Looking Back to January 1943: Council averts water famine, bull kills rancher

Posted: 6:20 am, January 18, 2024 by Reporter Jackie Iddings

This look back at Paso Robles history comes from local newspapers in the Paso Robles Area Historical Society collection. News for this column is selected with the assistance of Research Director Jan Cannon. Newspaper photography by GiGi Green.

Excerpts from the Wednesday, January 20, 1943, Paso Robles Journal

Council paves way to avert water famine here

Property for new pump house and pipeline to be acquired

Lack of rain this winter and the prospects that Paso Robles will be faced with a water famine next summer has stirred the city council to action and following discussion Monday night they passed a resolution to purchase rights of way and land for a pipeline and pump house on the Rinconi property at the south end of the city.

Part of the easement for the pipeline runs through tax deeded lands and the council adjourned to today at noon when they passed a resolution to purchase these lots.

No final word has been heard from the Federal Works agency regarding aid to the city in construction costs but the council is going ahead and if no help is forthcoming will develop the new water basin at its own expense.

“I believe that the new project will solve our difficulty,” declared Hal Johnson, city engineer, “At the present indications surface water will disappear from the Salinas River two or three months earlier than usual and the runoff from the hills will not be sufficient to supply our need nor fill up the dam which supplies Camp San Luis Obispo, he added.

Johnson urged that speed be made to start construction and said that the water department had obtained a pump to make a test of the well as soon as the property has been purchased.

Agreement has been reached to purchase one and eight-teenth acres for the pump house at a cost of $1000, it was stated.

Creston rancher gored to death by bull in corral

Williams James Thomason, 62, rancher on the Creston Star route, was gored to death Monday morning by his bull in the home corral.

Just how it happened will never be known because Thomason was alone when it happened, believed shortly after his son, Billie left for his classes in the Paso Robles high school. When Billie returned home in the late afternoon he found his father’s body, badly mauled and with a crushed chest in the corral with the bull running loose.

He called for help but before the body could be removed the bull had to be shot.

Mr. Thomason, who was a native of Missouri, came to California six years ago. Since the death of his wife, Laura, a year ago, he and his son made their home on the Jones ranch on the Creston Star route, three miles east of Paso Robles.

He leaves nine sons: Estel of Oklahoma, Paul Joseph of Atascadero, Kenneth of Oklahoma, Carl and Herman of Colorado, Clyde and Orville in the U.S. Army, Max in Colorado and Billie at home. One daughter, Mrs. Ruth Rose, lives in San Luis Obispo.

Funeral services will be held Saturday at 2 p.m. in San Luis Obispo with Rev Ralph Rowe officiating. Interment will be in the family plot in the I.O.F. cemetery.

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