1938, a 1936 Dodge sedan Hello, In 1966, when I first saw my wife walking down the hallway at our local, Long Beach State College, I knew there was a connection. I did not know it then, but something just hit. Sure…life long friend, companion, forever boy/girlfriend, road trip sidekick, and just someone to sit around/hang out was pleasurable enough. But all of these years later scouring our old family photo albums to scan into our external solid state hard drives for safe keeping, something did pop up that no one would have seen back then. My dad’s first real car after his college days was a 1936 Dodge Sedan. He used it to go all over So Cal on his baseball playing career, until he could figure out what, when, and where he was going to settle down. He never told us about his first car, the 36 Dodge. But, last year, up popped up a very old photo of him smiling and standing next to his first car. (9 Buick sedans since that first car) My wife’s dad was a family guy with roots in Oklahoma. His family goes back many generations in that state. The relatives all lived (or live…only two left) in several cities, but all centered in the general OKC and Norman areas. We had old photos of a 47 Buick Convertible, a 55 Chevy sedan, a 1950 Chevy two door sedan and what looks like a 37 Chevy Coupe. But, uncovering a recent family photo album revealed a new car that was never seen until now. We have family photos of other cars used during that early period in OKC and Norman, but until recently, no photos or mention of this 1936 Plymouth Sedan for the whole family. (at the time, my wife was the only child and two years old.) 1947, a 1936 Plymouth sedan Jnaki The interesting thing in one photo was a tall water tower in the background. So Cal does not have these in the areas that we grew up, but are prevalent all over the Midwest. It is also funny that there is no one left in the family, that knows anything about the 36 Plymouth Sedan and how it fit into the family experiences. So, was it fate that brought us together? Or, an auto factory similarity of family sedans that started the whole “car” thing, and attracted us back then? Nah…she just was a great person that made getting to know each other, all the better, during our early get-togethers! (and these 50 plus years of adventures in hot rods and not.)
That last one is a pretty "arty" shot. Light dark, curved lines-straight lines, roof line hood lines, hiding water tank.
Hey 6, Thank you for the nice comments, but I cannot take credit for that arty shot. It was a second shot in the old family photo album that I recently found. I am not sure what type of camera was used in 1947. My wife was two and has no idea about the camera or the car. I even colorized it with modern technology and it still did not show the actual color of the car correctly. Jnaki The white siding house in the background is also a mystery. Her mom is in the photo, but she is gone now and no one else in the family knows anything about the mysterious photo. The exception was that it was taken in OKC or Norman, OK. So, the research continues...
I have our family album that I promised to return to my sister in law before Christmas 6 or 7 years ago. When I was a kid I used to look through it and my mom and dad would tell me all about the people and places. I'm the only one now who has a clue about who is in the pictures and I don't remember who a lot of them are. It's OK I guess because no one else really cares. These were pioneers, real cowboys, ranchers, farmers, homesteaders in Texas and Oklahoma. Oh well I still remember some of them.
1947 SUMMER NORMAN, OKLAHOMA GREAT GRANDPA’S HOUSE Hello, My wife’s family origins were from the OKC area, in and around Norman, as well as in the downtown area. On one of our long road trips to a back East planned destination, we stopped in Oklahoma City for several days. We wanted to find the places where my wife was born and grew up. Her dad was a wanderer and his different jobs took the whole family back and forth from the OKC area to the So Cal’s West Coast and after a year or so, it was back to the OKC area and family ties. We have found several family photo albums over the years and have documented and saved them digitally. The latest photo (last week) was found in my wife’s, sister’s collection of family photos in one of many boxes in her garage. The sister has albums stored in the house closet areas, but these were the “extras” still in boxes, out in her two car garage. It was of their great grandfather who taught at the University of Oklahoma back in those early days. The big old brick house was a place to go during the summers and my wife remembers those times well. (It was, pre-little sister and brother days.) She had grandpa and grandma all to herself. This roadster was found in one of the early albums. It was documented as great grandpa’s (wife’s mother’s side) roadster he drove in his younger days. My wife and I took a journey to OKC several years ago. During those days of searching for the familiar houses was difficult. We covered 11 square blocks and found the elementary school and what we thought was the immediate family’s brick home. But, the other photos did nothing for our search. Times and remodeling have changed the landscape as well as homes. We gave up driving down to Norman, as the OKC search was a little disheartening. Plus, the road traveling eastward and the final East Coast shoreline, beckoned. (The total planned road trip was short lived in the next three hours of driving East.) Jnaki On our next planned visit Eastward, we will now have various addresses scribbled on a notebook paper that popped out of one of those (newly found) ancient photo albums. So, that will give us a directed start to relive history, from those very early days in OKC and Norman, OK. One of the addresses is on Ponca Ave. and is close to the University of Oklahoma.
Jnaki, you might want to explore using this website which can provide an overlay of historic aerial photos by year at selected addresses. The overlays show changes year-over-year. https://www.historicaerials.com/aerials.php?op=home
My Grandfather. Never knew him as he passed in 1949 but going through a collection of family photos i found this picture of him. He and my grandmother ran a few garages and gas stations from the 20's to the 40's Cliff Ramsdell Dodge Coupe? Plymouth?
1941-42 WICHITA, KANSAS 1939 PONTIAC COUPE Hello, It pays to have a garage/attic clean out and organization once in a while. My wife and her sister went through several boxes that they labeled many months ago, saying they would get back to them asap. ( This is the 2nd try at cleaning out those old photo boxes, there will probably be one more…can’t wait for other new photos to pop up.) But, if one were to look at that sister’s garage, it is a wonder they even found those family photo boxes. My wife is organized to no end and wanted to take that or those boxes home to organize them back then. Her sister knows that means a lot of the photos would bite the dust due to content, faded, fuzzy and just old photos that are hardly recognizable. My wife shows no mercy when cleaning out “old” stuff… No, the 15 year old dog and I are safe for now…Ha! When she told me that there were some older faded photos, I told her that once scanned into digital files, the computer photo programs can do wonders for old photos. Clarity, contrast, highlight, are some of the things that can be altered to make the photograph look like a photo, not an ink stamp. Some old photos are too far gone, but most can be saved. So, they battled over the latest batch and a prize popped up that was never seen before. A relatively clear photo of their mom right after they were first married and living in Wichita, Ka. Possibly one of the earliest, if not the earliest cars owned by their newly married mom and dad back in Kansas. The back actually had some information: My wife’s mom had named the coupe, “Lullabel.” She also wrote down 1939 Pontiac and Wichita, Kansas in 1941-42. Since her mom was at the University of Oklahoma in 1939-40, this must have been right after she got married and moved to Wichita, Kansas. Jnaki 150 from Texas Perhaps, it got sold and wandered over the state boundaries to end up in Fort Worth, Texas as a gas coupe. Recent research shows a 900 SF house on a long, narrow piece of property, upgraded since, but still recognizable. Single car garage attached to the main house FROM AN OLD THREAD 2017 WITCHITA, KA NEWSPAPER, 1941 First house for newly married great grandparents in Wichita, Kansas 1941 Hello, The great grandparents’ first house as newlyweds was this single story house in Witchita, Kansas during 1941. Old, not very big, not very expensive, but a great first home for newlyweds to start out for the long road ahead with many more houses and moves until 2006. Jnaki But, during 1943-45, they moved back to OKC to be near the rest of the family.
The last complete year in OKC Hello, In our family history, the incident in the 6th grade was one for the books. My wife has told me many times about going to several different schools in different states during that last year of elementary school back then. (now the 6th grade is part of the middle school program) She started off in OKC, transferred to the Santa Ana School District (So Cal) until they bought their house in Buena Park, (near Knott’s), where she was able to finish 6th grade. In that year, she said was so hectic that in a class assignment, they all spoke several sentences about them selves into a tape recorder. When it was played back, she remembers that she did not recognize that person. The girl who was speaking on the replay tape was so “out there, ” that it wasn’t until the teacher said that it was her voice. Now, when she tells me these stories many years later, she says, that it sounded like a little “Blake Shelton” speaking with an Oklahoma accent on that classroom tape in So Cal. Also, the 6th grade is important as it holds together the next big transition to junior high school. By being in one school and district, it bonds the local elementary school classes together to make the transition to junior high school much easier. Friends make the social gatherings flow for school day fun. So, what does 4 different schools and classes do for that transition? Jnaki Manhattan Beach in So Cal Those trips started in So Cal, Manhattan Beach, to OKC, back to Santa Ana, then to Buena Park in the family two door 1955 Chevy sedan. The back seat was fine for the 2 sisters to beat up on the little brother on those long empty highways. Well, at least she had a story of “…walking to school in the snow,” (OKC) as the classic story told to all grand kids…Ha! OKC
1947 OKC Hello, In the latest discovery of new photos from a box in my wife’s sister’s garage, up pops this photo of my wife running around a silver sided trailer. It was taken during 1947 in OKC and was in the batch of photos that showed a Plymouth sedan as the family vehicle at the time. We all knew about the Chevy and Ford sedans in the family history, but a 36 Plymouth and a shiny silver trailer was a new one. When our family moved to Long Beach in 1946, we lived in a giant trailer park. It was a WW2 government trailer park suited for the aircraft workers in the Long Beach area. By the time we got there, the park was relatively empty. But it was a trailer park. Long Beach Pacific Coast Highway and the LA River location. Currently, a Goodwill Industrial Warehouse Center. Wow, my wife in an OKC trailer park in 1947, me in a West Coast (Long Beach) trailer park 1947. What are the odds we would meet up 20 years later? After an early life in a trailer park as 2 year old toddlers? Jnaki There was something that connected our families over the years from this beginning. We eventually met in college and have been together ever since. Karma, interests, families, hot rods, beach lifestyle, school, feelings, etc. all played a part in our family history. Now, it is the third generation that has the family history opening up for them. There is one last similarity in our family trees. Her dad bought a 1936 Plymouth sedan for the family. In 1937, my dad bought a 36 Dodge Sedan for his first car in college. Those two histories that have lasted the test of time for 54 years) and current “locked in place” scenario. Being locked in place better be with someone you like, as it is nicer when all of the chips are down.
1941 Buick Fastback Sedan in 1947-48 Hello, My first introduction to cars was in 1946. My dad drove the family from Tulelake, CA in his 1941 Buick Fastback Sedan to Long Beach, CA. I did not know how long it took, but there were 4 of us. From the farthest reaches of the California state in the northeastern end, next to Nevada, 700+ miles one way to coastal Long Beach, CA. We ended up in a government rented trailer park near PCH and the LA River. This was home in a small 12 x 20 foot trailer. We were not alone as plenty of our extended cousins and other relatives also somehow ended up in the same trailer park. (It was originally built for aircraft workers at the nearby airfield and other industries.) So from 1946 to 1948, we lived in that place. By 1948, our dad had saved enough to buy a real small home in the far reaches of Long Beach, bordering on Wilmington, CA. It was a very small two bedroom one bath house with a huge fenced in yard. In the back portion was a separate garage and an oddball single room rental place. (One room studio with a bathroom.) We could have rented it out, but our mom did not want strangers living with us. So, it became our playhouse during rainy days. Jnaki Baseball brothers in 1948 1941 Buick Fastback sedan parked under the huge palm trees… Our dad was a good athlete in his high school-college days and played semi pro baseball for a team out of Los Angeles. But, he was not one of those fathers who forced his liking of a sport or activity on his two kids. He let us explore until we wanted to learn something with his help. Finally, after watching the two brothers play catch and hit, he realized that we needed some better baseball skills. “Hey kid, nice long distance hitting grip. Are you ready to bunt, down the line?” We did need some help and our dad was now in a position to offer advice and show us the correct way to throw, catch and hit the baseball. We improved and were able to contribute to the neighborhood park, baseball team and the school baseball teams from those early beginnings. Later on, he was a fixture at every one of my junior baseball competitions and was very proud when I did something great. By the time we were in high school, he went all of my football games. He enjoyed every minute of each game, except for the time I got “conked out” on the first game of the senior season.
Jnaki, Cool pics. If you can give me the address of that old house in OKC, I'll drive by and take a pic of it. She may not even remember the address.
This is a neat thread, seeing old photos of family and cars is the best. As for me I don’t know how I got this passion for old cars, as no one in my family had it. Dad had some neat cars when I was young, but to him they were just cars.
Hey R, Thank you for the offer... but we did the same thing on our road trip years ago. We drove by the neighborhood for blocks, took photos and thought we saw the original house. The last time my wife and I were in OKC was when we were on our cross country road trip to the Eastern seaboard during one hot summer. We visited OKC for two days and saw a bunch of old stuff. The main thing was a starting point for us, Putnam Heights Elementary School. The tall brick building looked the same as in the old days, but the new additions did not. From that point on, we searched in a grid pattern back down to 34th street. This is where we think the old house from 1954-55 was located. 1955 a friend sent us this 2017 photo It could be the correct house, as we see some similarities. All we have is that it was located on 34th Street within walking distance to the Putnam Heights Elementary School. Of course I was told of the old stories of having to "walk to school in the snow...etc" Jnaki We were planning on another trip to the Midwest to see some other relatives, but this pandemic stopped us. So for now, it is on hold. Thanks again for the offer... We are OK with what we have so far. But, digging through my wife's mom and dad's old files always brings up something new. They have both been gone for a while, but it is hard to go through all of the left over boxes of stuff. (some memories need to be in a box, too sad to read, etc.) So, we shall see.
Residents of Terminal Island would shop for goods along Tuna Street, stopping at the A. Nakamura store for their groceries and other goods. Hello, A friend sent me a photo from an archive he had access to privately. He said the name Nakamura sounded familiar. Well, in remembering the old stories that my mom used to tell me when I was a captive audience, this was one of them. My mom and dad lived on a second story of a building that had a fire station attached to the far, last wall of the two story building. She used to tell me of walking a short distance into the shopping area of the Terminal Island community way back then. The small community was spread out over several narrow streets. Our old, family grandma and her husband owned the little grocery store. It was on one of the streets parallel to the main drag that led to the Terminal Island Prison at the end of the peninsula. As long as my mom told the story and mentioned the grocery store, that was that. No other history, no other photos of the store, no other “family relative” stories from that time period. She just said who the owners were and the time period. Jnaki Then, one day much later, I found this old photo in her albums from 1951. Wayward Kid 1951 Terminal Island, Fish Harbor. Photo taken from the overhead walkway on Wharf St. In front of the fishing fleet. It was taken just down the street from the area where that grocery store was once open and thriving. https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/family-photo-album.1027947/page-13#post-12788007 Terminal Island History
My grandfather took this picture of his midget racer in 1947. The Ford was his daily driver. Somehow the passion skipped over a generation, as my mother and father had absolutely no interest in cars. Unfortunately, he passed away in 1971 when I was only four years old. What I wouldn't give to have spent more time with him.
1947 Long Beach, CA Hello, A "smirky," little gangster in his double breasted suit and cap looks like he could be a big time trouble maker. Posing in front of our dad’s 1941 Buick Fastback Sedan. But, what is that car on the right side of the photo? A Packard Coupe? Our family doctor did visit us several times as my dad and the doctor were good friends from their early 20 something days. The doctor could afford a Packard. Jnaki As the years moved on and we were able to afford a real house and yard, then the family doctor came over many times just for visits. He was then driving a black 1949 4 door Cadillac. His practice was at the old Seaside Long Beach hospital office buildings. Later on, in 1954, he moved to the largest house (custom built) in the Westside of Long Beach and the front half was his doctor’s office. We lived three blocks up the street from 1953 to 1998. It was on the border of Residential 1-2 areas allowing him to build a house and office workspace. No one complained because the doctor was always "in residence." The new Cadillac prompted my dad to trade in his 1941 Buick Fastback for a huge 1949 Buick 4 door Roadmaster. It was the start of his “every 4 years” of buying a new car (Buicks) mode until the last one in 1982.
O.K. Story time. During the war, my parents had a LaSalle. One night it got stolen and they resigned themselves to the fact that it was gone forever. A couple years later it reappeared in front of their house with a new paint job. Apparently, someone just borrowed it for awhile and painted it to pay for the usage. Doesn't work that way today.
OKC first house 1947 Hello, The first house for my wife at 2 years old was in OKC. It was a small single story house in the Norman area. Those days were filled with lots of outdoor play until the cold of the winter season arrived. The family car was a 1936 Plymouth Sedan. It was a stable time period as the job market was OK for her dad. In a few years, the hectic move to a larger house 23 miles away and a growing family moved them closer to their elementary school, Putnam Heights Elementary School. OKC 1947 The family's 1936 Plymouth Sedan… Jnaki From the times of the elementary school to the 6th grade, then the family started their Westward drive for a new job in So Cal. After several months, the move back to Putnam Heights area was down, creating havoc for my wife, as a 6th grade student. Before the school year was over, they had moved back to Orange County and she finished 6th grade there, Oklahoma heavy accent and all. Three elementary schools in 6th grade was not the most conducive way to enjoy the last era of growing up as a pre-teen. As powerful as inclusion in a new environment is concerned, the heavy duty Oklahoma accent (Blake Shelton type) was gone in several years of So Cal junior high school. By the time she went to high school, there was no accent at all and she was an official So Cal teen. When I met her in my classes in college, I thought she was a So Cal local from birth. Gone was the accent and now, it was all So Cal attire and look for the times. 54 years of …Yowza!
{ VA. HAMB } Todd your too cool for school!!!! {1983 and 2020} Same Girl, Same Car, Same guy taking the picture.Lol
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