Post #646596 by Sabu The Coconut Boy on Thu, Aug 2, 2012 1:52 PM

Filling in a few more pieces of the timeline from old newspaper archives.

The earliest references all call this room the "Lealea Room" with no spaces between the Lea's. Example is this ad from 1941:

The ad is fascinating to me because it shows that there was a live orchestra on Friday and Saturday nights, but informal dancing with recorded music on Monday thru Thursday. Wonder if they used one of those big multi-record Capehart players like Don The Beachcomber did.

So DustyCajun's research shows that the Lea Lea Room was built in the late 1930s. Here's the additional data I found:

1940 - Riverside Elks Lodge attends its Hawaiian Luau in the Lealea room.
1941 - More mentions of guests dancing in the Lea Lea room of the Mission Inn
1946 - Radio broadcasts of music from the Lea Lea room on station KPRO at 10pm on Thursdays
1951 - The Oriental room and the Lea Lea room, are two separate adjoining banquet halls. That's probably what you see in DustyCajun's postcard.
1957 - New owner Ben Swig renovates the Mission Inn and reintroduces dancing to the Lea Lea Room
1964 - Lea Lea room is mentioned as having a "pretty waterfall"
1966 - Now referred to as the Oriental Lea-Lea Room. Must have changed decor sometime between 1951 and 1966.
1967 - Weddings are being held in the Mission Inn Chapel with receptions afterwards in the Lea Lea Room throughout the Sixties & Seventies. Wonder if anyone was ever shocked ed by having a Christian wedding ceremony in one room, then a reception in another room presided over by Buddha. My parents and grandparents probably would have been.
1977 - last mention of the Lea Lea Room I could find in the newspaper archives was for a luncheon hosted by the Orange Empire Retired Officers Wives club.

[ Edited by: Sabu The Coconut Boy 2012-08-02 13:56 ]