This past weekend, my friend and I went on a hike. On our drive to the trail-head, we passed the San Antonio dam. I couldn’t help but think about Harold S. Stewart, who sat on the board of the San Antonio Water Company around the 1940s. His oral history recounted the building of the dam. Water still flows to that dam and is used by the Inland Empire today. After our hike, my friend and I went to a coffee shop that is inside an old citrus packing house.
At this point, I was reminded of Robert Nesbit who worked with the Pomona Fruit Growers Exchange in the 1940s and 1950s. The Packing House is right next to the railroad that was once used to export citrus from this area to the greater Los Angeles area. These particular places all throughout the area have very specific histories. It is important to know how these places come into being and what particular historical situations created them. Each time I go on a hike or go to get a cup of coffee, my understanding of space will be textured with oral histories. These stories are important as our community continues to grow and change because they can help us to imagine our future. I can’t help but try to imagine what Claremont will look like in 60 years and which stories will be remembered!