FIRST MOTELS EMERGED IN LATE 20's

BUILDING A GREAT MUSEUM FOR THE SAN FERNANDO VALLEY

Rex Motel on San Fernando Road. Historic postcard - Gift to The Museum of the San Fernando Valley from Gary Fredburg 2014.  (click on image to enlarge it.)

By the time the Rex Motel was built in the 1930s, American travelers had gone from bringing camping tents along on their road trips to staying mobile-hotels. For many families, staying in a new-fangled motel was a luxury experience. Collecting motel postcards became a national fad.

CASTAIC FARM BOY HADDOCK BECOMES AN ARMY PFC IN 1942

BUILDING A GREAT MUSEUM FOR THE SAN FERNANDO VALLEY

Robert J.  Haddock

Private First Class. Robert J Haddock of the United States Army entered the service in October 14 space 1942. He had been a farmer prior to that date, and is the son of Mr. and Mrs. are Haddock of Castaic

HISTORICAL EVIDENCE ON VALLEY OFFICE WALLS

 BUILDING A GREAT MUSEUM FOR THE SAN FERNANDO VALLEY

Recently I discussed the importance of artifacts from all over the world that find their way to the San Fernando Valley. Tucked above home office desks and family rooms are a seemingly endless array of photographs and memorabilia related not only to the Valley but western civilization itself. Here are a couple of historical treasures in offices that I visited this week.

 

Igor Stravinsky Manuscript 1947

 

Fragment of the ballet Orpheus composed by Igor Stavinski in West Hollywood in 1947. Written by Stavinski, one of the most important classical composers of the 20th century.  the work was created for George Balanchine for hisworld famous ballet troop.

The great film producer Hal Wallis came to Los Angeles in 1923 and created films for Warner Brothers Studios until 1944. Some of his most important Valley featured films include the World War II classic Casablanca and Robin Hood. Wallis and his silent movie film star wife Louise Fazenda lived at Magnolia and Woodman in Sherman Oaks. Louise, one of the most successful silent stars was famous for her charitable works and concerned for the disadvantaged.  

 Automobile of Hal Wallis and Louise Fazunda in Sherman Oaks

Silent Movie Star, Louise Fazena - 1895 to 1962

GALPIN MOTORS BEGAN IN 1945

BUILDING A GREAT MUSEUM FOR THE SAN FERNANDO VALLEY

During World War II many things that we take for granted today disappeared from the commercial market. Modern necessities like tires, gasoline and sugar became so scarce that they were rationed by the Federal Government. The reason was simple, America's survival was believed at stake. Civilian cars and trucks disappeared, when companies like Ford and General Motors concentrated their production for military Jeeps and tanks.

Demand for new cards exploded when the war concluded, and dealers like Frank Galpin opened business at the perfect time. Galpin secured his Ford Dealership in the city of San Fernando in 1945. With a showroom for three new cars, Frank Galpin sold 46 a whopping post war automobiles in his first year.

Galpin Ford 1945 - San Fernando

CARRYING NEW BRUNSWICK HISTORY TO THE SAN FERNANDO VALLEY

BUILDING A GREAT MUSEUM FOR THE SAN FERNANDO VALLEY

Like nearly all of us who live in the San Fernando Valley,  Cyndee Wilson, patient coordinator for Progressive Physical Therapy in Woodland Hills, cherishes a family history that comes from far away. Valley residents often have photographs, news articles and artifacts that have migrated their way into our region along with their owners.

San Fernando Valley history does not exist in a geographic vacuum. Our people's stories are almost always interwoven with other locations and circumstances. Ranging from sentimental memorabilia like the wooden rocking chair from Iowa to the only remaining photograph of a grandparent lost in Europe'stragic holocaust, memories from the past can shape our emotions and thinking. 

These clippings owned by Cyndee Wilson provides graphic evidence of a time before UCLA's great athlete Jackie Robinson broke a 50 year color barrier that existed in American major league baseball.

One can only wonder what Earl Randolph Nelson would have achieved had he been able to compete in professional baseball.

"My Grandfather. Earl Randolph Nelson. Middle row, second on the left side closest to the manager. South End Royals of St. John, New Brunswick. Negro baseball league 1930."   Cyndee Wilson

Ray McIntyre Canadian middleweight Champion 'claimant' with his win over the noted Len Wadsworth.  McIntyre also took Ernie Roderick the distance for the British walter-weight title.

In 1993 Raymond McIntyre was inducted into the Canadian boxing Hall of Fame.  He was the middle weight champion of Canada in 1939. His hand was badly wounded during his service in World War II, preventing his return to professional sports.