I was reading some of the articles in the Our Town 100 Years Ago website. I copy and pasted this about our Block O. Some we have already discussed in this group, but did you know when the O was built some of it was filmed?? Wonder whatever happened to that footage? Block ‘O’ a landmark for Oroville. When people first arrive in Oroville there are two things that stand out to make the city of gold unique. Table Mountain with it’s flat top and the big ‘O’ that graces its south face. The ‘O’ was a project completed by the students of Oroville High School in 1929 as a matter of school pride. The ‘O’ is 87 feet by 33 feet. The ‘O’ isn’t always just an ‘O’. There are many times throughout the year when the letter is changed. Sometimes for school rivalry, other times for remembrance of a loved one, but for whatever reason the ‘O’ is often looked upon to convey information to the town below. According to Mercury- Register articles, construction started on the ‘O’ in March 1929. Twenty fellows worked Saturday excavating to put the forms in. All picks and shovels and what not were in use, and the handles were kept hot by the relieving gang of boys.” On May 13, 1929 an article catalogued the 30 boys that worked to lay 37 feet of con- crete on the left side of the ‘O’. Lester Blackmore took motion pictures of the event letting all the participants get their faces in the film. A final article on June 3, 1929 announced that the stu- dents of “Hill Top High” (Oroville High School) had fin- ished the Block ‘O’ on June 2. The ‘O’ was painted white, and a dedication ceremony was scheduled for June 8. “It was decided that it will be the duty of the sophomore students to keep it maintained each year,” the article said.
Posted on: Fri, 01 Aug 2014 16:42:09 +0000
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