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The San Joaquin Historian Volwne XI New Series Nwnber 1 Spring 1997

A Quarterly Journal Published by

The San Joaquin County Historical Society Inc

Director Michael W Bennett Editor Christopher H Engh

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

President Craig Rasmussen President-Elect Helen Trethewey Secretary Elise Austin Forbes Finance Robert F McMaster Publications Christopher H Engh Past President Gary E Christopherson

The Society a non-profit corporation meets the fourth Monday monthly except July August and December Membership includes subscriptions to the San Joaquin Historian and the monthly newsletter News and Notes Additional copies may be purchased at the Museum

The Society operates the San Joaquin County Historical Museum at Micke Grove Regional Park in partnershyship with San Joaquin County The Society maintains an office at the Museum

Manuscripts relating to the history of San Joaquin County or the Delta will always be considered The editor reserves the right to shorten material based on local interest and space considerations Inquiries should be made through the Museum office

SAN-JOAQUIN CmiddotQmiddotUmiddotNmiddotTmiddotY THE COVER PHOTOGRAPH

Lindens Main Street ca 1930 From the left Mrs Nylens restaurant Ralph Footes hardware store (with porch) Linden Meat Market and George Di Carlos two-story Linden Hotel Robert Christensens family photographs are featured in this issue

HISTORICAL SOCIETY amp

MUSEUM

Micke Grove Regional Park PO Box 30 Lodi CA 95241-0030 209331-2055209953-3460

copy 1997 San Joaquin Historical Society Inc

LINDEN

A FAMILY SCRAPBOOK FROM THE 20s AND 30s

Photographs Provided by Robert Christensen

Text by Peggy Vard Engh

In 1920 when he was three years old Robert Christensen became a citizen of Linden

~ California which is located approximately twelve miles east of Stockton That same year hisII father Charles founded the Linden Lumber Company which he operated until 1938 when poor ii health forced his retirement This scrapbook depicts life in Linden from Bobs memories and ii

I through the eyes of his father who enjoyed photography as a hobby II ii ij~ Originally known as Fifteen Mile House and later t~ called Foremans Ranch Linden was officially named inII

1862 by John Wasley a cousin of Dr William Dii ~~ Treblecock who had built the stage station known as the

Fifteen Mile House Wasley had named the settlementii i~ presumably after Linden Ohio a town where he once ~ lived I Linden is usually defined by its agricultural riches

and diversity but this portrait of Linden will focus solely on the town Bob Christensens family was not one of the pioneer families who settled in Linden beginning in the 1850s families to whom Linden owes its origins and settlement However Mr Charles Christensen made an impact not only through his photographs which were able to capture the essence of Linden but also from his company which changed the face of Linden by furnishing the building materials for the construction of the Community Methodist Church the Linden Grammar School the newer Linden High School the walnut plant A family portrait of Charles Elsie and

son Robert Christensen taken in and many homes in Linden This is not a comprehensive November 1926 view of Linden for unknown reasons Charles Christensen did not photograph various other buildings such as the Linden mill the Catholic Church the blacksmith shop or the repair garage on the south side of Main Street Bob left Linden in 1938 and his parents moved to Stockton in 1940

IF T Gilbert History oSan Joaquin County California (Oakland Thompson amp West 1879) p 110 Gladys Boynton comp Early Days in Linden San Joaquin Historian 3 No2 (1967) l

Spring 1997 San Joaquin HIstorian Page 1

the mens privy

Lindens Main Street in the early 1920s Most of the buildings in town were located on the north side of the street Bob Christensen recalls a well in the middle of Main Street which was eventually paved over The buildings from the left include the two-story brick building (see below) a restaurant George Di Carlos barbershop Ralph M Footes hardware store the butcher shop a vacant lot where a building had burned down George Di Carlos two-story Linden Hotel which featured a pool hall and bar and Bill Doscher Srs garage

Courtesy ofBank orStockton Photograph CollectIOn Ii

0

The Odd Fellows the Masonic Lodge the Rebeccas and the Linden Chapter Eastern Star No 372 held their meetings in the Town Hall located upstairs in this red brick building The wooden addition upstairs on the left was

The upstairs hall is fondly remembered for its leaky roof during rainy weather for the dances held there and for the childrens Christmas parties Downstairs on the right the Linden Cash Store was owned by Hugh H Lemaster in 1933 The Post Office was located downstairs to the left with Myrtle M Seymour acting as postmistress in 1931 The building which can be seen behind both the Linden Cash Store and the parked 1931 Dodge was at one time a warehouse but in the 20s and 30s a portion of it was used for basketball games

Spring 1997 San Joaquin Historian Page 2

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II ~ ~II Street scene of Linden from the left the Community Methodist Church built in 1921 the Mission Hall built in II il~ 1909 and the Linden Lumber Company owned by Bobs father Mission Hall was the site of many town activities Ii il~ the meetings of the Ladies Aid Society (as well as their delicious chicken pie dinners) the Linden Garden Club II and the Farm Bureau Bob recalls children being allowed at Farm Bureau meetings where they squirmed and ltgt

II giggled in their seats waiting for the glazed donuts served afterwards Also Mission Hall was the site of movies ~ ll high school plays and the Linden Grammar School graduation The small building under the trees to the right of ~ II Mission Hall was the first office of the lumberyard which was dragged on skids to its present location from the II I~ west side of Mission Hall in 1920

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II f ~ r ~ f ~ r ~ f ~ jl~ Bob and his mother Elsie Reames Christensen in front of their home built by his father in 1923 The home il ii featured an ice box a range that used either wood or coal for cooking and a wooden Maytag washing machine il ~ which had to be filled and emptied by hand Their neighbors were Bill Fanning the Constable and Miss Exa g~ii Prather the local seamstress who occasionally baby-sat young Bob They are proudly standing in front of their ~ ~ new dark blue 1925 Buick Master two-door sedan their first car with roll up windows and four-wheel brakes lil Elsie Christensen attempted to drive only once While in the lumber yard she successfully started a Model T Ford )IJII pickup after a few attempts drove about one hundred feet turned the steering wheel in the wrong direction and jl~ crashed into a lumber pile She got out of the car walked home and never discussed driving again il W ~ W ~ W ~ ji ~

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Ik ~ l ~ II I r ~ ~~ A view of a newly-planted peach orchard from the James Albert Drace home in 1922 The Christensens rented this 1 ~ home when they first arrived in Linden in 1920 Linden is in the background j II IIii Constructed from building materials provided by Bobs father Linden Grammar School featured three classrooms ij i and a small room in between In the late 20s and early 30s Alton Scott was both a teacher and principal and the II I two other teachers were Margaret Miller and Katherine Wilson It was here that Bob learned to play trombone ii while attending school from 1923 until 1931 (Because he was too small to reach the sixth and seventh positions on ij ii the slide he overcame this difficulty by using his feet on each side ofthe slide and leaning back) The flowers were Iir lovingly cared for by the custodian Andy Bonham a brother-in-law of neighbor Exa Prather In front of the school ilii was a wire fence where Mr Bonham grew sweet peas which the children took home to their mothers During il j Halloween Linden schoolchildren protected the school from vandalism because of affection and respect for Mr II I Bonham When this school was built the original grammar school was converted into the first high school r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r ~

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In front of the Christensen home ca 1924 Bob mugs with his boyhood friend Frank Kuga (right) who lived on the Morrill Ranch outside of Linden Frank was a young Japanese American who

eventually was interred in World War II Japanese detention camps He later served in the Army of Occupation in Germany At the Linden Lumber Company Bobs father made Juros--crafted wooden tubs for the Japanese Americans who lived in the Linden area

Bobs sixth birthday party February 28 1922 with the birthday boy wearing his dreaded rompers complete with a trap door in the pants seat Friends include from the left Jean the daughter of the Postmaster Fred Strong Jack the son of garage owner Bill Doscher Sr Doyle the son of Rev William R Haselden and Maqorie the daughter of farner Edgar Lynch

The first second and third grade classes at Linden Grammar School in 1923 Back row from the left Helen Brewer Rita DeMartini Anabel Dunton Elsie Olsen Mabel Piacentine Carl Osterman Clara Pimentel Joe Fontes unknown Edwin Peterson Middle row Annie Costa Marie DeMartini unknown Lilith Fontaine Ellen Foote Marie Pimentel Lucy Brewer Wilma Risden Doris Dmnsfield Violet Piacentine Olga Fontaine Nadine Miller Front row Bob Christensen unknown Charles Drace Jack Doscher Russell (last name unknown) Tony Luchetti Fred Compiano Danny (last name unknown) Willie Debenedetti

Spring 1997 San Joaquin Historian Page 5

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II ~ ~II The Linden Lumber Company ca 1933 From the left the planing mill Charley Jordans home (in background) II ~ and the large storage building known as the red bam used for trucks supplies such as sheet rock plywood II ~ windows and doors and more expensive pieces of clear finished lumber and moldings There was also a small II if building for storing cedar used for lining closets Note the coal in the bottom left foreground In the summer gt

~ Charles put his son Bob to work filling 100 lb sacks for coal-buying customers The truck is a 1931 Autocar and 11 II the car is a 1933 Oldsmobile II II ~ ~

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For the Lumber Company wood was transported from a variety of sources--Douglas fir from Cottage Grove Oregon spruce from Washington redwood from northern California cedar from Port Orford Washington and redwood split posts from Weott California This was the first storage shed built in the lumber company

Spring 1997 San Joaquin Historian Page 6

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This lumber which rests on a 1931 Autocar was part of a shipment received at the Port of Stockton on the Daisy Gray the first ship to open the deep-water channel in February 2 1933 Lumber Company mill operator Louis Scheffel is standing beside the truck

The railroad reached Linden by 1910 with tracks running behind the lumberyard and a spur track running into it The small building in the center was the lumber companys first office built in 1920

Spring 1997 San Joaquin Historian Page 7

The construction of the new office at the Linden Lumber Company 1936 Because the building was to be constructed so close to the side of the Mission Hall special laminated 2x 4 2x6 and 2x8 redwood which was more fire resistant than Douglas fir was used in the construction

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Spring 1997 San Joaquin Historian PageS

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The newly completed Linden Lumber Company office 1936 The building is presently used as a laundromat Charles P Christensen received considerable publicity for his Art Deco design in trade magazines of the day

Linden Lumber Company owner Charles P Christensen in 1936 sitting in his new office paneled with clear redwood He had three permanent employees--yard foreman Clifford McAfee mill operator Louis Scheffel and truck driver Monroe Woody Wood--and occasionally hired temporary help When his health declined by 1938 the business was sold to Diamond Match Company which today is known as Diamond National Self-trained creative hard-working soft-spoken and proper Charles Christensen

~ wore a suit with a stiff collar every day to work He was a man who inspired respect in his family neighbors and friends In his sons autograph book he wrote if you can

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do better than the other fellow you will be a success my son

Spring 1997 San Joaquin Hisanon Page 9

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Bob sits in his fathers 1921 Autocar truck whose top speed was approximately fifteen miles per hour ca 1927 Cranked by hand this truck featured right-hand drive similar to a British automobile a two-cylinder motor under the seat hard rubber tires in the rear and headlights not powered by electricity but by small gas tanks

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Football in fall 1934 This football field across from Bill Doschers garage the Community Methodist Church and the Mission Hall was used for one year Players wore hand-me-down uniforms from the College of the Pacific when Amos Alonzo Stagg was coach Teacher and football coach Harold Cunningham who may have played under Stagg acquired these high school uniforms from COP Bob Christensen was quarterback

In 1935 the players receiving Block Ls were Francis Brown (HB) Louis Cademartori (C) George Gill (LT) Elton Watkins (RG) Bill Meyers (RT) Ross Purviance (LG) Eddie Newcomb (FB) Howard Lewis (RE) Jack Doscher (LE) Jim Pemberton (C) Alvin Soper (FB) Lester Young (RT) Joc Machado (HB) Bob Christensen (QB) and Harold Wright (HB)

Spring 1997 San Joaquin HistOrian Page 11

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Personal History ~

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Born in 1917 in Ashland Oregon Robert Reames ~

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Christensen was the son of Charles P and Elsie (Reames) ~

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Christensen The family of three had moved to Manteca California ~

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in 1917 and to the sleepy little hamlet of Linden in 1920 It was ~

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there that Bob attended both Linden Grammar School and Linden ~

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High School graduating in 1935 He then attended College of the ~

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Pacific During World War II he was a civilian flight instructor in ~

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Carson City Nevada and at Thunderbird Field in Phoenix Arizona ~

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where he taught flying to both American and Chinese cadets After ~

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II the war he served as manager of Pathfinder Flying Service in II

~ parents of two children--Charles and Catherine--and grandparents Iii ii of Kyler Drake and Joseph Christensen ~

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Modesto and for a while as manager of the Modesto City Airport ~

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In 1945 in Stockton he married Frances Yearnshaw and they are ~

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II iI~ In 1950 he started the Christensen Fire Equipment Company in Modesto which he fij II~ owned until 1964 Bob then worked in Oakland California acting as an independent contractor in

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l~ the fire equipment and safety field The family returned to Stockton in 1976 and Bob retired in )J i the early 1980s He is a member of the Linden Masonic Lodge (50+ years) the Haggin Museum II 1~lt the San Joaquin County Historical Society and the Oregon Genealogical Society iI

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Iir Eighteen year old Bob and a family pet in front of the garage of the Christensen home with his sleek black 1935 II~ Chevrolet two-door coupe To customize his car Bob had installed trumpet horns a street car bell fog lights a Il spot light fancy wheels and an exhaust cut out The car also featured suicide doors ones which opened from the JI ii front Bob worked an entire summer for his father at the lumber company and this car was his payment to use as il it transportation to the College of the Pacific Note the COP banner in the front windshield Ii r 1 r Ii II ~ ~

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The San Joaquin Historian Volwne XI New Series Nwnber 1 Spring 1997

A Quarterly Journal Published by

The San Joaquin County Historical Society Inc

Director Michael W Bennett Editor Christopher H Engh

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

President Craig Rasmussen President-Elect Helen Trethewey Secretary Elise Austin Forbes Finance Robert F McMaster Publications Christopher H Engh Past President Gary E Christopherson

The Society a non-profit corporation meets the fourth Monday monthly except July August and December Membership includes subscriptions to the San Joaquin Historian and the monthly newsletter News and Notes Additional copies may be purchased at the Museum

The Society operates the San Joaquin County Historical Museum at Micke Grove Regional Park in partnershyship with San Joaquin County The Society maintains an office at the Museum

Manuscripts relating to the history of San Joaquin County or the Delta will always be considered The editor reserves the right to shorten material based on local interest and space considerations Inquiries should be made through the Museum office

SAN-JOAQUIN CmiddotQmiddotUmiddotNmiddotTmiddotY THE COVER PHOTOGRAPH

Lindens Main Street ca 1930 From the left Mrs Nylens restaurant Ralph Footes hardware store (with porch) Linden Meat Market and George Di Carlos two-story Linden Hotel Robert Christensens family photographs are featured in this issue

HISTORICAL SOCIETY amp

MUSEUM

Micke Grove Regional Park PO Box 30 Lodi CA 95241-0030 209331-2055209953-3460

copy 1997 San Joaquin Historical Society Inc

LINDEN

A FAMILY SCRAPBOOK FROM THE 20s AND 30s

Photographs Provided by Robert Christensen

Text by Peggy Vard Engh

In 1920 when he was three years old Robert Christensen became a citizen of Linden

~ California which is located approximately twelve miles east of Stockton That same year hisII father Charles founded the Linden Lumber Company which he operated until 1938 when poor ii health forced his retirement This scrapbook depicts life in Linden from Bobs memories and ii

I through the eyes of his father who enjoyed photography as a hobby II ii ij~ Originally known as Fifteen Mile House and later t~ called Foremans Ranch Linden was officially named inII

1862 by John Wasley a cousin of Dr William Dii ~~ Treblecock who had built the stage station known as the

Fifteen Mile House Wasley had named the settlementii i~ presumably after Linden Ohio a town where he once ~ lived I Linden is usually defined by its agricultural riches

and diversity but this portrait of Linden will focus solely on the town Bob Christensens family was not one of the pioneer families who settled in Linden beginning in the 1850s families to whom Linden owes its origins and settlement However Mr Charles Christensen made an impact not only through his photographs which were able to capture the essence of Linden but also from his company which changed the face of Linden by furnishing the building materials for the construction of the Community Methodist Church the Linden Grammar School the newer Linden High School the walnut plant A family portrait of Charles Elsie and

son Robert Christensen taken in and many homes in Linden This is not a comprehensive November 1926 view of Linden for unknown reasons Charles Christensen did not photograph various other buildings such as the Linden mill the Catholic Church the blacksmith shop or the repair garage on the south side of Main Street Bob left Linden in 1938 and his parents moved to Stockton in 1940

IF T Gilbert History oSan Joaquin County California (Oakland Thompson amp West 1879) p 110 Gladys Boynton comp Early Days in Linden San Joaquin Historian 3 No2 (1967) l

Spring 1997 San Joaquin HIstorian Page 1

the mens privy

Lindens Main Street in the early 1920s Most of the buildings in town were located on the north side of the street Bob Christensen recalls a well in the middle of Main Street which was eventually paved over The buildings from the left include the two-story brick building (see below) a restaurant George Di Carlos barbershop Ralph M Footes hardware store the butcher shop a vacant lot where a building had burned down George Di Carlos two-story Linden Hotel which featured a pool hall and bar and Bill Doscher Srs garage

Courtesy ofBank orStockton Photograph CollectIOn Ii

0

The Odd Fellows the Masonic Lodge the Rebeccas and the Linden Chapter Eastern Star No 372 held their meetings in the Town Hall located upstairs in this red brick building The wooden addition upstairs on the left was

The upstairs hall is fondly remembered for its leaky roof during rainy weather for the dances held there and for the childrens Christmas parties Downstairs on the right the Linden Cash Store was owned by Hugh H Lemaster in 1933 The Post Office was located downstairs to the left with Myrtle M Seymour acting as postmistress in 1931 The building which can be seen behind both the Linden Cash Store and the parked 1931 Dodge was at one time a warehouse but in the 20s and 30s a portion of it was used for basketball games

Spring 1997 San Joaquin Historian Page 2

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II ~ ~II Street scene of Linden from the left the Community Methodist Church built in 1921 the Mission Hall built in II il~ 1909 and the Linden Lumber Company owned by Bobs father Mission Hall was the site of many town activities Ii il~ the meetings of the Ladies Aid Society (as well as their delicious chicken pie dinners) the Linden Garden Club II and the Farm Bureau Bob recalls children being allowed at Farm Bureau meetings where they squirmed and ltgt

II giggled in their seats waiting for the glazed donuts served afterwards Also Mission Hall was the site of movies ~ ll high school plays and the Linden Grammar School graduation The small building under the trees to the right of ~ II Mission Hall was the first office of the lumberyard which was dragged on skids to its present location from the II I~ west side of Mission Hall in 1920

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II f ~ r ~ f ~ r ~ f ~ jl~ Bob and his mother Elsie Reames Christensen in front of their home built by his father in 1923 The home il ii featured an ice box a range that used either wood or coal for cooking and a wooden Maytag washing machine il ~ which had to be filled and emptied by hand Their neighbors were Bill Fanning the Constable and Miss Exa g~ii Prather the local seamstress who occasionally baby-sat young Bob They are proudly standing in front of their ~ ~ new dark blue 1925 Buick Master two-door sedan their first car with roll up windows and four-wheel brakes lil Elsie Christensen attempted to drive only once While in the lumber yard she successfully started a Model T Ford )IJII pickup after a few attempts drove about one hundred feet turned the steering wheel in the wrong direction and jl~ crashed into a lumber pile She got out of the car walked home and never discussed driving again il W ~ W ~ W ~ ji ~

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Ik ~ l ~ II I r ~ ~~ A view of a newly-planted peach orchard from the James Albert Drace home in 1922 The Christensens rented this 1 ~ home when they first arrived in Linden in 1920 Linden is in the background j II IIii Constructed from building materials provided by Bobs father Linden Grammar School featured three classrooms ij i and a small room in between In the late 20s and early 30s Alton Scott was both a teacher and principal and the II I two other teachers were Margaret Miller and Katherine Wilson It was here that Bob learned to play trombone ii while attending school from 1923 until 1931 (Because he was too small to reach the sixth and seventh positions on ij ii the slide he overcame this difficulty by using his feet on each side ofthe slide and leaning back) The flowers were Iir lovingly cared for by the custodian Andy Bonham a brother-in-law of neighbor Exa Prather In front of the school ilii was a wire fence where Mr Bonham grew sweet peas which the children took home to their mothers During il j Halloween Linden schoolchildren protected the school from vandalism because of affection and respect for Mr II I Bonham When this school was built the original grammar school was converted into the first high school r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r ~

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In front of the Christensen home ca 1924 Bob mugs with his boyhood friend Frank Kuga (right) who lived on the Morrill Ranch outside of Linden Frank was a young Japanese American who

eventually was interred in World War II Japanese detention camps He later served in the Army of Occupation in Germany At the Linden Lumber Company Bobs father made Juros--crafted wooden tubs for the Japanese Americans who lived in the Linden area

Bobs sixth birthday party February 28 1922 with the birthday boy wearing his dreaded rompers complete with a trap door in the pants seat Friends include from the left Jean the daughter of the Postmaster Fred Strong Jack the son of garage owner Bill Doscher Sr Doyle the son of Rev William R Haselden and Maqorie the daughter of farner Edgar Lynch

The first second and third grade classes at Linden Grammar School in 1923 Back row from the left Helen Brewer Rita DeMartini Anabel Dunton Elsie Olsen Mabel Piacentine Carl Osterman Clara Pimentel Joe Fontes unknown Edwin Peterson Middle row Annie Costa Marie DeMartini unknown Lilith Fontaine Ellen Foote Marie Pimentel Lucy Brewer Wilma Risden Doris Dmnsfield Violet Piacentine Olga Fontaine Nadine Miller Front row Bob Christensen unknown Charles Drace Jack Doscher Russell (last name unknown) Tony Luchetti Fred Compiano Danny (last name unknown) Willie Debenedetti

Spring 1997 San Joaquin Historian Page 5

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II ~ ~II The Linden Lumber Company ca 1933 From the left the planing mill Charley Jordans home (in background) II ~ and the large storage building known as the red bam used for trucks supplies such as sheet rock plywood II ~ windows and doors and more expensive pieces of clear finished lumber and moldings There was also a small II if building for storing cedar used for lining closets Note the coal in the bottom left foreground In the summer gt

~ Charles put his son Bob to work filling 100 lb sacks for coal-buying customers The truck is a 1931 Autocar and 11 II the car is a 1933 Oldsmobile II II ~ ~

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For the Lumber Company wood was transported from a variety of sources--Douglas fir from Cottage Grove Oregon spruce from Washington redwood from northern California cedar from Port Orford Washington and redwood split posts from Weott California This was the first storage shed built in the lumber company

Spring 1997 San Joaquin Historian Page 6

I

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This lumber which rests on a 1931 Autocar was part of a shipment received at the Port of Stockton on the Daisy Gray the first ship to open the deep-water channel in February 2 1933 Lumber Company mill operator Louis Scheffel is standing beside the truck

The railroad reached Linden by 1910 with tracks running behind the lumberyard and a spur track running into it The small building in the center was the lumber companys first office built in 1920

Spring 1997 San Joaquin Historian Page 7

The construction of the new office at the Linden Lumber Company 1936 Because the building was to be constructed so close to the side of the Mission Hall special laminated 2x 4 2x6 and 2x8 redwood which was more fire resistant than Douglas fir was used in the construction

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Spring 1997 San Joaquin Historian PageS

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The newly completed Linden Lumber Company office 1936 The building is presently used as a laundromat Charles P Christensen received considerable publicity for his Art Deco design in trade magazines of the day

Linden Lumber Company owner Charles P Christensen in 1936 sitting in his new office paneled with clear redwood He had three permanent employees--yard foreman Clifford McAfee mill operator Louis Scheffel and truck driver Monroe Woody Wood--and occasionally hired temporary help When his health declined by 1938 the business was sold to Diamond Match Company which today is known as Diamond National Self-trained creative hard-working soft-spoken and proper Charles Christensen

~ wore a suit with a stiff collar every day to work He was a man who inspired respect in his family neighbors and friends In his sons autograph book he wrote if you can

~

do better than the other fellow you will be a success my son

Spring 1997 San Joaquin Hisanon Page 9

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II W ~ ~ ~ W ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ii The first Christmas in the front office of the Linden Lumber Company Bobs mother Elsie decorated the tree II W ~ ~ ~ W ~ ~ ~ W ~ ~ ~ W ~ ~ ~ W ~ middot ~

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Bob sits in his fathers 1921 Autocar truck whose top speed was approximately fifteen miles per hour ca 1927 Cranked by hand this truck featured right-hand drive similar to a British automobile a two-cylinder motor under the seat hard rubber tires in the rear and headlights not powered by electricity but by small gas tanks

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W ~ W ~ Wii Spring 1997 San Joaquin Historian Page 10

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Football in fall 1934 This football field across from Bill Doschers garage the Community Methodist Church and the Mission Hall was used for one year Players wore hand-me-down uniforms from the College of the Pacific when Amos Alonzo Stagg was coach Teacher and football coach Harold Cunningham who may have played under Stagg acquired these high school uniforms from COP Bob Christensen was quarterback

In 1935 the players receiving Block Ls were Francis Brown (HB) Louis Cademartori (C) George Gill (LT) Elton Watkins (RG) Bill Meyers (RT) Ross Purviance (LG) Eddie Newcomb (FB) Howard Lewis (RE) Jack Doscher (LE) Jim Pemberton (C) Alvin Soper (FB) Lester Young (RT) Joc Machado (HB) Bob Christensen (QB) and Harold Wright (HB)

Spring 1997 San Joaquin HistOrian Page 11

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II II ~ ~

II II ~

Personal History ~

II II ~ ~

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Born in 1917 in Ashland Oregon Robert Reames ~

II II ~

Christensen was the son of Charles P and Elsie (Reames) ~

II Ii ~

Christensen The family of three had moved to Manteca California ~

II Ii ~

in 1917 and to the sleepy little hamlet of Linden in 1920 It was ~

II II ~

there that Bob attended both Linden Grammar School and Linden ~

II ii ~

High School graduating in 1935 He then attended College of the ~

II II ~

Pacific During World War II he was a civilian flight instructor in ~

II II ~

Carson City Nevada and at Thunderbird Field in Phoenix Arizona ~

II II~

where he taught flying to both American and Chinese cadets After ~

II 4P ~

II the war he served as manager of Pathfinder Flying Service in II

~ parents of two children--Charles and Catherine--and grandparents Iii ii of Kyler Drake and Joseph Christensen ~

II~

Modesto and for a while as manager of the Modesto City Airport ~

II II ~

In 1945 in Stockton he married Frances Yearnshaw and they are ~

II

II ~ ~

II iI~ In 1950 he started the Christensen Fire Equipment Company in Modesto which he fij II~ owned until 1964 Bob then worked in Oakland California acting as an independent contractor in

~II 4 ~

l~ the fire equipment and safety field The family returned to Stockton in 1976 and Bob retired in )J i the early 1980s He is a member of the Linden Masonic Lodge (50+ years) the Haggin Museum II 1~lt the San Joaquin County Historical Society and the Oregon Genealogical Society iI

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Iir Eighteen year old Bob and a family pet in front of the garage of the Christensen home with his sleek black 1935 II~ Chevrolet two-door coupe To customize his car Bob had installed trumpet horns a street car bell fog lights a Il spot light fancy wheels and an exhaust cut out The car also featured suicide doors ones which opened from the JI ii front Bob worked an entire summer for his father at the lumber company and this car was his payment to use as il it transportation to the College of the Pacific Note the COP banner in the front windshield Ii r 1 r Ii II ~ ~

II ~ ~II Spring 1997 San Joaquin Historian Page 13 II ~ ~ ~o~-=---JJ-~-lt-~-~-C-~=-~---==-=-o=-=-lt-=-=-__o_~_=-o==_ =-~=-I=-=-~-JJ

LINDEN

A FAMILY SCRAPBOOK FROM THE 20s AND 30s

Photographs Provided by Robert Christensen

Text by Peggy Vard Engh

In 1920 when he was three years old Robert Christensen became a citizen of Linden

~ California which is located approximately twelve miles east of Stockton That same year hisII father Charles founded the Linden Lumber Company which he operated until 1938 when poor ii health forced his retirement This scrapbook depicts life in Linden from Bobs memories and ii

I through the eyes of his father who enjoyed photography as a hobby II ii ij~ Originally known as Fifteen Mile House and later t~ called Foremans Ranch Linden was officially named inII

1862 by John Wasley a cousin of Dr William Dii ~~ Treblecock who had built the stage station known as the

Fifteen Mile House Wasley had named the settlementii i~ presumably after Linden Ohio a town where he once ~ lived I Linden is usually defined by its agricultural riches

and diversity but this portrait of Linden will focus solely on the town Bob Christensens family was not one of the pioneer families who settled in Linden beginning in the 1850s families to whom Linden owes its origins and settlement However Mr Charles Christensen made an impact not only through his photographs which were able to capture the essence of Linden but also from his company which changed the face of Linden by furnishing the building materials for the construction of the Community Methodist Church the Linden Grammar School the newer Linden High School the walnut plant A family portrait of Charles Elsie and

son Robert Christensen taken in and many homes in Linden This is not a comprehensive November 1926 view of Linden for unknown reasons Charles Christensen did not photograph various other buildings such as the Linden mill the Catholic Church the blacksmith shop or the repair garage on the south side of Main Street Bob left Linden in 1938 and his parents moved to Stockton in 1940

IF T Gilbert History oSan Joaquin County California (Oakland Thompson amp West 1879) p 110 Gladys Boynton comp Early Days in Linden San Joaquin Historian 3 No2 (1967) l

Spring 1997 San Joaquin HIstorian Page 1

the mens privy

Lindens Main Street in the early 1920s Most of the buildings in town were located on the north side of the street Bob Christensen recalls a well in the middle of Main Street which was eventually paved over The buildings from the left include the two-story brick building (see below) a restaurant George Di Carlos barbershop Ralph M Footes hardware store the butcher shop a vacant lot where a building had burned down George Di Carlos two-story Linden Hotel which featured a pool hall and bar and Bill Doscher Srs garage

Courtesy ofBank orStockton Photograph CollectIOn Ii

0

The Odd Fellows the Masonic Lodge the Rebeccas and the Linden Chapter Eastern Star No 372 held their meetings in the Town Hall located upstairs in this red brick building The wooden addition upstairs on the left was

The upstairs hall is fondly remembered for its leaky roof during rainy weather for the dances held there and for the childrens Christmas parties Downstairs on the right the Linden Cash Store was owned by Hugh H Lemaster in 1933 The Post Office was located downstairs to the left with Myrtle M Seymour acting as postmistress in 1931 The building which can be seen behind both the Linden Cash Store and the parked 1931 Dodge was at one time a warehouse but in the 20s and 30s a portion of it was used for basketball games

Spring 1997 San Joaquin Historian Page 2

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II ~ ~II Street scene of Linden from the left the Community Methodist Church built in 1921 the Mission Hall built in II il~ 1909 and the Linden Lumber Company owned by Bobs father Mission Hall was the site of many town activities Ii il~ the meetings of the Ladies Aid Society (as well as their delicious chicken pie dinners) the Linden Garden Club II and the Farm Bureau Bob recalls children being allowed at Farm Bureau meetings where they squirmed and ltgt

II giggled in their seats waiting for the glazed donuts served afterwards Also Mission Hall was the site of movies ~ ll high school plays and the Linden Grammar School graduation The small building under the trees to the right of ~ II Mission Hall was the first office of the lumberyard which was dragged on skids to its present location from the II I~ west side of Mission Hall in 1920

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II f ~ r ~ f ~ r ~ f ~ jl~ Bob and his mother Elsie Reames Christensen in front of their home built by his father in 1923 The home il ii featured an ice box a range that used either wood or coal for cooking and a wooden Maytag washing machine il ~ which had to be filled and emptied by hand Their neighbors were Bill Fanning the Constable and Miss Exa g~ii Prather the local seamstress who occasionally baby-sat young Bob They are proudly standing in front of their ~ ~ new dark blue 1925 Buick Master two-door sedan their first car with roll up windows and four-wheel brakes lil Elsie Christensen attempted to drive only once While in the lumber yard she successfully started a Model T Ford )IJII pickup after a few attempts drove about one hundred feet turned the steering wheel in the wrong direction and jl~ crashed into a lumber pile She got out of the car walked home and never discussed driving again il W ~ W ~ W ~ ji ~

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Ik ~ l ~ II I r ~ ~~ A view of a newly-planted peach orchard from the James Albert Drace home in 1922 The Christensens rented this 1 ~ home when they first arrived in Linden in 1920 Linden is in the background j II IIii Constructed from building materials provided by Bobs father Linden Grammar School featured three classrooms ij i and a small room in between In the late 20s and early 30s Alton Scott was both a teacher and principal and the II I two other teachers were Margaret Miller and Katherine Wilson It was here that Bob learned to play trombone ii while attending school from 1923 until 1931 (Because he was too small to reach the sixth and seventh positions on ij ii the slide he overcame this difficulty by using his feet on each side ofthe slide and leaning back) The flowers were Iir lovingly cared for by the custodian Andy Bonham a brother-in-law of neighbor Exa Prather In front of the school ilii was a wire fence where Mr Bonham grew sweet peas which the children took home to their mothers During il j Halloween Linden schoolchildren protected the school from vandalism because of affection and respect for Mr II I Bonham When this school was built the original grammar school was converted into the first high school r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r ~

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In front of the Christensen home ca 1924 Bob mugs with his boyhood friend Frank Kuga (right) who lived on the Morrill Ranch outside of Linden Frank was a young Japanese American who

eventually was interred in World War II Japanese detention camps He later served in the Army of Occupation in Germany At the Linden Lumber Company Bobs father made Juros--crafted wooden tubs for the Japanese Americans who lived in the Linden area

Bobs sixth birthday party February 28 1922 with the birthday boy wearing his dreaded rompers complete with a trap door in the pants seat Friends include from the left Jean the daughter of the Postmaster Fred Strong Jack the son of garage owner Bill Doscher Sr Doyle the son of Rev William R Haselden and Maqorie the daughter of farner Edgar Lynch

The first second and third grade classes at Linden Grammar School in 1923 Back row from the left Helen Brewer Rita DeMartini Anabel Dunton Elsie Olsen Mabel Piacentine Carl Osterman Clara Pimentel Joe Fontes unknown Edwin Peterson Middle row Annie Costa Marie DeMartini unknown Lilith Fontaine Ellen Foote Marie Pimentel Lucy Brewer Wilma Risden Doris Dmnsfield Violet Piacentine Olga Fontaine Nadine Miller Front row Bob Christensen unknown Charles Drace Jack Doscher Russell (last name unknown) Tony Luchetti Fred Compiano Danny (last name unknown) Willie Debenedetti

Spring 1997 San Joaquin Historian Page 5

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II ~ ~II The Linden Lumber Company ca 1933 From the left the planing mill Charley Jordans home (in background) II ~ and the large storage building known as the red bam used for trucks supplies such as sheet rock plywood II ~ windows and doors and more expensive pieces of clear finished lumber and moldings There was also a small II if building for storing cedar used for lining closets Note the coal in the bottom left foreground In the summer gt

~ Charles put his son Bob to work filling 100 lb sacks for coal-buying customers The truck is a 1931 Autocar and 11 II the car is a 1933 Oldsmobile II II ~ ~

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For the Lumber Company wood was transported from a variety of sources--Douglas fir from Cottage Grove Oregon spruce from Washington redwood from northern California cedar from Port Orford Washington and redwood split posts from Weott California This was the first storage shed built in the lumber company

Spring 1997 San Joaquin Historian Page 6

I

ri Ii

This lumber which rests on a 1931 Autocar was part of a shipment received at the Port of Stockton on the Daisy Gray the first ship to open the deep-water channel in February 2 1933 Lumber Company mill operator Louis Scheffel is standing beside the truck

The railroad reached Linden by 1910 with tracks running behind the lumberyard and a spur track running into it The small building in the center was the lumber companys first office built in 1920

Spring 1997 San Joaquin Historian Page 7

The construction of the new office at the Linden Lumber Company 1936 Because the building was to be constructed so close to the side of the Mission Hall special laminated 2x 4 2x6 and 2x8 redwood which was more fire resistant than Douglas fir was used in the construction

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Spring 1997 San Joaquin Historian PageS

~~ I

I

~

The newly completed Linden Lumber Company office 1936 The building is presently used as a laundromat Charles P Christensen received considerable publicity for his Art Deco design in trade magazines of the day

Linden Lumber Company owner Charles P Christensen in 1936 sitting in his new office paneled with clear redwood He had three permanent employees--yard foreman Clifford McAfee mill operator Louis Scheffel and truck driver Monroe Woody Wood--and occasionally hired temporary help When his health declined by 1938 the business was sold to Diamond Match Company which today is known as Diamond National Self-trained creative hard-working soft-spoken and proper Charles Christensen

~ wore a suit with a stiff collar every day to work He was a man who inspired respect in his family neighbors and friends In his sons autograph book he wrote if you can

~

do better than the other fellow you will be a success my son

Spring 1997 San Joaquin Hisanon Page 9

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II W ~ ~ ~ W ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ii The first Christmas in the front office of the Linden Lumber Company Bobs mother Elsie decorated the tree II W ~ ~ ~ W ~ ~ ~ W ~ ~ ~ W ~ ~ ~ W ~ middot ~

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Bob sits in his fathers 1921 Autocar truck whose top speed was approximately fifteen miles per hour ca 1927 Cranked by hand this truck featured right-hand drive similar to a British automobile a two-cylinder motor under the seat hard rubber tires in the rear and headlights not powered by electricity but by small gas tanks

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W ~ W ~ Wii Spring 1997 San Joaquin Historian Page 10

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Football in fall 1934 This football field across from Bill Doschers garage the Community Methodist Church and the Mission Hall was used for one year Players wore hand-me-down uniforms from the College of the Pacific when Amos Alonzo Stagg was coach Teacher and football coach Harold Cunningham who may have played under Stagg acquired these high school uniforms from COP Bob Christensen was quarterback

In 1935 the players receiving Block Ls were Francis Brown (HB) Louis Cademartori (C) George Gill (LT) Elton Watkins (RG) Bill Meyers (RT) Ross Purviance (LG) Eddie Newcomb (FB) Howard Lewis (RE) Jack Doscher (LE) Jim Pemberton (C) Alvin Soper (FB) Lester Young (RT) Joc Machado (HB) Bob Christensen (QB) and Harold Wright (HB)

Spring 1997 San Joaquin HistOrian Page 11

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r ~ II ~ ~

II II ~ ~

II II ~

Personal History ~

II II ~ ~

II II ~

Born in 1917 in Ashland Oregon Robert Reames ~

II II ~

Christensen was the son of Charles P and Elsie (Reames) ~

II Ii ~

Christensen The family of three had moved to Manteca California ~

II Ii ~

in 1917 and to the sleepy little hamlet of Linden in 1920 It was ~

II II ~

there that Bob attended both Linden Grammar School and Linden ~

II ii ~

High School graduating in 1935 He then attended College of the ~

II II ~

Pacific During World War II he was a civilian flight instructor in ~

II II ~

Carson City Nevada and at Thunderbird Field in Phoenix Arizona ~

II II~

where he taught flying to both American and Chinese cadets After ~

II 4P ~

II the war he served as manager of Pathfinder Flying Service in II

~ parents of two children--Charles and Catherine--and grandparents Iii ii of Kyler Drake and Joseph Christensen ~

II~

Modesto and for a while as manager of the Modesto City Airport ~

II II ~

In 1945 in Stockton he married Frances Yearnshaw and they are ~

II

II ~ ~

II iI~ In 1950 he started the Christensen Fire Equipment Company in Modesto which he fij II~ owned until 1964 Bob then worked in Oakland California acting as an independent contractor in

~II 4 ~

l~ the fire equipment and safety field The family returned to Stockton in 1976 and Bob retired in )J i the early 1980s He is a member of the Linden Masonic Lodge (50+ years) the Haggin Museum II 1~lt the San Joaquin County Historical Society and the Oregon Genealogical Society iI

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Iir Eighteen year old Bob and a family pet in front of the garage of the Christensen home with his sleek black 1935 II~ Chevrolet two-door coupe To customize his car Bob had installed trumpet horns a street car bell fog lights a Il spot light fancy wheels and an exhaust cut out The car also featured suicide doors ones which opened from the JI ii front Bob worked an entire summer for his father at the lumber company and this car was his payment to use as il it transportation to the College of the Pacific Note the COP banner in the front windshield Ii r 1 r Ii II ~ ~

II ~ ~II Spring 1997 San Joaquin Historian Page 13 II ~ ~ ~o~-=---JJ-~-lt-~-~-C-~=-~---==-=-o=-=-lt-=-=-__o_~_=-o==_ =-~=-I=-=-~-JJ

the mens privy

Lindens Main Street in the early 1920s Most of the buildings in town were located on the north side of the street Bob Christensen recalls a well in the middle of Main Street which was eventually paved over The buildings from the left include the two-story brick building (see below) a restaurant George Di Carlos barbershop Ralph M Footes hardware store the butcher shop a vacant lot where a building had burned down George Di Carlos two-story Linden Hotel which featured a pool hall and bar and Bill Doscher Srs garage

Courtesy ofBank orStockton Photograph CollectIOn Ii

0

The Odd Fellows the Masonic Lodge the Rebeccas and the Linden Chapter Eastern Star No 372 held their meetings in the Town Hall located upstairs in this red brick building The wooden addition upstairs on the left was

The upstairs hall is fondly remembered for its leaky roof during rainy weather for the dances held there and for the childrens Christmas parties Downstairs on the right the Linden Cash Store was owned by Hugh H Lemaster in 1933 The Post Office was located downstairs to the left with Myrtle M Seymour acting as postmistress in 1931 The building which can be seen behind both the Linden Cash Store and the parked 1931 Dodge was at one time a warehouse but in the 20s and 30s a portion of it was used for basketball games

Spring 1997 San Joaquin Historian Page 2

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II II II ~ ~

II II ~ ~

II ~ ~II Street scene of Linden from the left the Community Methodist Church built in 1921 the Mission Hall built in II il~ 1909 and the Linden Lumber Company owned by Bobs father Mission Hall was the site of many town activities Ii il~ the meetings of the Ladies Aid Society (as well as their delicious chicken pie dinners) the Linden Garden Club II and the Farm Bureau Bob recalls children being allowed at Farm Bureau meetings where they squirmed and ltgt

II giggled in their seats waiting for the glazed donuts served afterwards Also Mission Hall was the site of movies ~ ll high school plays and the Linden Grammar School graduation The small building under the trees to the right of ~ II Mission Hall was the first office of the lumberyard which was dragged on skids to its present location from the II I~ west side of Mission Hall in 1920

~IIk bull II II ~ ~

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II ~ ~

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II f ~ r ~ f ~ r ~ f ~ jl~ Bob and his mother Elsie Reames Christensen in front of their home built by his father in 1923 The home il ii featured an ice box a range that used either wood or coal for cooking and a wooden Maytag washing machine il ~ which had to be filled and emptied by hand Their neighbors were Bill Fanning the Constable and Miss Exa g~ii Prather the local seamstress who occasionally baby-sat young Bob They are proudly standing in front of their ~ ~ new dark blue 1925 Buick Master two-door sedan their first car with roll up windows and four-wheel brakes lil Elsie Christensen attempted to drive only once While in the lumber yard she successfully started a Model T Ford )IJII pickup after a few attempts drove about one hundred feet turned the steering wheel in the wrong direction and jl~ crashed into a lumber pile She got out of the car walked home and never discussed driving again il W ~ W ~ W ~ ji ~

f ~ r ~ w ~ w ~ w ~ ji gild

f ~ r ~ f ~ W ~ f ~ r ~ f ~ W ~ W ~ W ~ W ~ il~ Spring 1997 San Joaquin Historian Page 3 gil 0 shy~-----o--o-o--o-o-o-o--o-g_---------=-----------oj]

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Ik ~ l ~ II I r ~ ~~ A view of a newly-planted peach orchard from the James Albert Drace home in 1922 The Christensens rented this 1 ~ home when they first arrived in Linden in 1920 Linden is in the background j II IIii Constructed from building materials provided by Bobs father Linden Grammar School featured three classrooms ij i and a small room in between In the late 20s and early 30s Alton Scott was both a teacher and principal and the II I two other teachers were Margaret Miller and Katherine Wilson It was here that Bob learned to play trombone ii while attending school from 1923 until 1931 (Because he was too small to reach the sixth and seventh positions on ij ii the slide he overcame this difficulty by using his feet on each side ofthe slide and leaning back) The flowers were Iir lovingly cared for by the custodian Andy Bonham a brother-in-law of neighbor Exa Prather In front of the school ilii was a wire fence where Mr Bonham grew sweet peas which the children took home to their mothers During il j Halloween Linden schoolchildren protected the school from vandalism because of affection and respect for Mr II I Bonham When this school was built the original grammar school was converted into the first high school r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r ~

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San Joaquin Historian Page 4 ~ )

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1

j

In front of the Christensen home ca 1924 Bob mugs with his boyhood friend Frank Kuga (right) who lived on the Morrill Ranch outside of Linden Frank was a young Japanese American who

eventually was interred in World War II Japanese detention camps He later served in the Army of Occupation in Germany At the Linden Lumber Company Bobs father made Juros--crafted wooden tubs for the Japanese Americans who lived in the Linden area

Bobs sixth birthday party February 28 1922 with the birthday boy wearing his dreaded rompers complete with a trap door in the pants seat Friends include from the left Jean the daughter of the Postmaster Fred Strong Jack the son of garage owner Bill Doscher Sr Doyle the son of Rev William R Haselden and Maqorie the daughter of farner Edgar Lynch

The first second and third grade classes at Linden Grammar School in 1923 Back row from the left Helen Brewer Rita DeMartini Anabel Dunton Elsie Olsen Mabel Piacentine Carl Osterman Clara Pimentel Joe Fontes unknown Edwin Peterson Middle row Annie Costa Marie DeMartini unknown Lilith Fontaine Ellen Foote Marie Pimentel Lucy Brewer Wilma Risden Doris Dmnsfield Violet Piacentine Olga Fontaine Nadine Miller Front row Bob Christensen unknown Charles Drace Jack Doscher Russell (last name unknown) Tony Luchetti Fred Compiano Danny (last name unknown) Willie Debenedetti

Spring 1997 San Joaquin Historian Page 5

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II II ~ ~

II ~ ~II The Linden Lumber Company ca 1933 From the left the planing mill Charley Jordans home (in background) II ~ and the large storage building known as the red bam used for trucks supplies such as sheet rock plywood II ~ windows and doors and more expensive pieces of clear finished lumber and moldings There was also a small II if building for storing cedar used for lining closets Note the coal in the bottom left foreground In the summer gt

~ Charles put his son Bob to work filling 100 lb sacks for coal-buying customers The truck is a 1931 Autocar and 11 II the car is a 1933 Oldsmobile II II ~ ~

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For the Lumber Company wood was transported from a variety of sources--Douglas fir from Cottage Grove Oregon spruce from Washington redwood from northern California cedar from Port Orford Washington and redwood split posts from Weott California This was the first storage shed built in the lumber company

Spring 1997 San Joaquin Historian Page 6

I

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This lumber which rests on a 1931 Autocar was part of a shipment received at the Port of Stockton on the Daisy Gray the first ship to open the deep-water channel in February 2 1933 Lumber Company mill operator Louis Scheffel is standing beside the truck

The railroad reached Linden by 1910 with tracks running behind the lumberyard and a spur track running into it The small building in the center was the lumber companys first office built in 1920

Spring 1997 San Joaquin Historian Page 7

The construction of the new office at the Linden Lumber Company 1936 Because the building was to be constructed so close to the side of the Mission Hall special laminated 2x 4 2x6 and 2x8 redwood which was more fire resistant than Douglas fir was used in the construction

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Spring 1997 San Joaquin Historian PageS

~~ I

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The newly completed Linden Lumber Company office 1936 The building is presently used as a laundromat Charles P Christensen received considerable publicity for his Art Deco design in trade magazines of the day

Linden Lumber Company owner Charles P Christensen in 1936 sitting in his new office paneled with clear redwood He had three permanent employees--yard foreman Clifford McAfee mill operator Louis Scheffel and truck driver Monroe Woody Wood--and occasionally hired temporary help When his health declined by 1938 the business was sold to Diamond Match Company which today is known as Diamond National Self-trained creative hard-working soft-spoken and proper Charles Christensen

~ wore a suit with a stiff collar every day to work He was a man who inspired respect in his family neighbors and friends In his sons autograph book he wrote if you can

~

do better than the other fellow you will be a success my son

Spring 1997 San Joaquin Hisanon Page 9

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Bob sits in his fathers 1921 Autocar truck whose top speed was approximately fifteen miles per hour ca 1927 Cranked by hand this truck featured right-hand drive similar to a British automobile a two-cylinder motor under the seat hard rubber tires in the rear and headlights not powered by electricity but by small gas tanks

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Football in fall 1934 This football field across from Bill Doschers garage the Community Methodist Church and the Mission Hall was used for one year Players wore hand-me-down uniforms from the College of the Pacific when Amos Alonzo Stagg was coach Teacher and football coach Harold Cunningham who may have played under Stagg acquired these high school uniforms from COP Bob Christensen was quarterback

In 1935 the players receiving Block Ls were Francis Brown (HB) Louis Cademartori (C) George Gill (LT) Elton Watkins (RG) Bill Meyers (RT) Ross Purviance (LG) Eddie Newcomb (FB) Howard Lewis (RE) Jack Doscher (LE) Jim Pemberton (C) Alvin Soper (FB) Lester Young (RT) Joc Machado (HB) Bob Christensen (QB) and Harold Wright (HB)

Spring 1997 San Joaquin HistOrian Page 11

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Personal History ~

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Born in 1917 in Ashland Oregon Robert Reames ~

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Christensen was the son of Charles P and Elsie (Reames) ~

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Christensen The family of three had moved to Manteca California ~

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in 1917 and to the sleepy little hamlet of Linden in 1920 It was ~

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there that Bob attended both Linden Grammar School and Linden ~

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High School graduating in 1935 He then attended College of the ~

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Pacific During World War II he was a civilian flight instructor in ~

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Carson City Nevada and at Thunderbird Field in Phoenix Arizona ~

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where he taught flying to both American and Chinese cadets After ~

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II the war he served as manager of Pathfinder Flying Service in II

~ parents of two children--Charles and Catherine--and grandparents Iii ii of Kyler Drake and Joseph Christensen ~

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Modesto and for a while as manager of the Modesto City Airport ~

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In 1945 in Stockton he married Frances Yearnshaw and they are ~

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l~ the fire equipment and safety field The family returned to Stockton in 1976 and Bob retired in )J i the early 1980s He is a member of the Linden Masonic Lodge (50+ years) the Haggin Museum II 1~lt the San Joaquin County Historical Society and the Oregon Genealogical Society iI

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Iir Eighteen year old Bob and a family pet in front of the garage of the Christensen home with his sleek black 1935 II~ Chevrolet two-door coupe To customize his car Bob had installed trumpet horns a street car bell fog lights a Il spot light fancy wheels and an exhaust cut out The car also featured suicide doors ones which opened from the JI ii front Bob worked an entire summer for his father at the lumber company and this car was his payment to use as il it transportation to the College of the Pacific Note the COP banner in the front windshield Ii r 1 r Ii II ~ ~

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II ~ ~II Street scene of Linden from the left the Community Methodist Church built in 1921 the Mission Hall built in II il~ 1909 and the Linden Lumber Company owned by Bobs father Mission Hall was the site of many town activities Ii il~ the meetings of the Ladies Aid Society (as well as their delicious chicken pie dinners) the Linden Garden Club II and the Farm Bureau Bob recalls children being allowed at Farm Bureau meetings where they squirmed and ltgt

II giggled in their seats waiting for the glazed donuts served afterwards Also Mission Hall was the site of movies ~ ll high school plays and the Linden Grammar School graduation The small building under the trees to the right of ~ II Mission Hall was the first office of the lumberyard which was dragged on skids to its present location from the II I~ west side of Mission Hall in 1920

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II f ~ r ~ f ~ r ~ f ~ jl~ Bob and his mother Elsie Reames Christensen in front of their home built by his father in 1923 The home il ii featured an ice box a range that used either wood or coal for cooking and a wooden Maytag washing machine il ~ which had to be filled and emptied by hand Their neighbors were Bill Fanning the Constable and Miss Exa g~ii Prather the local seamstress who occasionally baby-sat young Bob They are proudly standing in front of their ~ ~ new dark blue 1925 Buick Master two-door sedan their first car with roll up windows and four-wheel brakes lil Elsie Christensen attempted to drive only once While in the lumber yard she successfully started a Model T Ford )IJII pickup after a few attempts drove about one hundred feet turned the steering wheel in the wrong direction and jl~ crashed into a lumber pile She got out of the car walked home and never discussed driving again il W ~ W ~ W ~ ji ~

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Ik ~ l ~ II I r ~ ~~ A view of a newly-planted peach orchard from the James Albert Drace home in 1922 The Christensens rented this 1 ~ home when they first arrived in Linden in 1920 Linden is in the background j II IIii Constructed from building materials provided by Bobs father Linden Grammar School featured three classrooms ij i and a small room in between In the late 20s and early 30s Alton Scott was both a teacher and principal and the II I two other teachers were Margaret Miller and Katherine Wilson It was here that Bob learned to play trombone ii while attending school from 1923 until 1931 (Because he was too small to reach the sixth and seventh positions on ij ii the slide he overcame this difficulty by using his feet on each side ofthe slide and leaning back) The flowers were Iir lovingly cared for by the custodian Andy Bonham a brother-in-law of neighbor Exa Prather In front of the school ilii was a wire fence where Mr Bonham grew sweet peas which the children took home to their mothers During il j Halloween Linden schoolchildren protected the school from vandalism because of affection and respect for Mr II I Bonham When this school was built the original grammar school was converted into the first high school r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r ~

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In front of the Christensen home ca 1924 Bob mugs with his boyhood friend Frank Kuga (right) who lived on the Morrill Ranch outside of Linden Frank was a young Japanese American who

eventually was interred in World War II Japanese detention camps He later served in the Army of Occupation in Germany At the Linden Lumber Company Bobs father made Juros--crafted wooden tubs for the Japanese Americans who lived in the Linden area

Bobs sixth birthday party February 28 1922 with the birthday boy wearing his dreaded rompers complete with a trap door in the pants seat Friends include from the left Jean the daughter of the Postmaster Fred Strong Jack the son of garage owner Bill Doscher Sr Doyle the son of Rev William R Haselden and Maqorie the daughter of farner Edgar Lynch

The first second and third grade classes at Linden Grammar School in 1923 Back row from the left Helen Brewer Rita DeMartini Anabel Dunton Elsie Olsen Mabel Piacentine Carl Osterman Clara Pimentel Joe Fontes unknown Edwin Peterson Middle row Annie Costa Marie DeMartini unknown Lilith Fontaine Ellen Foote Marie Pimentel Lucy Brewer Wilma Risden Doris Dmnsfield Violet Piacentine Olga Fontaine Nadine Miller Front row Bob Christensen unknown Charles Drace Jack Doscher Russell (last name unknown) Tony Luchetti Fred Compiano Danny (last name unknown) Willie Debenedetti

Spring 1997 San Joaquin Historian Page 5

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II ~ ~II The Linden Lumber Company ca 1933 From the left the planing mill Charley Jordans home (in background) II ~ and the large storage building known as the red bam used for trucks supplies such as sheet rock plywood II ~ windows and doors and more expensive pieces of clear finished lumber and moldings There was also a small II if building for storing cedar used for lining closets Note the coal in the bottom left foreground In the summer gt

~ Charles put his son Bob to work filling 100 lb sacks for coal-buying customers The truck is a 1931 Autocar and 11 II the car is a 1933 Oldsmobile II II ~ ~

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For the Lumber Company wood was transported from a variety of sources--Douglas fir from Cottage Grove Oregon spruce from Washington redwood from northern California cedar from Port Orford Washington and redwood split posts from Weott California This was the first storage shed built in the lumber company

Spring 1997 San Joaquin Historian Page 6

I

ri Ii

This lumber which rests on a 1931 Autocar was part of a shipment received at the Port of Stockton on the Daisy Gray the first ship to open the deep-water channel in February 2 1933 Lumber Company mill operator Louis Scheffel is standing beside the truck

The railroad reached Linden by 1910 with tracks running behind the lumberyard and a spur track running into it The small building in the center was the lumber companys first office built in 1920

Spring 1997 San Joaquin Historian Page 7

The construction of the new office at the Linden Lumber Company 1936 Because the building was to be constructed so close to the side of the Mission Hall special laminated 2x 4 2x6 and 2x8 redwood which was more fire resistant than Douglas fir was used in the construction

-

shy

Spring 1997 San Joaquin Historian PageS

~~ I

I

~

The newly completed Linden Lumber Company office 1936 The building is presently used as a laundromat Charles P Christensen received considerable publicity for his Art Deco design in trade magazines of the day

Linden Lumber Company owner Charles P Christensen in 1936 sitting in his new office paneled with clear redwood He had three permanent employees--yard foreman Clifford McAfee mill operator Louis Scheffel and truck driver Monroe Woody Wood--and occasionally hired temporary help When his health declined by 1938 the business was sold to Diamond Match Company which today is known as Diamond National Self-trained creative hard-working soft-spoken and proper Charles Christensen

~ wore a suit with a stiff collar every day to work He was a man who inspired respect in his family neighbors and friends In his sons autograph book he wrote if you can

~

do better than the other fellow you will be a success my son

Spring 1997 San Joaquin Hisanon Page 9

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Bob sits in his fathers 1921 Autocar truck whose top speed was approximately fifteen miles per hour ca 1927 Cranked by hand this truck featured right-hand drive similar to a British automobile a two-cylinder motor under the seat hard rubber tires in the rear and headlights not powered by electricity but by small gas tanks

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W ~ W ~ Wii Spring 1997 San Joaquin Historian Page 10

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Football in fall 1934 This football field across from Bill Doschers garage the Community Methodist Church and the Mission Hall was used for one year Players wore hand-me-down uniforms from the College of the Pacific when Amos Alonzo Stagg was coach Teacher and football coach Harold Cunningham who may have played under Stagg acquired these high school uniforms from COP Bob Christensen was quarterback

In 1935 the players receiving Block Ls were Francis Brown (HB) Louis Cademartori (C) George Gill (LT) Elton Watkins (RG) Bill Meyers (RT) Ross Purviance (LG) Eddie Newcomb (FB) Howard Lewis (RE) Jack Doscher (LE) Jim Pemberton (C) Alvin Soper (FB) Lester Young (RT) Joc Machado (HB) Bob Christensen (QB) and Harold Wright (HB)

Spring 1997 San Joaquin HistOrian Page 11

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II II ~ ~

II II ~

Personal History ~

II II ~ ~

II II ~

Born in 1917 in Ashland Oregon Robert Reames ~

II II ~

Christensen was the son of Charles P and Elsie (Reames) ~

II Ii ~

Christensen The family of three had moved to Manteca California ~

II Ii ~

in 1917 and to the sleepy little hamlet of Linden in 1920 It was ~

II II ~

there that Bob attended both Linden Grammar School and Linden ~

II ii ~

High School graduating in 1935 He then attended College of the ~

II II ~

Pacific During World War II he was a civilian flight instructor in ~

II II ~

Carson City Nevada and at Thunderbird Field in Phoenix Arizona ~

II II~

where he taught flying to both American and Chinese cadets After ~

II 4P ~

II the war he served as manager of Pathfinder Flying Service in II

~ parents of two children--Charles and Catherine--and grandparents Iii ii of Kyler Drake and Joseph Christensen ~

II~

Modesto and for a while as manager of the Modesto City Airport ~

II II ~

In 1945 in Stockton he married Frances Yearnshaw and they are ~

II

II ~ ~

II iI~ In 1950 he started the Christensen Fire Equipment Company in Modesto which he fij II~ owned until 1964 Bob then worked in Oakland California acting as an independent contractor in

~II 4 ~

l~ the fire equipment and safety field The family returned to Stockton in 1976 and Bob retired in )J i the early 1980s He is a member of the Linden Masonic Lodge (50+ years) the Haggin Museum II 1~lt the San Joaquin County Historical Society and the Oregon Genealogical Society iI

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Iir Eighteen year old Bob and a family pet in front of the garage of the Christensen home with his sleek black 1935 II~ Chevrolet two-door coupe To customize his car Bob had installed trumpet horns a street car bell fog lights a Il spot light fancy wheels and an exhaust cut out The car also featured suicide doors ones which opened from the JI ii front Bob worked an entire summer for his father at the lumber company and this car was his payment to use as il it transportation to the College of the Pacific Note the COP banner in the front windshield Ii r 1 r Ii II ~ ~

II ~ ~II Spring 1997 San Joaquin Historian Page 13 II ~ ~ ~o~-=---JJ-~-lt-~-~-C-~=-~---==-=-o=-=-lt-=-=-__o_~_=-o==_ =-~=-I=-=-~-JJ

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Ik ~ l ~ II I r ~ ~~ A view of a newly-planted peach orchard from the James Albert Drace home in 1922 The Christensens rented this 1 ~ home when they first arrived in Linden in 1920 Linden is in the background j II IIii Constructed from building materials provided by Bobs father Linden Grammar School featured three classrooms ij i and a small room in between In the late 20s and early 30s Alton Scott was both a teacher and principal and the II I two other teachers were Margaret Miller and Katherine Wilson It was here that Bob learned to play trombone ii while attending school from 1923 until 1931 (Because he was too small to reach the sixth and seventh positions on ij ii the slide he overcame this difficulty by using his feet on each side ofthe slide and leaning back) The flowers were Iir lovingly cared for by the custodian Andy Bonham a brother-in-law of neighbor Exa Prather In front of the school ilii was a wire fence where Mr Bonham grew sweet peas which the children took home to their mothers During il j Halloween Linden schoolchildren protected the school from vandalism because of affection and respect for Mr II I Bonham When this school was built the original grammar school was converted into the first high school r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r ~

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San Joaquin Historian Page 4 ~ )

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In front of the Christensen home ca 1924 Bob mugs with his boyhood friend Frank Kuga (right) who lived on the Morrill Ranch outside of Linden Frank was a young Japanese American who

eventually was interred in World War II Japanese detention camps He later served in the Army of Occupation in Germany At the Linden Lumber Company Bobs father made Juros--crafted wooden tubs for the Japanese Americans who lived in the Linden area

Bobs sixth birthday party February 28 1922 with the birthday boy wearing his dreaded rompers complete with a trap door in the pants seat Friends include from the left Jean the daughter of the Postmaster Fred Strong Jack the son of garage owner Bill Doscher Sr Doyle the son of Rev William R Haselden and Maqorie the daughter of farner Edgar Lynch

The first second and third grade classes at Linden Grammar School in 1923 Back row from the left Helen Brewer Rita DeMartini Anabel Dunton Elsie Olsen Mabel Piacentine Carl Osterman Clara Pimentel Joe Fontes unknown Edwin Peterson Middle row Annie Costa Marie DeMartini unknown Lilith Fontaine Ellen Foote Marie Pimentel Lucy Brewer Wilma Risden Doris Dmnsfield Violet Piacentine Olga Fontaine Nadine Miller Front row Bob Christensen unknown Charles Drace Jack Doscher Russell (last name unknown) Tony Luchetti Fred Compiano Danny (last name unknown) Willie Debenedetti

Spring 1997 San Joaquin Historian Page 5

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II ~ ~II The Linden Lumber Company ca 1933 From the left the planing mill Charley Jordans home (in background) II ~ and the large storage building known as the red bam used for trucks supplies such as sheet rock plywood II ~ windows and doors and more expensive pieces of clear finished lumber and moldings There was also a small II if building for storing cedar used for lining closets Note the coal in the bottom left foreground In the summer gt

~ Charles put his son Bob to work filling 100 lb sacks for coal-buying customers The truck is a 1931 Autocar and 11 II the car is a 1933 Oldsmobile II II ~ ~

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For the Lumber Company wood was transported from a variety of sources--Douglas fir from Cottage Grove Oregon spruce from Washington redwood from northern California cedar from Port Orford Washington and redwood split posts from Weott California This was the first storage shed built in the lumber company

Spring 1997 San Joaquin Historian Page 6

I

ri Ii

This lumber which rests on a 1931 Autocar was part of a shipment received at the Port of Stockton on the Daisy Gray the first ship to open the deep-water channel in February 2 1933 Lumber Company mill operator Louis Scheffel is standing beside the truck

The railroad reached Linden by 1910 with tracks running behind the lumberyard and a spur track running into it The small building in the center was the lumber companys first office built in 1920

Spring 1997 San Joaquin Historian Page 7

The construction of the new office at the Linden Lumber Company 1936 Because the building was to be constructed so close to the side of the Mission Hall special laminated 2x 4 2x6 and 2x8 redwood which was more fire resistant than Douglas fir was used in the construction

-

shy

Spring 1997 San Joaquin Historian PageS

~~ I

I

~

The newly completed Linden Lumber Company office 1936 The building is presently used as a laundromat Charles P Christensen received considerable publicity for his Art Deco design in trade magazines of the day

Linden Lumber Company owner Charles P Christensen in 1936 sitting in his new office paneled with clear redwood He had three permanent employees--yard foreman Clifford McAfee mill operator Louis Scheffel and truck driver Monroe Woody Wood--and occasionally hired temporary help When his health declined by 1938 the business was sold to Diamond Match Company which today is known as Diamond National Self-trained creative hard-working soft-spoken and proper Charles Christensen

~ wore a suit with a stiff collar every day to work He was a man who inspired respect in his family neighbors and friends In his sons autograph book he wrote if you can

~

do better than the other fellow you will be a success my son

Spring 1997 San Joaquin Hisanon Page 9

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Bob sits in his fathers 1921 Autocar truck whose top speed was approximately fifteen miles per hour ca 1927 Cranked by hand this truck featured right-hand drive similar to a British automobile a two-cylinder motor under the seat hard rubber tires in the rear and headlights not powered by electricity but by small gas tanks

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W ~ W ~ Wii Spring 1997 San Joaquin Historian Page 10

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Football in fall 1934 This football field across from Bill Doschers garage the Community Methodist Church and the Mission Hall was used for one year Players wore hand-me-down uniforms from the College of the Pacific when Amos Alonzo Stagg was coach Teacher and football coach Harold Cunningham who may have played under Stagg acquired these high school uniforms from COP Bob Christensen was quarterback

In 1935 the players receiving Block Ls were Francis Brown (HB) Louis Cademartori (C) George Gill (LT) Elton Watkins (RG) Bill Meyers (RT) Ross Purviance (LG) Eddie Newcomb (FB) Howard Lewis (RE) Jack Doscher (LE) Jim Pemberton (C) Alvin Soper (FB) Lester Young (RT) Joc Machado (HB) Bob Christensen (QB) and Harold Wright (HB)

Spring 1997 San Joaquin HistOrian Page 11

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Personal History ~

II II ~ ~

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Born in 1917 in Ashland Oregon Robert Reames ~

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Christensen was the son of Charles P and Elsie (Reames) ~

II Ii ~

Christensen The family of three had moved to Manteca California ~

II Ii ~

in 1917 and to the sleepy little hamlet of Linden in 1920 It was ~

II II ~

there that Bob attended both Linden Grammar School and Linden ~

II ii ~

High School graduating in 1935 He then attended College of the ~

II II ~

Pacific During World War II he was a civilian flight instructor in ~

II II ~

Carson City Nevada and at Thunderbird Field in Phoenix Arizona ~

II II~

where he taught flying to both American and Chinese cadets After ~

II 4P ~

II the war he served as manager of Pathfinder Flying Service in II

~ parents of two children--Charles and Catherine--and grandparents Iii ii of Kyler Drake and Joseph Christensen ~

II~

Modesto and for a while as manager of the Modesto City Airport ~

II II ~

In 1945 in Stockton he married Frances Yearnshaw and they are ~

II

II ~ ~

II iI~ In 1950 he started the Christensen Fire Equipment Company in Modesto which he fij II~ owned until 1964 Bob then worked in Oakland California acting as an independent contractor in

~II 4 ~

l~ the fire equipment and safety field The family returned to Stockton in 1976 and Bob retired in )J i the early 1980s He is a member of the Linden Masonic Lodge (50+ years) the Haggin Museum II 1~lt the San Joaquin County Historical Society and the Oregon Genealogical Society iI

r W 1] W ~ r ~ r 1 r iI r ~ r ~ ~ II II ~

II ~ ~

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II

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r 1

Iir Eighteen year old Bob and a family pet in front of the garage of the Christensen home with his sleek black 1935 II~ Chevrolet two-door coupe To customize his car Bob had installed trumpet horns a street car bell fog lights a Il spot light fancy wheels and an exhaust cut out The car also featured suicide doors ones which opened from the JI ii front Bob worked an entire summer for his father at the lumber company and this car was his payment to use as il it transportation to the College of the Pacific Note the COP banner in the front windshield Ii r 1 r Ii II ~ ~

II ~ ~II Spring 1997 San Joaquin Historian Page 13 II ~ ~ ~o~-=---JJ-~-lt-~-~-C-~=-~---==-=-o=-=-lt-=-=-__o_~_=-o==_ =-~=-I=-=-~-JJ

j

In front of the Christensen home ca 1924 Bob mugs with his boyhood friend Frank Kuga (right) who lived on the Morrill Ranch outside of Linden Frank was a young Japanese American who

eventually was interred in World War II Japanese detention camps He later served in the Army of Occupation in Germany At the Linden Lumber Company Bobs father made Juros--crafted wooden tubs for the Japanese Americans who lived in the Linden area

Bobs sixth birthday party February 28 1922 with the birthday boy wearing his dreaded rompers complete with a trap door in the pants seat Friends include from the left Jean the daughter of the Postmaster Fred Strong Jack the son of garage owner Bill Doscher Sr Doyle the son of Rev William R Haselden and Maqorie the daughter of farner Edgar Lynch

The first second and third grade classes at Linden Grammar School in 1923 Back row from the left Helen Brewer Rita DeMartini Anabel Dunton Elsie Olsen Mabel Piacentine Carl Osterman Clara Pimentel Joe Fontes unknown Edwin Peterson Middle row Annie Costa Marie DeMartini unknown Lilith Fontaine Ellen Foote Marie Pimentel Lucy Brewer Wilma Risden Doris Dmnsfield Violet Piacentine Olga Fontaine Nadine Miller Front row Bob Christensen unknown Charles Drace Jack Doscher Russell (last name unknown) Tony Luchetti Fred Compiano Danny (last name unknown) Willie Debenedetti

Spring 1997 San Joaquin Historian Page 5

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~ ~ II ~ ~

II II ~ ~

II ~ ~II The Linden Lumber Company ca 1933 From the left the planing mill Charley Jordans home (in background) II ~ and the large storage building known as the red bam used for trucks supplies such as sheet rock plywood II ~ windows and doors and more expensive pieces of clear finished lumber and moldings There was also a small II if building for storing cedar used for lining closets Note the coal in the bottom left foreground In the summer gt

~ Charles put his son Bob to work filling 100 lb sacks for coal-buying customers The truck is a 1931 Autocar and 11 II the car is a 1933 Oldsmobile II II ~ ~

II II ~ ~

II ~ ~

I II II ~ ~

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II III

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For the Lumber Company wood was transported from a variety of sources--Douglas fir from Cottage Grove Oregon spruce from Washington redwood from northern California cedar from Port Orford Washington and redwood split posts from Weott California This was the first storage shed built in the lumber company

Spring 1997 San Joaquin Historian Page 6

I

ri Ii

This lumber which rests on a 1931 Autocar was part of a shipment received at the Port of Stockton on the Daisy Gray the first ship to open the deep-water channel in February 2 1933 Lumber Company mill operator Louis Scheffel is standing beside the truck

The railroad reached Linden by 1910 with tracks running behind the lumberyard and a spur track running into it The small building in the center was the lumber companys first office built in 1920

Spring 1997 San Joaquin Historian Page 7

The construction of the new office at the Linden Lumber Company 1936 Because the building was to be constructed so close to the side of the Mission Hall special laminated 2x 4 2x6 and 2x8 redwood which was more fire resistant than Douglas fir was used in the construction

-

shy

Spring 1997 San Joaquin Historian PageS

~~ I

I

~

The newly completed Linden Lumber Company office 1936 The building is presently used as a laundromat Charles P Christensen received considerable publicity for his Art Deco design in trade magazines of the day

Linden Lumber Company owner Charles P Christensen in 1936 sitting in his new office paneled with clear redwood He had three permanent employees--yard foreman Clifford McAfee mill operator Louis Scheffel and truck driver Monroe Woody Wood--and occasionally hired temporary help When his health declined by 1938 the business was sold to Diamond Match Company which today is known as Diamond National Self-trained creative hard-working soft-spoken and proper Charles Christensen

~ wore a suit with a stiff collar every day to work He was a man who inspired respect in his family neighbors and friends In his sons autograph book he wrote if you can

~

do better than the other fellow you will be a success my son

Spring 1997 San Joaquin Hisanon Page 9

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II W ~ ~ ~ W ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ii The first Christmas in the front office of the Linden Lumber Company Bobs mother Elsie decorated the tree II W ~ ~ ~ W ~ ~ ~ W ~ ~ ~ W ~ ~ ~ W ~ middot ~

il gil

JI

I ] W ~ W ~ W ~ W ~ W ~ W ~ Wiiiiii

Bob sits in his fathers 1921 Autocar truck whose top speed was approximately fifteen miles per hour ca 1927 Cranked by hand this truck featured right-hand drive similar to a British automobile a two-cylinder motor under the seat hard rubber tires in the rear and headlights not powered by electricity but by small gas tanks

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W ~ W ~ Wii Spring 1997 San Joaquin Historian Page 10

~ )1

t_~_omiddot_I-o-~_~-~-a- _o-~--~-~_c_deg_deg_deg_deg=-deg0=-deg_deg_deg=-deg_deg=-deg_0=-o_oo=-o_o=-o_o=-o_oo_o_o-~j

Football in fall 1934 This football field across from Bill Doschers garage the Community Methodist Church and the Mission Hall was used for one year Players wore hand-me-down uniforms from the College of the Pacific when Amos Alonzo Stagg was coach Teacher and football coach Harold Cunningham who may have played under Stagg acquired these high school uniforms from COP Bob Christensen was quarterback

In 1935 the players receiving Block Ls were Francis Brown (HB) Louis Cademartori (C) George Gill (LT) Elton Watkins (RG) Bill Meyers (RT) Ross Purviance (LG) Eddie Newcomb (FB) Howard Lewis (RE) Jack Doscher (LE) Jim Pemberton (C) Alvin Soper (FB) Lester Young (RT) Joc Machado (HB) Bob Christensen (QB) and Harold Wright (HB)

Spring 1997 San Joaquin HistOrian Page 11

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r ~ II ~ ~

II II ~ ~

II II ~

Personal History ~

II II ~ ~

II II ~

Born in 1917 in Ashland Oregon Robert Reames ~

II II ~

Christensen was the son of Charles P and Elsie (Reames) ~

II Ii ~

Christensen The family of three had moved to Manteca California ~

II Ii ~

in 1917 and to the sleepy little hamlet of Linden in 1920 It was ~

II II ~

there that Bob attended both Linden Grammar School and Linden ~

II ii ~

High School graduating in 1935 He then attended College of the ~

II II ~

Pacific During World War II he was a civilian flight instructor in ~

II II ~

Carson City Nevada and at Thunderbird Field in Phoenix Arizona ~

II II~

where he taught flying to both American and Chinese cadets After ~

II 4P ~

II the war he served as manager of Pathfinder Flying Service in II

~ parents of two children--Charles and Catherine--and grandparents Iii ii of Kyler Drake and Joseph Christensen ~

II~

Modesto and for a while as manager of the Modesto City Airport ~

II II ~

In 1945 in Stockton he married Frances Yearnshaw and they are ~

II

II ~ ~

II iI~ In 1950 he started the Christensen Fire Equipment Company in Modesto which he fij II~ owned until 1964 Bob then worked in Oakland California acting as an independent contractor in

~II 4 ~

l~ the fire equipment and safety field The family returned to Stockton in 1976 and Bob retired in )J i the early 1980s He is a member of the Linden Masonic Lodge (50+ years) the Haggin Museum II 1~lt the San Joaquin County Historical Society and the Oregon Genealogical Society iI

r W 1] W ~ r ~ r 1 r iI r ~ r ~ ~ II II ~

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r 1

Iir Eighteen year old Bob and a family pet in front of the garage of the Christensen home with his sleek black 1935 II~ Chevrolet two-door coupe To customize his car Bob had installed trumpet horns a street car bell fog lights a Il spot light fancy wheels and an exhaust cut out The car also featured suicide doors ones which opened from the JI ii front Bob worked an entire summer for his father at the lumber company and this car was his payment to use as il it transportation to the College of the Pacific Note the COP banner in the front windshield Ii r 1 r Ii II ~ ~

II ~ ~II Spring 1997 San Joaquin Historian Page 13 II ~ ~ ~o~-=---JJ-~-lt-~-~-C-~=-~---==-=-o=-=-lt-=-=-__o_~_=-o==_ =-~=-I=-=-~-JJ

F-=-r-o-=-~-O- =-It~-oo-~-~-d-it=o~-~-~-~=-~=- middot=~Q=-~=--~=-=Q=-c=-~=~-~It~-~=-~=t=-~=-=-~~If==-~=-~J1

~ ~ II ~ ~

II II ~ ~

II ~ ~II The Linden Lumber Company ca 1933 From the left the planing mill Charley Jordans home (in background) II ~ and the large storage building known as the red bam used for trucks supplies such as sheet rock plywood II ~ windows and doors and more expensive pieces of clear finished lumber and moldings There was also a small II if building for storing cedar used for lining closets Note the coal in the bottom left foreground In the summer gt

~ Charles put his son Bob to work filling 100 lb sacks for coal-buying customers The truck is a 1931 Autocar and 11 II the car is a 1933 Oldsmobile II II ~ ~

II II ~ ~

II ~ ~

I II II ~ ~

II ~ ~

II III

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For the Lumber Company wood was transported from a variety of sources--Douglas fir from Cottage Grove Oregon spruce from Washington redwood from northern California cedar from Port Orford Washington and redwood split posts from Weott California This was the first storage shed built in the lumber company

Spring 1997 San Joaquin Historian Page 6

I

ri Ii

This lumber which rests on a 1931 Autocar was part of a shipment received at the Port of Stockton on the Daisy Gray the first ship to open the deep-water channel in February 2 1933 Lumber Company mill operator Louis Scheffel is standing beside the truck

The railroad reached Linden by 1910 with tracks running behind the lumberyard and a spur track running into it The small building in the center was the lumber companys first office built in 1920

Spring 1997 San Joaquin Historian Page 7

The construction of the new office at the Linden Lumber Company 1936 Because the building was to be constructed so close to the side of the Mission Hall special laminated 2x 4 2x6 and 2x8 redwood which was more fire resistant than Douglas fir was used in the construction

-

shy

Spring 1997 San Joaquin Historian PageS

~~ I

I

~

The newly completed Linden Lumber Company office 1936 The building is presently used as a laundromat Charles P Christensen received considerable publicity for his Art Deco design in trade magazines of the day

Linden Lumber Company owner Charles P Christensen in 1936 sitting in his new office paneled with clear redwood He had three permanent employees--yard foreman Clifford McAfee mill operator Louis Scheffel and truck driver Monroe Woody Wood--and occasionally hired temporary help When his health declined by 1938 the business was sold to Diamond Match Company which today is known as Diamond National Self-trained creative hard-working soft-spoken and proper Charles Christensen

~ wore a suit with a stiff collar every day to work He was a man who inspired respect in his family neighbors and friends In his sons autograph book he wrote if you can

~

do better than the other fellow you will be a success my son

Spring 1997 San Joaquin Hisanon Page 9

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II W ~ ~ ~ W ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ii The first Christmas in the front office of the Linden Lumber Company Bobs mother Elsie decorated the tree II W ~ ~ ~ W ~ ~ ~ W ~ ~ ~ W ~ ~ ~ W ~ middot ~

il gil

JI

I ] W ~ W ~ W ~ W ~ W ~ W ~ Wiiiiii

Bob sits in his fathers 1921 Autocar truck whose top speed was approximately fifteen miles per hour ca 1927 Cranked by hand this truck featured right-hand drive similar to a British automobile a two-cylinder motor under the seat hard rubber tires in the rear and headlights not powered by electricity but by small gas tanks

~ gil il gil

W ~ W ~ Wii Spring 1997 San Joaquin Historian Page 10

~ )1

t_~_omiddot_I-o-~_~-~-a- _o-~--~-~_c_deg_deg_deg_deg=-deg0=-deg_deg_deg=-deg_deg=-deg_0=-o_oo=-o_o=-o_o=-o_oo_o_o-~j

Football in fall 1934 This football field across from Bill Doschers garage the Community Methodist Church and the Mission Hall was used for one year Players wore hand-me-down uniforms from the College of the Pacific when Amos Alonzo Stagg was coach Teacher and football coach Harold Cunningham who may have played under Stagg acquired these high school uniforms from COP Bob Christensen was quarterback

In 1935 the players receiving Block Ls were Francis Brown (HB) Louis Cademartori (C) George Gill (LT) Elton Watkins (RG) Bill Meyers (RT) Ross Purviance (LG) Eddie Newcomb (FB) Howard Lewis (RE) Jack Doscher (LE) Jim Pemberton (C) Alvin Soper (FB) Lester Young (RT) Joc Machado (HB) Bob Christensen (QB) and Harold Wright (HB)

Spring 1997 San Joaquin HistOrian Page 11

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r ~ II ~ ~

II II ~ ~

II II ~

Personal History ~

II II ~ ~

II II ~

Born in 1917 in Ashland Oregon Robert Reames ~

II II ~

Christensen was the son of Charles P and Elsie (Reames) ~

II Ii ~

Christensen The family of three had moved to Manteca California ~

II Ii ~

in 1917 and to the sleepy little hamlet of Linden in 1920 It was ~

II II ~

there that Bob attended both Linden Grammar School and Linden ~

II ii ~

High School graduating in 1935 He then attended College of the ~

II II ~

Pacific During World War II he was a civilian flight instructor in ~

II II ~

Carson City Nevada and at Thunderbird Field in Phoenix Arizona ~

II II~

where he taught flying to both American and Chinese cadets After ~

II 4P ~

II the war he served as manager of Pathfinder Flying Service in II

~ parents of two children--Charles and Catherine--and grandparents Iii ii of Kyler Drake and Joseph Christensen ~

II~

Modesto and for a while as manager of the Modesto City Airport ~

II II ~

In 1945 in Stockton he married Frances Yearnshaw and they are ~

II

II ~ ~

II iI~ In 1950 he started the Christensen Fire Equipment Company in Modesto which he fij II~ owned until 1964 Bob then worked in Oakland California acting as an independent contractor in

~II 4 ~

l~ the fire equipment and safety field The family returned to Stockton in 1976 and Bob retired in )J i the early 1980s He is a member of the Linden Masonic Lodge (50+ years) the Haggin Museum II 1~lt the San Joaquin County Historical Society and the Oregon Genealogical Society iI

r W 1] W ~ r ~ r 1 r iI r ~ r ~ ~ II II ~

II ~ ~

II ~ ~

~ J r I r 1 II ~ ~

II

r iI r ~

r 1

Iir Eighteen year old Bob and a family pet in front of the garage of the Christensen home with his sleek black 1935 II~ Chevrolet two-door coupe To customize his car Bob had installed trumpet horns a street car bell fog lights a Il spot light fancy wheels and an exhaust cut out The car also featured suicide doors ones which opened from the JI ii front Bob worked an entire summer for his father at the lumber company and this car was his payment to use as il it transportation to the College of the Pacific Note the COP banner in the front windshield Ii r 1 r Ii II ~ ~

II ~ ~II Spring 1997 San Joaquin Historian Page 13 II ~ ~ ~o~-=---JJ-~-lt-~-~-C-~=-~---==-=-o=-=-lt-=-=-__o_~_=-o==_ =-~=-I=-=-~-JJ

I

ri Ii

This lumber which rests on a 1931 Autocar was part of a shipment received at the Port of Stockton on the Daisy Gray the first ship to open the deep-water channel in February 2 1933 Lumber Company mill operator Louis Scheffel is standing beside the truck

The railroad reached Linden by 1910 with tracks running behind the lumberyard and a spur track running into it The small building in the center was the lumber companys first office built in 1920

Spring 1997 San Joaquin Historian Page 7

The construction of the new office at the Linden Lumber Company 1936 Because the building was to be constructed so close to the side of the Mission Hall special laminated 2x 4 2x6 and 2x8 redwood which was more fire resistant than Douglas fir was used in the construction

-

shy

Spring 1997 San Joaquin Historian PageS

~~ I

I

~

The newly completed Linden Lumber Company office 1936 The building is presently used as a laundromat Charles P Christensen received considerable publicity for his Art Deco design in trade magazines of the day

Linden Lumber Company owner Charles P Christensen in 1936 sitting in his new office paneled with clear redwood He had three permanent employees--yard foreman Clifford McAfee mill operator Louis Scheffel and truck driver Monroe Woody Wood--and occasionally hired temporary help When his health declined by 1938 the business was sold to Diamond Match Company which today is known as Diamond National Self-trained creative hard-working soft-spoken and proper Charles Christensen

~ wore a suit with a stiff collar every day to work He was a man who inspired respect in his family neighbors and friends In his sons autograph book he wrote if you can

~

do better than the other fellow you will be a success my son

Spring 1997 San Joaquin Hisanon Page 9

~oh-~-a-D-o-Cf-a-O-~-a--~-~-if-~o-if-ao-iP-a-=-a=-o~=-~=-o~=-~=-o=-~=-o=-~=-o~=-~=-O~-~=-o~=-~=-o~=-~=o~=-~=-O~=-=-o~-OJl

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II ~ ~

II W ~ ~ ~ W ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ii The first Christmas in the front office of the Linden Lumber Company Bobs mother Elsie decorated the tree II W ~ ~ ~ W ~ ~ ~ W ~ ~ ~ W ~ ~ ~ W ~ middot ~

il gil

JI

I ] W ~ W ~ W ~ W ~ W ~ W ~ Wiiiiii

Bob sits in his fathers 1921 Autocar truck whose top speed was approximately fifteen miles per hour ca 1927 Cranked by hand this truck featured right-hand drive similar to a British automobile a two-cylinder motor under the seat hard rubber tires in the rear and headlights not powered by electricity but by small gas tanks

~ gil il gil

W ~ W ~ Wii Spring 1997 San Joaquin Historian Page 10

~ )1

t_~_omiddot_I-o-~_~-~-a- _o-~--~-~_c_deg_deg_deg_deg=-deg0=-deg_deg_deg=-deg_deg=-deg_0=-o_oo=-o_o=-o_o=-o_oo_o_o-~j

Football in fall 1934 This football field across from Bill Doschers garage the Community Methodist Church and the Mission Hall was used for one year Players wore hand-me-down uniforms from the College of the Pacific when Amos Alonzo Stagg was coach Teacher and football coach Harold Cunningham who may have played under Stagg acquired these high school uniforms from COP Bob Christensen was quarterback

In 1935 the players receiving Block Ls were Francis Brown (HB) Louis Cademartori (C) George Gill (LT) Elton Watkins (RG) Bill Meyers (RT) Ross Purviance (LG) Eddie Newcomb (FB) Howard Lewis (RE) Jack Doscher (LE) Jim Pemberton (C) Alvin Soper (FB) Lester Young (RT) Joc Machado (HB) Bob Christensen (QB) and Harold Wright (HB)

Spring 1997 San Joaquin HistOrian Page 11

rFf$-if-~-4P-~-o-4P-~=middot=-if-~-~-~~ -ar=-~=-~~=-~~~=-~=-e~-=-o-middot~~~=-~=-o~=-~=-o-Q-iI-=O=-~=O==-4~=O~

r ~ II ~ ~

II II ~ ~

II II ~

Personal History ~

II II ~ ~

II II ~

Born in 1917 in Ashland Oregon Robert Reames ~

II II ~

Christensen was the son of Charles P and Elsie (Reames) ~

II Ii ~

Christensen The family of three had moved to Manteca California ~

II Ii ~

in 1917 and to the sleepy little hamlet of Linden in 1920 It was ~

II II ~

there that Bob attended both Linden Grammar School and Linden ~

II ii ~

High School graduating in 1935 He then attended College of the ~

II II ~

Pacific During World War II he was a civilian flight instructor in ~

II II ~

Carson City Nevada and at Thunderbird Field in Phoenix Arizona ~

II II~

where he taught flying to both American and Chinese cadets After ~

II 4P ~

II the war he served as manager of Pathfinder Flying Service in II

~ parents of two children--Charles and Catherine--and grandparents Iii ii of Kyler Drake and Joseph Christensen ~

II~

Modesto and for a while as manager of the Modesto City Airport ~

II II ~

In 1945 in Stockton he married Frances Yearnshaw and they are ~

II

II ~ ~

II iI~ In 1950 he started the Christensen Fire Equipment Company in Modesto which he fij II~ owned until 1964 Bob then worked in Oakland California acting as an independent contractor in

~II 4 ~

l~ the fire equipment and safety field The family returned to Stockton in 1976 and Bob retired in )J i the early 1980s He is a member of the Linden Masonic Lodge (50+ years) the Haggin Museum II 1~lt the San Joaquin County Historical Society and the Oregon Genealogical Society iI

r W 1] W ~ r ~ r 1 r iI r ~ r ~ ~ II II ~

II ~ ~

II ~ ~

~ J r I r 1 II ~ ~

II

r iI r ~

r 1

Iir Eighteen year old Bob and a family pet in front of the garage of the Christensen home with his sleek black 1935 II~ Chevrolet two-door coupe To customize his car Bob had installed trumpet horns a street car bell fog lights a Il spot light fancy wheels and an exhaust cut out The car also featured suicide doors ones which opened from the JI ii front Bob worked an entire summer for his father at the lumber company and this car was his payment to use as il it transportation to the College of the Pacific Note the COP banner in the front windshield Ii r 1 r Ii II ~ ~

II ~ ~II Spring 1997 San Joaquin Historian Page 13 II ~ ~ ~o~-=---JJ-~-lt-~-~-C-~=-~---==-=-o=-=-lt-=-=-__o_~_=-o==_ =-~=-I=-=-~-JJ

The construction of the new office at the Linden Lumber Company 1936 Because the building was to be constructed so close to the side of the Mission Hall special laminated 2x 4 2x6 and 2x8 redwood which was more fire resistant than Douglas fir was used in the construction

-

shy

Spring 1997 San Joaquin Historian PageS

~~ I

I

~

The newly completed Linden Lumber Company office 1936 The building is presently used as a laundromat Charles P Christensen received considerable publicity for his Art Deco design in trade magazines of the day

Linden Lumber Company owner Charles P Christensen in 1936 sitting in his new office paneled with clear redwood He had three permanent employees--yard foreman Clifford McAfee mill operator Louis Scheffel and truck driver Monroe Woody Wood--and occasionally hired temporary help When his health declined by 1938 the business was sold to Diamond Match Company which today is known as Diamond National Self-trained creative hard-working soft-spoken and proper Charles Christensen

~ wore a suit with a stiff collar every day to work He was a man who inspired respect in his family neighbors and friends In his sons autograph book he wrote if you can

~

do better than the other fellow you will be a success my son

Spring 1997 San Joaquin Hisanon Page 9

~oh-~-a-D-o-Cf-a-O-~-a--~-~-if-~o-if-ao-iP-a-=-a=-o~=-~=-o~=-~=-o=-~=-o=-~=-o~=-~=-O~-~=-o~=-~=-o~=-~=o~=-~=-O~=-=-o~-OJl

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II ~ ~

II W ~ ~ ~ W ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ii The first Christmas in the front office of the Linden Lumber Company Bobs mother Elsie decorated the tree II W ~ ~ ~ W ~ ~ ~ W ~ ~ ~ W ~ ~ ~ W ~ middot ~

il gil

JI

I ] W ~ W ~ W ~ W ~ W ~ W ~ Wiiiiii

Bob sits in his fathers 1921 Autocar truck whose top speed was approximately fifteen miles per hour ca 1927 Cranked by hand this truck featured right-hand drive similar to a British automobile a two-cylinder motor under the seat hard rubber tires in the rear and headlights not powered by electricity but by small gas tanks

~ gil il gil

W ~ W ~ Wii Spring 1997 San Joaquin Historian Page 10

~ )1

t_~_omiddot_I-o-~_~-~-a- _o-~--~-~_c_deg_deg_deg_deg=-deg0=-deg_deg_deg=-deg_deg=-deg_0=-o_oo=-o_o=-o_o=-o_oo_o_o-~j

Football in fall 1934 This football field across from Bill Doschers garage the Community Methodist Church and the Mission Hall was used for one year Players wore hand-me-down uniforms from the College of the Pacific when Amos Alonzo Stagg was coach Teacher and football coach Harold Cunningham who may have played under Stagg acquired these high school uniforms from COP Bob Christensen was quarterback

In 1935 the players receiving Block Ls were Francis Brown (HB) Louis Cademartori (C) George Gill (LT) Elton Watkins (RG) Bill Meyers (RT) Ross Purviance (LG) Eddie Newcomb (FB) Howard Lewis (RE) Jack Doscher (LE) Jim Pemberton (C) Alvin Soper (FB) Lester Young (RT) Joc Machado (HB) Bob Christensen (QB) and Harold Wright (HB)

Spring 1997 San Joaquin HistOrian Page 11

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II II ~ ~

II II ~

Personal History ~

II II ~ ~

II II ~

Born in 1917 in Ashland Oregon Robert Reames ~

II II ~

Christensen was the son of Charles P and Elsie (Reames) ~

II Ii ~

Christensen The family of three had moved to Manteca California ~

II Ii ~

in 1917 and to the sleepy little hamlet of Linden in 1920 It was ~

II II ~

there that Bob attended both Linden Grammar School and Linden ~

II ii ~

High School graduating in 1935 He then attended College of the ~

II II ~

Pacific During World War II he was a civilian flight instructor in ~

II II ~

Carson City Nevada and at Thunderbird Field in Phoenix Arizona ~

II II~

where he taught flying to both American and Chinese cadets After ~

II 4P ~

II the war he served as manager of Pathfinder Flying Service in II

~ parents of two children--Charles and Catherine--and grandparents Iii ii of Kyler Drake and Joseph Christensen ~

II~

Modesto and for a while as manager of the Modesto City Airport ~

II II ~

In 1945 in Stockton he married Frances Yearnshaw and they are ~

II

II ~ ~

II iI~ In 1950 he started the Christensen Fire Equipment Company in Modesto which he fij II~ owned until 1964 Bob then worked in Oakland California acting as an independent contractor in

~II 4 ~

l~ the fire equipment and safety field The family returned to Stockton in 1976 and Bob retired in )J i the early 1980s He is a member of the Linden Masonic Lodge (50+ years) the Haggin Museum II 1~lt the San Joaquin County Historical Society and the Oregon Genealogical Society iI

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Iir Eighteen year old Bob and a family pet in front of the garage of the Christensen home with his sleek black 1935 II~ Chevrolet two-door coupe To customize his car Bob had installed trumpet horns a street car bell fog lights a Il spot light fancy wheels and an exhaust cut out The car also featured suicide doors ones which opened from the JI ii front Bob worked an entire summer for his father at the lumber company and this car was his payment to use as il it transportation to the College of the Pacific Note the COP banner in the front windshield Ii r 1 r Ii II ~ ~

II ~ ~II Spring 1997 San Joaquin Historian Page 13 II ~ ~ ~o~-=---JJ-~-lt-~-~-C-~=-~---==-=-o=-=-lt-=-=-__o_~_=-o==_ =-~=-I=-=-~-JJ

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The newly completed Linden Lumber Company office 1936 The building is presently used as a laundromat Charles P Christensen received considerable publicity for his Art Deco design in trade magazines of the day

Linden Lumber Company owner Charles P Christensen in 1936 sitting in his new office paneled with clear redwood He had three permanent employees--yard foreman Clifford McAfee mill operator Louis Scheffel and truck driver Monroe Woody Wood--and occasionally hired temporary help When his health declined by 1938 the business was sold to Diamond Match Company which today is known as Diamond National Self-trained creative hard-working soft-spoken and proper Charles Christensen

~ wore a suit with a stiff collar every day to work He was a man who inspired respect in his family neighbors and friends In his sons autograph book he wrote if you can

~

do better than the other fellow you will be a success my son

Spring 1997 San Joaquin Hisanon Page 9

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II W ~ ~ ~ W ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ii The first Christmas in the front office of the Linden Lumber Company Bobs mother Elsie decorated the tree II W ~ ~ ~ W ~ ~ ~ W ~ ~ ~ W ~ ~ ~ W ~ middot ~

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Bob sits in his fathers 1921 Autocar truck whose top speed was approximately fifteen miles per hour ca 1927 Cranked by hand this truck featured right-hand drive similar to a British automobile a two-cylinder motor under the seat hard rubber tires in the rear and headlights not powered by electricity but by small gas tanks

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W ~ W ~ Wii Spring 1997 San Joaquin Historian Page 10

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Football in fall 1934 This football field across from Bill Doschers garage the Community Methodist Church and the Mission Hall was used for one year Players wore hand-me-down uniforms from the College of the Pacific when Amos Alonzo Stagg was coach Teacher and football coach Harold Cunningham who may have played under Stagg acquired these high school uniforms from COP Bob Christensen was quarterback

In 1935 the players receiving Block Ls were Francis Brown (HB) Louis Cademartori (C) George Gill (LT) Elton Watkins (RG) Bill Meyers (RT) Ross Purviance (LG) Eddie Newcomb (FB) Howard Lewis (RE) Jack Doscher (LE) Jim Pemberton (C) Alvin Soper (FB) Lester Young (RT) Joc Machado (HB) Bob Christensen (QB) and Harold Wright (HB)

Spring 1997 San Joaquin HistOrian Page 11

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r ~ II ~ ~

II II ~ ~

II II ~

Personal History ~

II II ~ ~

II II ~

Born in 1917 in Ashland Oregon Robert Reames ~

II II ~

Christensen was the son of Charles P and Elsie (Reames) ~

II Ii ~

Christensen The family of three had moved to Manteca California ~

II Ii ~

in 1917 and to the sleepy little hamlet of Linden in 1920 It was ~

II II ~

there that Bob attended both Linden Grammar School and Linden ~

II ii ~

High School graduating in 1935 He then attended College of the ~

II II ~

Pacific During World War II he was a civilian flight instructor in ~

II II ~

Carson City Nevada and at Thunderbird Field in Phoenix Arizona ~

II II~

where he taught flying to both American and Chinese cadets After ~

II 4P ~

II the war he served as manager of Pathfinder Flying Service in II

~ parents of two children--Charles and Catherine--and grandparents Iii ii of Kyler Drake and Joseph Christensen ~

II~

Modesto and for a while as manager of the Modesto City Airport ~

II II ~

In 1945 in Stockton he married Frances Yearnshaw and they are ~

II

II ~ ~

II iI~ In 1950 he started the Christensen Fire Equipment Company in Modesto which he fij II~ owned until 1964 Bob then worked in Oakland California acting as an independent contractor in

~II 4 ~

l~ the fire equipment and safety field The family returned to Stockton in 1976 and Bob retired in )J i the early 1980s He is a member of the Linden Masonic Lodge (50+ years) the Haggin Museum II 1~lt the San Joaquin County Historical Society and the Oregon Genealogical Society iI

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Iir Eighteen year old Bob and a family pet in front of the garage of the Christensen home with his sleek black 1935 II~ Chevrolet two-door coupe To customize his car Bob had installed trumpet horns a street car bell fog lights a Il spot light fancy wheels and an exhaust cut out The car also featured suicide doors ones which opened from the JI ii front Bob worked an entire summer for his father at the lumber company and this car was his payment to use as il it transportation to the College of the Pacific Note the COP banner in the front windshield Ii r 1 r Ii II ~ ~

II ~ ~II Spring 1997 San Joaquin Historian Page 13 II ~ ~ ~o~-=---JJ-~-lt-~-~-C-~=-~---==-=-o=-=-lt-=-=-__o_~_=-o==_ =-~=-I=-=-~-JJ

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JI

I ] W ~ W ~ W ~ W ~ W ~ W ~ Wiiiiii

Bob sits in his fathers 1921 Autocar truck whose top speed was approximately fifteen miles per hour ca 1927 Cranked by hand this truck featured right-hand drive similar to a British automobile a two-cylinder motor under the seat hard rubber tires in the rear and headlights not powered by electricity but by small gas tanks

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W ~ W ~ Wii Spring 1997 San Joaquin Historian Page 10

~ )1

t_~_omiddot_I-o-~_~-~-a- _o-~--~-~_c_deg_deg_deg_deg=-deg0=-deg_deg_deg=-deg_deg=-deg_0=-o_oo=-o_o=-o_o=-o_oo_o_o-~j

Football in fall 1934 This football field across from Bill Doschers garage the Community Methodist Church and the Mission Hall was used for one year Players wore hand-me-down uniforms from the College of the Pacific when Amos Alonzo Stagg was coach Teacher and football coach Harold Cunningham who may have played under Stagg acquired these high school uniforms from COP Bob Christensen was quarterback

In 1935 the players receiving Block Ls were Francis Brown (HB) Louis Cademartori (C) George Gill (LT) Elton Watkins (RG) Bill Meyers (RT) Ross Purviance (LG) Eddie Newcomb (FB) Howard Lewis (RE) Jack Doscher (LE) Jim Pemberton (C) Alvin Soper (FB) Lester Young (RT) Joc Machado (HB) Bob Christensen (QB) and Harold Wright (HB)

Spring 1997 San Joaquin HistOrian Page 11

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r ~ II ~ ~

II II ~ ~

II II ~

Personal History ~

II II ~ ~

II II ~

Born in 1917 in Ashland Oregon Robert Reames ~

II II ~

Christensen was the son of Charles P and Elsie (Reames) ~

II Ii ~

Christensen The family of three had moved to Manteca California ~

II Ii ~

in 1917 and to the sleepy little hamlet of Linden in 1920 It was ~

II II ~

there that Bob attended both Linden Grammar School and Linden ~

II ii ~

High School graduating in 1935 He then attended College of the ~

II II ~

Pacific During World War II he was a civilian flight instructor in ~

II II ~

Carson City Nevada and at Thunderbird Field in Phoenix Arizona ~

II II~

where he taught flying to both American and Chinese cadets After ~

II 4P ~

II the war he served as manager of Pathfinder Flying Service in II

~ parents of two children--Charles and Catherine--and grandparents Iii ii of Kyler Drake and Joseph Christensen ~

II~

Modesto and for a while as manager of the Modesto City Airport ~

II II ~

In 1945 in Stockton he married Frances Yearnshaw and they are ~

II

II ~ ~

II iI~ In 1950 he started the Christensen Fire Equipment Company in Modesto which he fij II~ owned until 1964 Bob then worked in Oakland California acting as an independent contractor in

~II 4 ~

l~ the fire equipment and safety field The family returned to Stockton in 1976 and Bob retired in )J i the early 1980s He is a member of the Linden Masonic Lodge (50+ years) the Haggin Museum II 1~lt the San Joaquin County Historical Society and the Oregon Genealogical Society iI

r W 1] W ~ r ~ r 1 r iI r ~ r ~ ~ II II ~

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Iir Eighteen year old Bob and a family pet in front of the garage of the Christensen home with his sleek black 1935 II~ Chevrolet two-door coupe To customize his car Bob had installed trumpet horns a street car bell fog lights a Il spot light fancy wheels and an exhaust cut out The car also featured suicide doors ones which opened from the JI ii front Bob worked an entire summer for his father at the lumber company and this car was his payment to use as il it transportation to the College of the Pacific Note the COP banner in the front windshield Ii r 1 r Ii II ~ ~

II ~ ~II Spring 1997 San Joaquin Historian Page 13 II ~ ~ ~o~-=---JJ-~-lt-~-~-C-~=-~---==-=-o=-=-lt-=-=-__o_~_=-o==_ =-~=-I=-=-~-JJ

Football in fall 1934 This football field across from Bill Doschers garage the Community Methodist Church and the Mission Hall was used for one year Players wore hand-me-down uniforms from the College of the Pacific when Amos Alonzo Stagg was coach Teacher and football coach Harold Cunningham who may have played under Stagg acquired these high school uniforms from COP Bob Christensen was quarterback

In 1935 the players receiving Block Ls were Francis Brown (HB) Louis Cademartori (C) George Gill (LT) Elton Watkins (RG) Bill Meyers (RT) Ross Purviance (LG) Eddie Newcomb (FB) Howard Lewis (RE) Jack Doscher (LE) Jim Pemberton (C) Alvin Soper (FB) Lester Young (RT) Joc Machado (HB) Bob Christensen (QB) and Harold Wright (HB)

Spring 1997 San Joaquin HistOrian Page 11

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r ~ II ~ ~

II II ~ ~

II II ~

Personal History ~

II II ~ ~

II II ~

Born in 1917 in Ashland Oregon Robert Reames ~

II II ~

Christensen was the son of Charles P and Elsie (Reames) ~

II Ii ~

Christensen The family of three had moved to Manteca California ~

II Ii ~

in 1917 and to the sleepy little hamlet of Linden in 1920 It was ~

II II ~

there that Bob attended both Linden Grammar School and Linden ~

II ii ~

High School graduating in 1935 He then attended College of the ~

II II ~

Pacific During World War II he was a civilian flight instructor in ~

II II ~

Carson City Nevada and at Thunderbird Field in Phoenix Arizona ~

II II~

where he taught flying to both American and Chinese cadets After ~

II 4P ~

II the war he served as manager of Pathfinder Flying Service in II

~ parents of two children--Charles and Catherine--and grandparents Iii ii of Kyler Drake and Joseph Christensen ~

II~

Modesto and for a while as manager of the Modesto City Airport ~

II II ~

In 1945 in Stockton he married Frances Yearnshaw and they are ~

II

II ~ ~

II iI~ In 1950 he started the Christensen Fire Equipment Company in Modesto which he fij II~ owned until 1964 Bob then worked in Oakland California acting as an independent contractor in

~II 4 ~

l~ the fire equipment and safety field The family returned to Stockton in 1976 and Bob retired in )J i the early 1980s He is a member of the Linden Masonic Lodge (50+ years) the Haggin Museum II 1~lt the San Joaquin County Historical Society and the Oregon Genealogical Society iI

r W 1] W ~ r ~ r 1 r iI r ~ r ~ ~ II II ~

II ~ ~

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Iir Eighteen year old Bob and a family pet in front of the garage of the Christensen home with his sleek black 1935 II~ Chevrolet two-door coupe To customize his car Bob had installed trumpet horns a street car bell fog lights a Il spot light fancy wheels and an exhaust cut out The car also featured suicide doors ones which opened from the JI ii front Bob worked an entire summer for his father at the lumber company and this car was his payment to use as il it transportation to the College of the Pacific Note the COP banner in the front windshield Ii r 1 r Ii II ~ ~

II ~ ~II Spring 1997 San Joaquin Historian Page 13 II ~ ~ ~o~-=---JJ-~-lt-~-~-C-~=-~---==-=-o=-=-lt-=-=-__o_~_=-o==_ =-~=-I=-=-~-JJ

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r ~ II ~ ~

II II ~ ~

II II ~

Personal History ~

II II ~ ~

II II ~

Born in 1917 in Ashland Oregon Robert Reames ~

II II ~

Christensen was the son of Charles P and Elsie (Reames) ~

II Ii ~

Christensen The family of three had moved to Manteca California ~

II Ii ~

in 1917 and to the sleepy little hamlet of Linden in 1920 It was ~

II II ~

there that Bob attended both Linden Grammar School and Linden ~

II ii ~

High School graduating in 1935 He then attended College of the ~

II II ~

Pacific During World War II he was a civilian flight instructor in ~

II II ~

Carson City Nevada and at Thunderbird Field in Phoenix Arizona ~

II II~

where he taught flying to both American and Chinese cadets After ~

II 4P ~

II the war he served as manager of Pathfinder Flying Service in II

~ parents of two children--Charles and Catherine--and grandparents Iii ii of Kyler Drake and Joseph Christensen ~

II~

Modesto and for a while as manager of the Modesto City Airport ~

II II ~

In 1945 in Stockton he married Frances Yearnshaw and they are ~

II

II ~ ~

II iI~ In 1950 he started the Christensen Fire Equipment Company in Modesto which he fij II~ owned until 1964 Bob then worked in Oakland California acting as an independent contractor in

~II 4 ~

l~ the fire equipment and safety field The family returned to Stockton in 1976 and Bob retired in )J i the early 1980s He is a member of the Linden Masonic Lodge (50+ years) the Haggin Museum II 1~lt the San Joaquin County Historical Society and the Oregon Genealogical Society iI

r W 1] W ~ r ~ r 1 r iI r ~ r ~ ~ II II ~

II ~ ~

II ~ ~

~ J r I r 1 II ~ ~

II

r iI r ~

r 1

Iir Eighteen year old Bob and a family pet in front of the garage of the Christensen home with his sleek black 1935 II~ Chevrolet two-door coupe To customize his car Bob had installed trumpet horns a street car bell fog lights a Il spot light fancy wheels and an exhaust cut out The car also featured suicide doors ones which opened from the JI ii front Bob worked an entire summer for his father at the lumber company and this car was his payment to use as il it transportation to the College of the Pacific Note the COP banner in the front windshield Ii r 1 r Ii II ~ ~

II ~ ~II Spring 1997 San Joaquin Historian Page 13 II ~ ~ ~o~-=---JJ-~-lt-~-~-C-~=-~---==-=-o=-=-lt-=-=-__o_~_=-o==_ =-~=-I=-=-~-JJ

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~ The San Joaquin County Historical Museum Gift Shop ~ II volunteers and staff are constantly searching for books and collectibles which reflect ~ ~ the exhibits and programs of the museum The shop enables buyers to purchase )J ~ merchandise that is both unique and original such as the San Joaquin County ~ ~ Historical Societys publications or works of volunteers The museum shop has ~ ~ expanded its hours from Wednesday through Saturday 100 pm until 445 pm ~I II The profits from the museum gift shop directly support the museum and its II1 educational programs II II ~

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f iiI~ San Joaquin County Historical II~ Society and Museum I PO Box 30 ~ Lodi California 95241-0030 Ibullf r r rii Address Correction Requested

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Organization 11 POSTAGE

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