STORIES FROM THE PAST
50 years ago
The property of the Barbara Worth Hotel, which was destroyed by fire in 1961, was put up for sale today for $300,000. Bud McNeece of IV Realty announced.
“It has been put on the market to close the estate of John Brunner,” McNeece said. Brunner was the owner.
A large white sign with red lettering was put up on the property on Main Street in El Centro this morning.
McNeece said the property for sale extends from Main Street to McMahan’s Furniture and to Broadway, including the alley. It also includes the old hotel’s annex, the walls of which are still standing.
Joe Komenda, the late owner’s nephew, who earlier this year announced plans for building “a new Barbara Worth” on the site of the fire-razed hotel which at one time was considered among the grandest in the Southwest, assured today that his plans are unchanged.
40 years ago
CALIPATRIA — The 35,000-acre Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge is facing a serious threat of being closed by the end of the year because of the rising sea levels, according to Stephen R. Vehrs, refuge manager.
“Only tremendous public support and congressional action” can save the refuge for certain if the sea continues to rise, he said.
The problem, according to Vehrs, is that only one about 1,785 acres of the refuge are left above water, not enough to provide feeding areas for the thousands of migratory waterfowl which come to the Valley each winter.
As a result, many of the birds have been radiating out from the refuge areas to private lands to feed, causing crop damage.
To prevent this, refuge employees for the past several years have been grown grain in the summer which they harvest then dump by truckloads on the refuge lands for the birds. But with more and more of the birds crowded into smaller area, disease becomes a factor, Vehrs said. As many as 5,000 birds a year die of disease at the site.
The refuge maintained by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service under the Department of the Interior has been fighting the sea, trying to preserve refuge lands for 10 years.
But it has been a losing battle.
30 years ago
CALEXICO — While 30 Mexican youths played soccer on one of the fairways Wednesday evening, a dozen golfers sat in the bar sipping their drinks and talking about their trouble course, which may be about to close.
One man suggested club members donate time to trimming grass and driving tractors on the course to cut expenses, another said people need to participate more in the tournaments at the International Golf and Country Club.
But the course’s real problem is told by a notice at the front of the club house telling golfers not to use illegal aliens as caddies or buy golf balls from them.
The course has been overrun by young Mexicans, who pass through a worn-out border fence from a rough Mexicali neighborhood.
The youths have beaten the golf enthusiasts. The country club’ board of directors voted recently to close the 61-year-old course June 1.
20 years ago
IMPERIAL — Vincent Memorial High School’s boys’ tennis team defeated Saint Margaret’s High School 11-7 in San Diego Section Division III quarterfinal action at Imperial Valley College on Wednesday.
The third-seeded Scots travel to La Jolla today to take on second-seeded Bishop’s in semifinal action. The Knights downed Saint Augustine on Wednesday to advance.
In singles, Vincent swept its sets wit h a 54-4 game advantage. Alfredo Bareto, the Scotts’ No. 1 payer, led the charge by winning 6-1, 6-0, 6-0.
The Scots’ Mario Aldrete won 6-1, 6-0, 6-0 and Marco Miranda had 6-2, 6-0, 6-0 victories for Vincent.