Where I Grew Up Circa 1958

[Jim Koepke]

One of my brothers transfered a lot of the old family 8mm movies to DVD.

Another brother posted one video of the road where we lived and our family's business was located, San Pablo Dam Rd. Circa 1958.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSBXLjvGhC4

Toward the end is a pan starting from De Anza High School where all but one of us attended. Our oldest brother went to Richmond High.

The pan continues, showing some new homes and vacant hills that have long since been covered with homes. The pan ends with a look down on San Pablo Dam Rd. showing a group of homes where the home we grew up in is still located.

Amazing what businesses are still there and which went away. There were two grocery stores and a third under construction. None of them are there today.

None of the gas stations had mini markets. All of the gas stations were true service stations. Only one or two are still servicing cars and one stopped selling gasoline.

jtk

[David G Baker]

Jim,
Back in 1973 I lived in a mobile home park about a block from Nation's Giant Burger and Payless. Don't remember if it was San Pablo Dam Road but it was close. I got a job at KGO-TV and managed their motion picture film processing lab. I rode the bus from San Pablo to the Transit Center in San Francisco. I ended up buying a house in Antioch and drove 100 miles every day from home and back. I liked the San Pablo/ El Cerrito area back then.

[harry hood]

That sounds like San Pablo Ave. right next to Pastime Hardware. The Nation's is still there, the Payless recently moved a little farther north to Richmond. Only 1.5 miles Hida Tools, it's a great neighborhood.

[Bruce Page]

It looks a lot like Van Nuys, CA., circa 1958 where I grew up.

[Thomas Hotchkin]

Jim
In 1958 I lived about the same distance from you then, as I do today. Does that say anything? ( Fairfax, California ) Thanks for link it was good to see, reminds me of San Rafael, CA. in 1958. Tom

[Jim Koepke]

Back in 1973 I lived in a mobile home park about a block from Nation's Giant Burger and Payless. Don't remember if it was San Pablo Dam Road but it was close.

I think there are still a few mobil homes left there after all the development.

A few years later I lived in some apartments on Willow Rd across the street from the mobile home park. As I recall, both were owned by the same family.

jtk

[Fred Perreault]

Growing up on the Cape through the 50's and on, we have seen major changes from a sleepy coastal fising/agrarian town to a bustling resort area. Being in the heavy construction business we participated in many of the physical changes.In 1965 when I graduated H.S., the population winter/summer was about 1900/10,000.... now it is 8500/40,000. It's still a nice place to be poor :) It was great to see the video and hear the appropriate music. I am a fan of history past, and feel that we should preserve as much of the details as possible. Great Job !