PAST PRESENCE; GHOST TOUR OPENS TONIGHT, WILL BRING SIMI HISTORY TO LIFE.

Byline: Sylvia L. Oliande Staff Writer

Characters from Simi Valley's past are set to come to life, some in their original historical settings, during the Ghost Tour opening tonight at Robert P. Strathearn Historical Park.

From Chumash Chief Zalasuit in the 1790s and feared bandito Tiburcio Vasquez in 1875, to cult leader May Otis Blackburn in 1929 and stuntman Ray ``Crash'' Corrigan in 1940, many stages of Simi history will be played out under the stars.

``All of these things happened at different times, but we put them in an historical perspective,'' said Bill Appleton, a local historian and fourth generation Simi resident. ``For the remote region Simi was in those days, it had a lot of interesting characters. And we're still finding out more tidbits about Simi's past.''

The Ghost Tour at Strathearn Park, sponsored by the Simi Valley Historical Society and the Ventura County Cultural Association, will continue this weekend and next.

Visitors will be invited to join tours leaving every 10 minutes and will be led by a docent from the historical society.

Along the way, there will 13 different ghost stations, with some of the costumed actors stationed at sites where their characters actually lived - including Dona Angustias de la Guerra at the El Rancho Simi abode house, the ghost of Mary Strathearn at the Strathearn house and Rosabelle Printz, the postmistress, at the Colony house.

Some ghosts will be scarier than others, with each actor taking on the temperament of the historical figure.

Among the more menacing is Vasquez, one of California's most notorious bandits, who cut a wide swath of crime from Santa Clara County to Los Angeles County to Ventura County from 1853 to 1875, when he was hung.

When considering which historical figures to highlight, organizers said they chose those with some notoriety.

Many were included based on the fact that their life influenced the development of Simi Valley, or they may have been chosen on the weight of a single incident that made them stand out.

One of those was Dr. Alfred Hirschi, a Swiss geologist who kept to himself but who caused a stir when he erected a monument to his late wife, Irene, and to the medieval poet Dante on the grounds of the Women's Club.

The cenotaph now stands at Strathearn park.

``The interest that (the monument) garnered when he first dedicated it in 1936 is pretty much all we have to remember him by,'' Appleton said. ``It was strange and mystic that someone this low-key could create this large a monument.''

Another interesting ``ghost'' will be Krishna Venta, the bearded, charismatic leader of a group who lived on a commune in Box Canyon in the 1950s. Venta, who reportedly claimed to be Jesus, as well as several of his followers, were killed in an explosion in 1958.

The event, the organizations' first, is modeled after a similar presentation in Santa Paula and other areas throughout the state.

The facts

The Ghost Tour at Robert P. Strathearn Historical Park, sponsored by the Simi Valley Historical Society and the Ventura County Cultural Association, is scheduled from 6 to 9 p.m. today through Sunday and Oct. 29 through 31 at 137 Strathearn Place. Tickets are $5 adults, $3 for children under 10 years.

CAPTION(S):

Photo, box

PHOTO Chris Carnicelli will play Tiburcio Vasquez, alongside Kathy Gravino as his girlfriend, Rosaria, on the Ghost Tour.

Box: The facts (see text)