Remembering When
by
Jerry Person
Huntington Beach City Historian
Dedicated to the people of Huntington Beach
Let Us Not Forget Frank Arterberry
In its very early days, Huntington Beach was a quiet, peaceful, beach town that some would refer to as a paradise on earth, an idyllic haven from the crowded and noisy busy outside world to our north, a place to relax and raise a family. But as Adam and Eve in the Bible found out, paradise is not forever and so it was with Huntington Beach and it was not an apple, but black gold that lost our peaceful town.
It was on May 24, 1920 that our sleepy paradise ceased to be as Standard Oil Company’s oil well, Huntington A Number 1 struck black gold under our feet and shortly there after another well, the Bolsa Chica Number1 came in on November 13, 1920 at 2,000 barrels a day and our oil boom was on and our paradise was gone. Men and a few "women" from all over the country flocked to our town with high hopes of becoming rich.
From a town of less than a thousand people, our town swelled seven fold almost over night. Most of these men were farm boys and knew what hard work was all about and working in the oil field was very hard backbreaking work.
As time passed and the oil boom waned many of these men would move on to greener pastures, but some remained to marry and remain here for the rest of their life, one such a man to stay was Frank Arterberry.
People today can’t imagine America without good roads, but before 1920 most roads were just dirt trails and on just such a dirt trail that Frank Arterberry was born. While traveling on a trip from Texas to Oklahoma, Frank’s parents Ed and Cora Arterberry were passing through Kinsley, Kansas on January 12, 1914 Cora gave birth to a son.
The family would eventually settle in Claremore, Oklahoma where Frank and his two brothers David Francis and Buton John grew up. Ed, Cora and family made seven trips from their home in Oklahoma to California before finally settling in Orange County and they chose Huntington Beach for their new hometown.
Frank attended Central Elementary School, Dwyer Middle School today, on Palm Avenue and graduated there after completing eighth grade in 1927. Frank would eventually finish his education at Newport Harbor High School in 1931.
He met Alma Dye of Costa Mesa and at the age of 22 Frank and Alma were married on August 18, 1936. Frank, now a married man, went to work in our oil field for several different companies, working on those old wooden, not steel, derricks. He would later become a driver, delivering oil in company trucks and tankers.
When World War II came to America, Frank was inducted into military service and with his knowledge of heavy equipment was assigned to the armored division at Fort Knox, KY. From there Frank was sent to Europe where he was assigned to the 5th Army battalion under General George Patton as a tank driver.
During one battle in Italy his unit was bombed and he had his tank blown out from under him. After that, Frank gave up tank driving to become a foot soldier and would see action from one end of Italy to the other. Frank was one of the few soldiers who survived the infamous Poe Valley Push and in latter years recall the men who gave their lives for freedom during that battle.
Returning home to Huntington Beach, Frank would continue driving trucks, and he and Alma would live at 1815 Pine Street. Frank ran a business dealing in oil field salvage and equipment at 19161 Crystal Street that is now Gothard Street.
Frank always enjoyed going on hunting and fishing trips to relax. Locals always found Frank to be a happy and jolly friend and pal and knew he would go out of his way for his friends.
But life played a dirty trick on Frank for in 1971 he fell ill and as his illness continued through the years, it would put a financial strain on Ed and Alma, but even so Frank remained cheerful and would relax at home with Alma and their cat Buttermilk.
Frank passed away on May 12, 1978 here in Huntington Beach and although Frank is no longer with us, his memory will live on in his many friends and neighbors who knew him.