practices. The dairy industry in NZ has been facing heavy criticism for the impact the industry is having on the environment, some warranted others based on a specific political doctrine. When I was a lad, yes all that long ago most dairy farms were privately owned and the farms carried low dairy cow numbers, then the worldwide price for dairy products escalated at a logarithmic demand. This saw dairy herds increasing to meet demand and dairy farming becoming a corporate entity. We have a Green Party here in our parliament which has considerable power to effect change. They have been proposing to reduce dairy herd size by up to 50%, what they fail to recognize/accept is that the majority of our foreign currency comes from the 'dirty' industry and additionally what is going to replace foreign revenue if they achieve their aim.
Apologies for the posting of what is nothing to do with this forum but this is a subject close to my ageing ticker.

[MrCym]

These people are trouble, mainly because they are stupid! And they've become trouble, worldwide. They have less sway in Colombia but still more than desirable. I think of Salinas, CA, settled by Swiss migrants almost 150 years ago. They nurtured the soil and their extended descendants today continue those wise practices. It continues to be the green vegetable bowl of the USA! Iceberg lettuce, scorned by some, leaves the Salinas area in planeloads every Summer headed to Japan where it is the favored green. In The Netherlands, nitwit Greenies are making growing orchids so mindlessly complicated and difficult.