|
The current exhibit at the Orange County Agricultural and Nikkei History Museum will interpret the impact of the El Toro Marine Air Station on the development of Orange County. The time period that the exhibit will cover is roughly 1930-1960.
The base was established in 1942 on the land purchased from the Irvine Company. Beginning in 1943 the air station was used to train combat pilots going to fight in World War II. The exhibit is comprised of four sections and will explore how Orange County changed over the course of 25 years and the role that the El Toro Marine Air Station played in that change. The first section covers the agriculture history of the land, including the crops that were grown and the workers that farmed the land. The second section examines the acquisition of the land as well as the construction of the base. It also examines life on the base and how the base fit in to the surrounding communities. In the third section, the exhibit examines the end of the war and the beginning of the Cold War population boom in Orange County and its transition away from an agriculture based economy, as well as the development of freeways and the opening of Disneyland. The last section of the exhibit explores the recent controversy over the plans for the land after the closing of the base and the recent development of the Great Park. The exhibit traces the Marine Air Station’s role in a changing sense of place in Orange County.
The exhibit will tell the story of how and why the air station was opened. Visitors can listen to oral histories with servicemen and women that served at El Toro during and after World War II to hear their memories of the base and the local community. The exhibit also interprets the end of the war and the beginning of the Cold War population boom in Orange County and its transition away from an agriculture based economy.
Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday
11:00 – 3:00
Tuesday by appointment
Admission is free |
