The terra cotta owl was placed above the front entrance to the new Orland High School main building in 1914. OHS was a mere 19 years old at the time being started in the fall of 1895 and holding classes in the upstairs of the 1884 Victorian School owned by the Orland elementary school district. The curriculum was a three year program so there were no graduates and no OHS alumni until the summer of 1898. Now many thousands have passed through the halls and are proud graduates of OHS.
This “History Corner” will be a single subject and informational site on the history of Orland High School. Stories about the school and alumni provide a good cross-section of American life during the twentieth century.
Growing up in Orland as a post-war child, I have my remembrances of what life was like growing up one block from OHS where my father was a social studies teacher. We vacationed during the summers and stopped to read most all the historic markers along the way. I did not become interested in California history until living out-of-state in the late 1960s. My focus on local history started while doing research on a book for the Orland Community Scholarship Association in 1977. Since then, the interest has accelerated into authoring seven books containing local history. So through research and attrition of elder Orland residents, I have become somewhat of a local authority on the Land of Orland.
I receive calls on a regular basis from personnel at the Orland Free Library, City Hall, and the Orland Area Chamber of Commerce asking for information or pictures. I do not take these requests and the title of “historian” lightly. Many have assisted in my research so I am happy to pass on my knowledge and help others. Queries to What Does the Owl Say? will be answered as time allows.
I hope this corner of the OAA Website will be informative as we together, look at the interesting history behind the subject of “Orland High School.”