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On February 6, 1953, while the Korean War was still raging, F-51D Mustang fighter pilot 1st Lt. John Maxey and 8 other F-51Ds took off from Castle Air Force Base for a live fire demonstration at Fort Ord; Castle was located just 80 miles northeast of Ft. Ord. Maxey’s Mustang, however, had problems from the onset and he ended up bailing out over the Oppenheimer Ranch (now the Santa Lucia Preserve) and his Mustang crashed in nearby Garzas Canyon. This is a recording of a talk that Jeff Ohlson gave to an aviation group at the Monterey Elks Club on February 17, 2026. He gives a detailed account of the incident that is now part of Carmel Valley’s rich history and folklore.

41 pages (8.5×11 format), 29 photos and many images of brands

Now titled “Heritage and Traditions of Carmel Valley’s Cattle Brands & Branding“, this story was first assembled by Historical Society Historian Jeff Ohlson in 2015 and first presented by Steve Dorrance at the Carmel Valley Library in September 2016 and for the second time at the Carmel Valley History Center by Steve and his daughter Mollie in April 2017. It was presented for the third time by Jeff Ohlson at the Carmel Valley Trail & Saddle Club in 2024. It was reformatted and republished into its present form in the Winter of 2025.