Oscar Morales Feb 29, 2020, Interview - Growing up in Menlo Park in the Late 1940's

We drove together through the neighborhood starting at the derelict gas station at W Congress and N Melwood, headed north. His first comments were about working at the gas station.

As we drove, I tried to make note of the addresses and turns as we make them.

My recollections:

McDonald gas station, had a Greek take out on the side

The Sterling building across Melwood from the gas station wasn't there

Perrone's house on Congress, Spanish heritage family owned a ranch by Sasabe. Oscar's sister married Richard, but lasted only 3 years, he was captured by the Japanese in the war.

Mostly bosque in this area

29 N Melwood Seguro family, bottled chilies

Son of Schwalen lived along here

53 ? - played piano late at night

Sand baseball lot

115 Tom Burk, detective

123 Oscar's house, Dad was a haberdasher. Prior owner, Ward, was a horticulturist and had many plants and great trees.

124 Oscar Morse. Film projectionist

129 Fire Chief - daughter Shirly married Gene Reed (Reed Park developer)

? Flat roof, Pilipino father, daughter was celloist at UA (Oscar was piano major at the UA.)

140 Frost, post office administrator

144 Alice Balby – Henry Schwalen sister. Had horses in the back

Harkle (sp?) stables in the back, also one of several pit swimming holes fed by water table back then.

No houses beyond toward St. Mary's, but around 249 Melwood? someone had an African lion.

Turned west and drove down Grande at the old fire station (Ward 1 office.)

Congress and Grande

NW was Harden gas station

SW Drug store

NE Grocery

SE vacant

Headed east on W Alameda (walk pathway to downtown businesses.)

Loss of architectural value of the Loui Dupont house north of Davila Circle. (The truth is people can do as they like with their homes.)

Davila Circle was there vacant back then except one house owned by a 'very smart lady'

South on N Linda Ave

Massei house

Garden of Gethsemane – original statues made of sand

Auto shop was there

Across Congress was a huge hole with water, (brick yard) was big enough to rent boats.

The Convento was still there. 'Corbet' had it knocked down for 'urban renewal'

South Melwood was more of an ethnic mix community

Headed south of Congress on Grande

S Grande had few cars back then – 'poor for the kids' car wash businesses.

West on Cushing, South on Melwood

Grandview and Nearmont Drives were there.

Little grocery store existed on S Melwood close to the Garden

Back on Grande Ave by Solomon Warner's house. Walls had already been taken down to current height

South of here was very rural