LOOKING BACK

Young Chang

The photo of Jacob Shiffer explains it all.

Not that he’s predictable or stereotypical, but Shiffer looks the part

of a pioneer farmer who got so involved in Costa Mesa’s early years that

people thought he deserved, at the very least, a park named in his honor.

As you can see, he’s wearing a blazer on top of very farmer-esque

overalls and a plaid, button-down shirt. He’s topped the look with a

formal hat and is supporting himself with a cane.

You can believe he planted lots of great crops, won awards for them at

fairs, joined the local school board and left behind a legacy of 19

grandchildren and 46 great grandchildren.

Shiffer arrived in Costa Mesa in 1910. He moved out with his family

from Kansas and settled in the part of the city known as Paularino. The

park named after him -- Shiffer Park -- is today at the intersection of

Bear and Paularino streets.

He grew pumpkins and squash and celery, said Gladys Refakes, volunteer

at the Costa Mesa Historical Society and a longtime city resident. He

grew lots of different vegetables at once and often took home prizes for

his vegetables from local fairs.

He and his family -- he married three times and had seven children --

lived near a railroad station because that way it was easy for freight

trains to transport Shiffer’s crops to the market, Refakes said.

The first house he lived in was torn down when the Corona del Mar

Freeway was built.

He eventually lived in a house across the street from Shiffer Park, in

what had once been a school house, Refakes said.

Through the years, he got involved with Costa Mesa schools and served

on the Paularino School Board for 37 years.

Refakes, reading an old Daily Pilot story from 1977, said he was also

active in his church for many decades.

When he was 99, Costa Mesa decided to name a park in Shiffer’s honor.

“He was a pretty active guy,” Refakes said.

Shiffer passed away at the age of 102 in the late ‘70s.

* Do you know of a person, place or event that deserves a historical

Look Back? Let us know. Contact Young Chang by fax at (949) 646-4170;

e-mail at [email protected]; or mail her at c/o Daily Pilot, 330 W.

Bay St., Costa Mesa, CA 92627.