The History of Chesterfield, New Hampshire


 

October 24, 2000
Oak Glen, California

FALL HOURS: 
Tuesday -- Sunday 10 - 5

Dear Friends and Family,

This year I vowed to get some better pictures of the different trees on and around our farm, so this morning's pictures are a beginning.  The pear trees are particulary nice this time of year, especially when you can take in a whole grove of them from a distance.    Most of our little valley turns a bright gold in late fall, and some of our guests have asked if we have any deep reds and vermillions.   There's your answer on the right.

If you watch much nature television, the radical environmentalists have a tendency to decry man's presence in nature, but Oak Glen is a living testament to the contribution the pioneering farming families of Oak Glen have made to the environment.   The bright yellow leaved elder trees are indigenous to Oak Glen, but the pears and apple were introduced by farmers--earth's first and best conservationists.    The manzanita and scrub oak, beautiful in their own gnarled right, have given way, partially, to stone walls, pastures, and magnificent orchards, not to mention some beautiful homes and barns. 

As we work to keep Oak Glen "looking like Oak Glen," we struggle to strike a balance between the new and the old, the experimental and the tested, the aesthetic and the merely functional.    We favor dirt roads over blacktop paving, hand-water pumps over modern plumbing, a horse, where possible, over a tractor, a family cow over a trip to the grocery store.  We even prefer out of date clothing--200 years behind the times.   You might even say we're hopelessly backward, musket-toting country cousins.

..And you would be right!

 God Bless,

 Your humble servant,

James Riley

Update 10/29/2000:   There are a few of the famous "Arkansas Blacks" still available at the General Store:

Don't Forget...

This year, over 10,000 school children  will take part in our Living History Field Trips.    Click here to make it 10,001!       The price is $12.00 per participant, with one free adult for every 15 students.      This includes lunch and four hours of participatory living history, covering either the American Revolution, Civil War, or Early California.

After an early March visit this year, a  fifth grade teacher from San Diego wrote us to say, "Thank you for the most wonderful field trip I have ever hosted for children.   Your knowledge of history, the authenticity of your facilities, the beauty of the surroundings, and the love of history that you shared with the students are very much appreciated." 

Thanks!  

Mark your calendars!   We look forward to visiting with you soon.

 Your Humble Servant,

James Riley

P.S. For the sake of those "web portals" constantly browsing the internet to update their search engines, we include the following boiler-plate. (Feel free to read this, if you're new to our site.)

Riley's Farm is a working apple orchard and living history farm in the Oak Glen area of Southern California. In addition to farming, we love history and we have provided a venue for re-enactment units comprising many different eras. The farm regularly hosts banquets, birthday parties, weddings, and office parties. Every year, literally thousands of students participate in one of our school tours, where they experience everything from weaving, candle-dipping, and cider pressing to the drill and muster of a Revolutionary War or Civil War battle. Our farm has appeared on the History Channel and in the recently released feature film, Amistad, as well as many other film and television productions. (We even try to get the producers to include us as on screen talent, but that's another story.) On selected weekends throughout the year, we offer "farm-stay" weekends, where families can experience--clothing, wood stoves, muskets, and all--the life of an 18th or 19th century American farmer. We grow sweet corn, apples, raspberries, pears, and sunflowers, just to mention a few of our crops. Our nephew, Devon, keeps some beautiful Belgian draft horses for country hay-rides. We love America--its traditions, its people, its history, and its cherished heritage of liberty in Christ. Have we said enough? Well, one more thing: In the fall, thousands of families make an annual pilgrimage to the farms of Oak Glen to experience the closest thing to a New England fall California has to offer. Why don't you stop by and say hello?

P.S.  Stay Clear of this "Cider House"

A pear  tree turning a deep rusty red

A a box elder  tree

A a pear tree with elders in the background

A young spartan apple tree

A Picture of the Riley Family

Contacting us via e-mail at: info@rileysfarm.com.

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Riley's Farm
12261 S. Oak Glen Road
Oak Glen, California 92399

(909) 797-7534

Riley's Farm, Copyright 1997-2000, All Rights Reserved