Saugus 1940s

Asparagus farming is a complex affair.  It often takes a couple of years after planting asparagus before spears are ready for harvest and then a given piece of land has a limited productive life before the asparagus yields become less productive because of over cutting and disease. As the Van Nuys asparagus farm became less productive, my grandfather San Tong began farming in the Saugus/Newhall area in the 1940s. By the 1950's the farm was in full operation and my father even made a movie of the Saugus farming operation.  Here are some photos from my father's childhood album of the Saugus ranch in the 1940's. My dad was about 12-14 when he took these pictures.  I will add his captions where they are available.

"Loon, Saugus, April 1942"
Loon's story is here.

"Dad at Newhall Ranch 1941"

"The fields at Saugus our ranch 1941"

"New Building, Saugus April 1942"

"Florene Boss, Saugus 1942"

"Norma Chan, Saugus, April 1942"

"Ann L. hiking at Saugus, 1941"

"Donald, Saugus 1940"

"My grandmother, Saugus, 1941"

"Ann L. Joan, Grandmother, picknicking near Cascade, 1941"
I think "Cascade" refers to the California water aqueduct cascade near Sylmar.

Here are some other pictures of Norma Chan a family friend back at the main ranch in Van Nuys.

"Norma Chan, Van Nuys Ranch, April 1942"

"Norma Chan and Shek Lewis, Van Nuys, April 1942"

Jue Family Steamship Voyages 1874 to 1918

In this post  I will discuss the transpacific steamships which carried Jue Joe and later his family from China to the United States.  Jue Joe emigrated to America in 1874 securing a position as a cabin boy onboard a steamship. He was 18 years old . At the time the Pacific Mail Steamship Company had regular bimonthly trips between San Francisco and Hong Kong with a stop in Yokohama Japan. The voyage took about five weeks.Crews were composed of a majority of Chinese men with American ship officers.   At the time Jue Joe emigrated to America he would have travelled on one of four trans oceanic wooden side paddlewheel steamships that were operating that year. The ships were the  sister ships the Great Republic , the China , and Japan  and  another similar paddlewheeler , the Alaska.  Another sister ship , the America  been lost in a maritime accident in 1872.

Great Republic

1867

1878 sold to P.B. Cornwall not renamed, 1879 wrecked on Sand Island, Columbia River Bar.

Here is some details of the Steamship "Great Republic".
"The vessel measured a massive 360 feet (109.73 meters) in length and 48 feet 6 inches (14.78 meters) in breadth. The two enormous paddle wheels spanned a full 40 feet (12.19) Great Republic’s engines had a single cylinder that was 105 inches (2.67 meters) in diameter with the piston reaching a twelvefoot (3.66 meters) stroke. Horatio Allen, the president of the Novelty Iron Works, actually held a luncheon party for twenty-two individuals within one of the cylinders as it lay on its side! Steam was fed into the cylinder via four horizontal tubular boilers which in turn were heated by four furnaces each, making a total of sixteen furnaces. Each furnace had a grate surface area of 560 square feet (170.69 meters), making the total heating surface area 15,100 square feet (4602.48 meters).106meters) in diameter.
The massive engines powered the equally enormous paddlewheels which measured 40 feet (12.19 meters) in diameter and carried thirty-four buckets.107 In addition to the powerful engine, all of the China liners carried a full complement of sails. Great Republic, as well as the rest of its sister ships, were bark-rigged, three-masted vessels. Though the ships were intended to rely upon their engines, steam engineering had not been fully refined to the point where complete trust could be placed in the engines. This was proven during a voyage when the Great Republic broke its paddle shaft and had to complete the rest of the voyage solely on sail power.

The ship was capable of carrying 250 cabin passengers and 1,500 passengers in steerage.118 Cabin passengers likened their furnishings to those of drawing rooms ashore and claimed that they were only surpassed by the finest accommodations found on Hudson River and Long Island Sound steamers. Chinese passengers remained below deck in steerage and never ventured on to the deck.

"You never see one of them on deck.”... wrote one first class passenger Hubner.
 Later in his journey, Hubner ventured below decks with the captain into the steerage area. "The Chinese quarter is on the lower deck. We have about 800 on board. They are all in their berths, smoking and talking and enjoying the rare pleasure in their lives of being able to spend five weeks in complete idleness. In spite of the great number of men penned into so comparatively small a space, the ventilation is so well managed that there is is neither closeness nor bad smells. The captain inspects every hole and corner-literally everything- and everywhere we found the same extraordinary cleanliness. One small space is reserved for the opium-eaters or smokers, and we saw these victims of a fatal habit, some eagerly inhaling the poison, others already feeling its effects.

William H. Seward, an American traveler who ventured across the Pacific aboard China in 1870, recorded a similar observation."In steerage there are five hundred Chinese returning home. They pay less than half price, and are fed with the simple fare of their country.Knowing no use of beds, they sleep on the floor. In the middle of the cabin they have made, with canvas, a dark room for opium-smoking.When on deck, they appear neatly clad, and amuse themselves with unintelligible and apparently interminable games of chance "

Despite being colored by the dominant racism of the time, both of these accounts relate interesting facts concerning life in Chinese steerage. Though not luxurious, accommodation in steerage quarters was simple and apparently not unpleasant" http://anthropology.tamu.edu/papers/Roberts-MA2008.pdf

Alaska

1868

1879 used as a hulk and store ship, 1885 ?

Chinese Emigration to America—Sketch on Board the Pacific Mail Steamship Alaska

"White steerage passengers paid higher fares than the Chinese, in part to cover the cost of more expensive American food. Wealthy Chinese merchants were free to cross the Pacific in first class, but most of them traveled in steerage where familiar food was available on the long voyage."

Auntie Soo Yin: "Jue Joe worked in First-Class, but I think he slept in "Steerage" with the Chinese at night. Although the ship may have had special quarters for service workers, I recall Ah Gung saying that Jue Joe "...slept on the wooden floor of the ship with lots of other Chinese." I can imagine how awed an 18-year old like Jue Joe must have felt as he stepped aboard this huge state-of-the-art ship to work as a cabin boy. What an opportunity for a kid from rural Sum Gong Village! And landing in SF, he had acquired the necessary skills that employers in America were looking for: An ability to interact with westerners and a resume with proven skills. His mother Lee Shee gave him 16-lbs. of rice for his long and arduous transpacific journey, and when he landed, he had less than a pound of rice left. Maybe there were no dining facilities for steerage folks and you had to supply your own food. I would think, however, that Jue Joe was able to supplement his diet as he had access to the kitchen pantry as a cabin boy. I wonder how he got the job? Who in Sum Gong had such connections to recommend him?"

 Here is a photo of the Steamship Alaska after it ran aground in Hong Kong during a typhoon in December 1874. It really gives a sense of the massive size of these wooden paddle steamers.  You can see two men standing on the deck at the stern of the ship.

Jue Joe returned to China in 1902. His immigration documents show that he departed San Francisco on the SS Nippon Maru.  This was a steam ship operated by a Japanese company,Toyo Kisen Kabushiki Kaisha (TKK)  The ship was built for TKK in Great Britain  in 1898 and was operated on the transpacific route - Hongkong-Amoy-Shanghai-Nagasaki-Kobe-Yokohama-Honolulu-San Francisco.
Here is a picture of the ship.

After making his fortune in America, Jue Joe returned to China in 1902 married and had two sons before returning to America in 1906 leaving his family in China.  Immigration documents reveal that he travelled back to America aboard the newly launched grand steamship  S.S. Mongolia which had had been put into service in 1904 only two years before Jue Joe booked passage.
Here is a postcard of the ship and below that a photo of the ship . 

“The S.S. Mongolia, recently completed by the New York Shipbuilding Co., of Camden, N.J., for the Pacific Mail Steamship Company, made her trial trip successfully January 27, 1904. The ship is the largest yet completed in America. “The Mongolia, and her sister ship, the Manchuria, were originally contracted for by the Atlantic Transport Line, but were subsequently taken over by the Pacific Mail Company and modified slightly for their trade on the Pacific, between San Francisco and the ports in Japan and China … The speed attained at trial was 16 knots. Provision is made for 350 first-class passengers. The crew will consist of 200 people. Chinese steerage accommodations on the upper deck provide for 1,300; this space is available for cargo when not so occupied.” – Journal of the American Society of Naval Engineers, Volume 16, by L.D. Lovekin, Esq., February 1904

From the wiki: “SS Mongolia was a 13,369-ton passenger-and-cargo liner originally built for Pacific Mail Steamship Company in 1904. She later sailed as USS Mongolia (ID-1615) for the U.S. Navy during World War I, as SS President Fillmore for the Dollar Line (1921-1938), and as SS Panamanian for Cia Transatlantica Centroamericano (1940-1946).

Mongolia

1904

1929 renamed President Fillmore for Dollar Line, 1938 transferred from Dollar Line to American President Line same name, 1940 sold to Wallem & Co., Panama renamed Panamanian, 1947 scrapped at Shanghai.

The "Columbia" was one of three sister ships that were purchased from another shipping line by the Pacific Mail Steamship line and were repurposed to transpacific oceanic ships after serving as coastal pacific steamers serving South and Central America and the west coast of the United States. In 1918, Jue Joe finally arranged passage for his wife Leong Shee and his sons, San Tong , and San You aboard the "Columbia" from Hong Kong to San Francisco. After arriving in San Francisco the family was detained at Angel Island and interrogated before being admitted to the United States.

Auntie Soo Yin:  "Posie (Leong Shee), San Tong and his brother traveled "First Class" aboard their ship to San Francisco. Jue Joe wanted his family to enjoy the luxury of a first-class cabin, and have the best in food and service. Ah Gung(San Tong) told me about an incident he had in the privileged dining room. After ordering his first American breakfast of bacon and eggs, the Chinese waiter asked him if he wanted "toashee" with his eggs. Ah Gung didn't know what "toashee" meant. And the waiter repeated himself many times. Finally, the waiter became so frustrated that he motioned to a table that had a piece of "toast" on a plate, and he said, "You don't know 'toashee?' Beats me!" The conversation between Ah Gung and the waiter had all been in Cantonese, except for the waiter's Anglo-slang word, "toashee." Ah Gung enjoyed telling this story!"

Attached is  a copy of the ships manifest for cabin 10 on the SS Columbia during the Jue Family voyage in 1918. The cabin had four people. Since each stateroom had enough room to contain "two lower beds" , This room must have had two bunk beds. The Jue family shared their cabin with a woman named Quai Ying Lee who was as far as we know was not a family member or friend .
Click the image to inspect in more detail. Interestingly,  further research reveals that the name Quai Ying Lee was used on multiple other occasions by women immigrating to San Francisco from Hong Kong and there is no further evidence of the name in any census records thereafter leading us to assume this was a paper identity.  More on paper identities here.

Colombia (2)

1915

ex- Colombia built for Koninklijke West Indische Maildienst, 1915 purchased not renamed, 1925 to Panama Mail SS Co., 1931 stranded on Margarita Island, Baja California and lost.

Jack's Photos at the Golden Gate International Exposition 1940

The Jue family went to the Golden Gate Expo in 1940 in San Francisco. The fair ran during 1939 and 1940 and the Jue family made the visit in the last year of the fair. This was an ambitious world fair that showcased new technology and the cultures and countries of the Pacific.  My Auntie Joan said she saw her first television at this fair.  My father Jack who was 11 at the time brought along his camera and shot these pictures at the fair.  My dad wrote about the pictures on the back and I have put his comments in captions. My Dad throughout his life loved taking pictures and movies. He most enjoyed taking pictures of friends and family rather then scenery. It was often said that he was friends with everyone. He had a funny,  easygoing way about him and really had a way of putting folks at ease and seemed genuinely interested in everyone's stories.  It seems that being a "people" person started pretty early. Just a few scenery shots in his album and lots of pictures of family and friends!

"Jack and Joan at Expo"

"Joan 9 years old, Expo, June 9, 1940"

"Fair, San Francisco, 1940"

"Sun Tower , Treasure Island"

"Fair, 1940"
(This is a picture of the "Gay Way" which was the Midway amusement section of the fair, probably tons of fun for my aunt Joan and my Dad who were 9 and 11 at the time)

"Chinatown , fair 1940"
( A group of Chinese merchants in San Francisco donated toward the construction of a "Chinese Village"  on the fair grounds complete with this pagoda.  Besides the Chinese section at the fair , there was a Japanese section. Little did folks realize at the time that war with Japan was only a short 1  year in the future and that Treasure Island would change from fairgrounds to a busy military base.)

Here is some postcards from the era illustrating the Chinese section of the fair.

Here are some other photos of family and friends at the fair. Looks like a big group went to San Francisco for the trip. Unfortunately, I don't know who all the folks were but I will let you know when I can.  Maybe other family members can identify the folks.

"Joan J, and Donald Z. at Expo "
(Joan J is my Dad's sister Joan and Don Z. a  good childhood friend.)

"Corrine, Treasure Island"
(Corrine was my Dad's aunt.)

"Irene, Clarice, Peewee .. Expo"

"Irene, Joan,   Expo"

"Bobby, Clarice at Exposition"
 (Auntie Soo-Jan: "I recognized and can identify Bobby and Clarice, but don't know who PeeWee is.  She could be a member of the same large family.  Bobby and Clarice are siblings from the Wong family.  They lived in the same neighborhood as our Los Angeles home.  Their parents, especially their Mother, known to me as Wong Mu, were close friends to my parents.  In fact, I have pictures of some of the Wong children (including Clarice) celebrating my first birthday.  I run into Clarice occasionally.  She lives in Orange County and we even go to the same hairdresser! ")



"Victor Y., Dorothy J.,  Harry J. , Lucie at Expo Park 6/9/1940"

(Dorothy J , is my father's aunt Dorothy )

Jack Jue's Lost Childhood Photo Album 1940-1941

Recently I found a wonderful photo album that my late father Jack Jue put together as a 12 and 13 year old boy on the Van Nuys Ranch in 1940 and 1941. Many of the photos have his writing on the back .  His sister Joan is 10 and 11 at the time.  There are also I think some pictures from the late 1930s as well. My Dad and his sister Joan were very close throughout their life. The closeness was accentuated by their mother's Rose death early in their childhood.  There are a few photos in the back of the album from later years but most are from the 1940 to 1941 era.

My Dad's captions are in quotes when they are available.
"Myself,  on Thunder, my horse , at Van Nuys Ranch , 1941"
(Auntie Soo Yin:Your Dad and Thunder are in an area that was a part of the Big Barn's corral in which Jue Joe had housed his 40 horses. This area later became a big chicken coop and small feed shed as Thunder's stable was moved to the end of the Packinghouse barns, across from an outhouse, and the corral was reduced in size. The Packinghouse (the one with a higher roof) and its connecting warehouse is shown in the photo's background. To the right of the photo is the backside of the Big Barn (the Barn's front faces Vanowen St.). Thunder was a black Morgan horse who was tough and strong in temperament.)

(From Bill in Missouri:  With the western saddle, spurs, cowboy boots, rifle and lariat your Dad could be mistaken for Roy Rogers on "Thunder". Thunder is no draft horse and I can tell from the pic that he's fit, healthy and well-cared for. I'm pretty sure the rifle is a lever action, likely a .22 going by the size, old-time crescent buttplate and tube magazine. No doubt there were produce robbing vermin on the place back then, and your Dad was prepared to deal with them ;-))

This is  my father's sister Joan on her horse.
(Auntie Soo Yin: Joan's horse was named, "Whitey," but its coat was all a chestnut-brown color. After Whitey died, Joan got a new horse named, "Blake." Blake had a white streak down its nose. I remember that both mares were so gentle! In the photo's background you see the Packinghouse's small window. There were more windows like this one on the structure, and when U.S. Marshals came with their paddy wagons to round up illegals (braceros who had overstayed their visas), the Mexicans in the Packinghouse dove through these windows to hide in ditches along the rows of asparagus. )

"Joan at Walker Ranch, 1940"

"Jack Jue myself at Van Nuys ranch on the old Cletrac 1941"

(note: "Cletrac" was a brand name of the Cleveland tractor company. Here is a history of the company. The old tractors are now in museums and antique collections. This is a model E. )

(Auntie Soo Yin : Backdrop is the backside of the Packinghouse, and the backside faces a soon-to-be-built new house. The backside shows a pile of roof shingles and firewood against the building. Stray cats liked to birth their kittens in that wood pile, or in a stack of concrete irrigation bowls that Ah Gung had made for the asparagus fields.)

"Me on Cletrac 1941"
(note: this is a newer improved  Cletrac tractor- model HG . This was a pretty special new tractor introduced in 1939 -"Between 1916 and 1944, Cletrac produced some 75 different tractor models, one of which was the HG. Introduced in 1939, the little HG crawler was powered by a Hercules IXA-3, 3” X 4” engine that developed about 14 drawbar horsepower. In Nebraska Tractor Test No. 324, of August, 1939, the 3500 pound Model HG pulled 2800 pounds, almost 80% of its own weight while using 1.5 gallons of gas per hour.")
(Auntie Soo Yin: The gas pump was still in use up to the late 1950s until its pipe in the ground rusted and gasoline was spilling into the earth. In upper right of photo you see Jue Joe's Pumphouse that housed his artesian water well inside. Farm folks used to dig their own water wells before piping was introduced on farms and in homes. Jue Joe made a table to cover the open well by sawing a large wooden cable in half. According to San Tong, his father ate at the table sometimes with his ranch hands. After Jue Joe died in 1941, San Tong moved his family to the Ranch and he padlocked the Pumphouse so that his kids would not play in there by the well. One day I accompanied my father San Tong to the Pumphouse to watch him remove the table in order to pour oil down the well. The oil killed mosquitoes. I remember that the well was still filled with water...green looking. )

"Joan on Cletrac, 1941"
(From my friend Bill from Missouri who knows tractors: Great find to locate the second picture, the tractor looks shiny and new. Back in those days only the most prosperous and modern farms used tractor power as draft animals were still in common usage. It's telling that the horses on the place back then were obviously for pleasure, not work. It was about that period of time that most tractor manufacturers introduced "styled" or "streamlined" tractors, with older versions referred to as "unstyled". Usually power train, undercarriage components and even model names remained the same but these newer tractors were gussied up with rounded, more modern appearing sheetmetal. Apparently the Cletrac HG was offered initially in an unstyled version and later in a styled version which is what your Grandpa had, no doubt it was state-of-the-art back in the day.)

San Tong (Jack's father)
(Auntie Soo Yin: San Tong in Ford Coup: I think this was at an alley of the San Pedro St. warehouse and shipping dock.)

Corrine ( Jack's Aunt), Leong Shee (Jack's grandmother), Jack and Joan on a trip to Catalina in the late 1930s.

San Tong and Joan onboard the ship to Catalina

"Jack and Joan at Expo"
(This photo was taken at the Golden Gate International Exposition on Treasure Island in San Francisco in June of 1940, more pictures and info here.)

"Jack Jue , Donald Zinmerly"

"Joan and Lloyd at Van Nuys, 1940"

"Joan , Lloyd Ballard on Besty at Van Nuys , 1940"
(Auntie Soo Yin: Behind Joan and friend was a walnut tree, and behind the walnut tree was a big washing basin to clean the black asparagus seeds before shipping the seeds to Germaine Seed Co., the buyer. The Jue Joe business made about $20,000 a year just from Germaine. Note the roof of the Packinghouse barns, too. These flocks of pigeons were the first ones lured into our big chicken coop and were the ancestors of many generations of cooped pigeons who gave us happy "squab" meals.)

"Joan at Van Nuys, 1940"

(Auntie Soo Yin:This photo shows the backside of Posie's cottage. In back of the cottage Nectarine trees grew and Joan is holding a ripe one. In the upper left of the photo you look toward the future Archwood St., and to the left of the photo, although not shown, is DeCelis road. DeCelis was a dirt wagon trail that Jack and Joan rode horseback on as they traveled toward Sepulveda Dam and beyond. )

"My grandmother at Van Nuys Ranch , 1941"
(Auntie Soo Yin: Posie worked hard on the Ranch. Behind Posie are Eucalyptus trees that lined Vanowen St., which was a dirt road until Margaret Farlow campaigned to have it paved. You can see the main entrance to the Ranch from Vanowen St., between the clusters of trees. Later the entrance was gated, and still later, a side gate to the Ranch was opened from DeCelis and we used the DeCelis entrance from then on.)

"Joan Jue at Van Nuys, ps first picture of flash camera, 1941"
(Auntie Soo Yin: This is the interior living room of Posie's cottage that on one side was the kitchen and the other side was the dining area...all in one room. To the photo's right was the front door. Next to Joan's shoes on the clapboard floor, though not shown in this photo, were 2 termite holes. And as Auntie Soo-Jan had said, asparagus shoots sprouted up through cracks in the floorboard. I remember that couch, too. After my nap, my mom would place me on the couch with Posie while my mom worked at the stove. I remember Jack and Joan waving at me, one time, and I squealed with happiness. To the left of the photo was a hallway that led to the bedrooms. The Mexican throw rug was used to block out the strong afternoon sun behind the couch because the windows faced west. Later, this cottage was also the home of Jimmy and Ming Loon in their early years.)

"Joan Jue, my sister, 1941"

"Joan, June 1942 , Van Nuys"

"Jack Jue, Van Nuys, June 1942"

"Loone at Van Nuys Ranch 1941"
(Auntie Soo Yin: I remember Cousin Loon's hat. Loved playing with it. You can see Posie's ivy-covered cottage to the right of photo, which is the front of the house. In the background is the Vanowen St. driveway, and opposite on Vanowen St., you can see David Frazer's house. David was Uncle Guy's boyhood friend and they used to go horseback riding together. The Frazer's had a friendly red setter dog named, "Rafferty" who loved playing with us kids.)
(Loon's story is here.)

Here is another picture of Loon 3 years earlier  in my father's album. It has the "S'38" on the back.
(Auntie Soo Yin: This is Cousin Loon (Chan Lum) in 1938 standing in front of Posie's cottage. He was 22-years old, having arrived from China only six-years earlier at the age of 16 (the age that I was told). In regard to "S'38," your Dad might have meant "Spring 1938" because Cousin Loon is wearing a lightweight jacket, and the foliage behind him looks fresh and young. I think he was living in the cottage with Posie and Dorothy at this time. Jue Joe seemed to prefer living alone in his cabin.)

 "Frank the Dog , April 1942 Van Nuys
(Auntie Soo Yin and Auntie Soo Jan: In the foreground you see the "Put-Put" car. It was a royal blue Packard and had no brakes. The car sputtered as you drove it and that's why Joan named it Put-Put. She and Barbra Reber used to tear up over Sepulveda Road to UCLA every day in that car. Joan would drive and Barbra would pull the handbrake to slow it down for their hairpin turns. In the background you see the Pierce-Arrow on the right. The back of the Pierce-Arrow is curved to give it its signature style. Don't know what make car on the left, in front of the tree. )

My Dad had a new brother and new sisters after his father remarrried  and he took their pictures.

"Joan with Jane and Guy at Van Nuys, 1941"
Actually Jack's sister is Soo-Jan but he calls her Jane in the caption

(From my Auntie Soo-Jan:
With regard to the photo in 1941, in which Joan was holding my hand and Guy’s, we were 3 yrs. and 2 yrs. old, while Joan was 11.   Jack’s caption named us as Joan, Jane and Guy.  An explanation for why “Jane” is that my birth certificate lists my name as Soo-Jane Jew.  I must have been called Jane when I was a toddler.  However, I have no memory of that, only that I grew up using the name Soo-Jan.  I think that my Dad dropped the “e” which then makes the phonetic sound of my Anglo name an exact match to the pronunciation of my given Chinese name, which was his intention.  This bit of information clears up one puzzle in these old treasures that you are “excavating."
Auntie Soo Yin: They are standing in front of an apricot tree near Posie's cottage. The tree had a ring of stones around it, and later, additional plants surrounded the tree in a circle to bring more shade. San Tong added a drinking fountain inside that circle for us kids. We liked to play there because the apricots when ripe were so sweet to eat and very abundant.)


Here are some other undated pictures in my Dad's album.
A later picture of his sister Soo-Jan and brother Guy
(Auntie Soo Yin: Upper right of photo is location of the future new house. The big house would come pretty close to the grove of Eucalyptus trees in background. Behind the trees would be a future smaller corral that later became Senator's stable and corral, Uncle Guy's horse.)

My Dad's sister Pingeleen.
(Auntie Soo Yin: Cute cute! Again you see our main entrance and Vanowen St. beyond. Also, there is clear picture of David Frazer's house on the opposite side of Vanowen St)

Ping, my Dad's Stepmother on the left  and Dorothy, my Dad's Aunt on the right in 1944 at the Van Nuys Ranch.
(Auntie Soo Yin: The woman in the plaid jacket is Dorothy standing with my mom Ping. If the year was 1944 Dorothy was 22-years old in this picture. This is because my mom had told me that at Jue Joe's funeral, in 1941, Dorothy was 19-years old and was attending USC. In that same year she was still living with Posie in the cottage when Cousin Loon (Chan Lum) ran over to tell her and Posie that Jue Joe had fallen critically ill. The three rushed to Jue Joe's cabin and Ah Gung was immediately called. In 1944 I don't think Dorothy was living with us in the cottage on the Ranch. I think she returned to live with us only after Ah Gung had built the big new house and had gathered our whole extended family together under one roof.)

My Dad's aunt Dorothy with sister Soo-Jan and brother Guy.
(Auntie Soo-Jan: Dorothy with myself and Guy. Guy and I look to be 6 and 5. The clothes that I’m wearing (corduroy overalls) are what I wore to school in kindergarten as a 6 year old (1944).
Auntie Soo Yin: Dorothy would have graduated from USC, perhaps at the time of this photo. I remember that in her early 20s she bleached a streak of her hair white and wore her hair swept up in order to show it. I'm guessing that Dorothy started grad studies at John Hopkins University or was planning to do so, and she had come home for a visit, whether from John Hopkins or from her apartment in Los Angeles. I inherited your corduroy overalls from Pingy, and, now, know who the outfit had originated from, LOL, LOL! It was still in great shape when I got to wear it.)

My Dad's Sisters Soo-Jan and Pingy at the Van Nuys Ranch
(Auntie Soo Jan: This photo is of Pingy and myself. We look to be about 7 or 8 and 3 or 4 years old (1945/ 1946) and standing in back of the shed that eventually became the bathhouse of Pa Pa Kurihara with the big walnut tree at the south end of the barn.
 Auntie Soo Yin :The big walnut tree with its white trunk was standing next to Jue Joe's cabin. Under this walnut tree was where Cousin Loon (Chan Lum) parboiled chickens and pigeons in big oil drums in order to pluck the feathers off easy. This procedure was the first step in preparing poultry and squab for our dinners. I remember helping Cousin Loon sometimes, and I think my siblings did too. The barn in the left of the photo is the Big Barn that faces Vanowen Street today! The shed with the flat roof did enclose Papa Kurihara's outdoor Japanese bathtub, and behind this bathhouse stood Jue Joe's cabin, then the schoolroom (his office) across a cement patio. That schoolroom opened into a tool shed where Jesus used to work on an iron anvil, being the Ranch's blacksmith.)

"January 1947, Guy"
(Auntie Soo Yin: think those are Nectarine trees in full bloom behind Posie's cottage)

A photo also in 1947 of Guy, Soo Jan and Pingeleen during construction of the big new Van Nuys Ranch house.
(Auntie Soo Yin: They are standing in front of the"Den Room." The Den was once Dorothy, Cousin Loon, your Dad and Uncle Guy's bedrooms at different intervals. To the right of photo you see the flat roof of an open brick veranda at the back of the new house. Later, San Tong turned this into an indoor porch, and the flat rooftop is where us kids skated on. You can see the window in Soo-Jan's bedroom where we climbed out and skated down the shingles to the flat portion. Fuzzy, the cat, liked to park himself in front of the window, too, until Soo-Jan would let it in. This was Joan and Jack's bedroom first, then Jack moved to the Den when it became available, and Joan moved to the bedroom downstairs next to Posie when that became availabe (the one that is used today as a ticket office for a tennis club).)