The Wizard of Oz on the island

Few people realize that the author of the famous fantasy, The Wizard of Oz, Frank Baum was a prolific writer who actually wrote 14 books about that magical land. My childhood was colored by those tomes that I discovered in grade school. They sat side by side on a low wooden shelf and I checked each one out in succession.

Huge books, they were perfect for propping up under covers to read by flashlight. The covers were thick and deeply engraved. The pages were serrated on the outer edge and the line drawings filled pages with energy and charm. I poured over each one, understanding little of their reputedly somewhat subversive messages, but so enjoying the tactile sensation of turning the pages and running fingers lightly over the engravings. I now imagine what’s left of those early editions have been worn to indecipherable scraps or are stowed carefully away from little fingers by collectors.

Another fact that has been omitted from most biographies of the author, Frank Baum, is that between 1904 and 1911, he spent winters with his family on Coronado Island. Once the Wizard of Oz was published and became a huge success, the Baum family visited the west coast often but soon settled in the tent city that sprang up as the del Coronado hotel was being completed.

In 1909, the family rented a two-story house on Star Park Circle, just a few streets from the fantastical turrets of the Hotel del Coronado. The small, yellow house with white trimmed windows is the last remaining home that the author lived in. A small brass plaque near the front door is all that remains of his legacy there.

The imagination of Frank Baum can be enjoyed in other sites throughout the village of Coronado. Orange Street is the main thoroughfare crossing the island. Orange trees were originally planted the length of the boulevard but local rabbits soon devastated their roots. The name remains and just inside the front door of the city’s main library is a memorial created for the 150^th anniversary of the author’s birth. At the entrance to the children’s section, nine glass panels hang. They are quickly recognizable and feature the Cowardly Lion, the Scarecrow, The Tin Woodman, Dorothy and her little dog, Toto, as well as the Wicked Witch of the West with her band of flying monkeys.

When the doors of the Crown ballroom of the Hotel del Coronado open, suspended from the ceiling are a set of tall, crown-shaped chandeliers. The light fixtures were created for the space and though their origin has been disputed, few who see them can deny the Baum-like charm they reflect.

Photo, a yard-sale find, courtesy of 'Playinwithbrushes,' Flickr Creative Commons