Go West, Young Man, and Grow Up With the Country” - This bit of timely advice is credited to journalist Horace Greeley, but research actually attributes the saying to John Souls about 1851. Greeley used the quote in an article he wrote for the New York Tribune.
Having visited Vacaville in early 1917, my father came back to his small Colorado farming town and joyously spread the news that “We are going West.”
Returning from his Vacaville visit, my father brought back with him a small quantity of fresh fruits, including figs. Our family of nine had never seen a fresh California fig, and I was as proud as a flustered peacock when I took one to school and conspicuously displayed it on my desk.
An inquisitive teacher asked for identification of the fruit, and when I told her it was a fresh fig, she held it up so that all of the students of that second grade class could see the fruit. I had suddenly become the center of attention, because Johnny had a fresh fig. It was embarrassing to hear those students chuckle and repeat “Johnny has a fresh fig.”
Enamored by what he saw in Vacaville, the miles and miles of orchards and vineyards, it was an easy decision to assemble the brood, pack into a freight car all of the family possessions and farm equipment, plus a team of horses and a flock of chickens. Two of my brothers went along with the freight car as it meandered on its long journey to Vacaville. The remainder of the family traveled by SP passenger car.
Not many days later, the small town of Vacaville, with a population of 1,254 residents, and an average annual 10-year growth of about eight newcomers, suddenly saw its population count increased by nine as the Rico entourage invaded the town.
On Monday of this week birthday No. 72, made me realize that the years have rolled on surprisingly fast. On a September day back in 1924 I took permanent employment with The Reporter, and ever since that decision, I must admit 57 years of exciting, hectic, frustrating and enjoyable days have been a part of my life.
I believe those of us who have been blessed with long years on this earth, have had the privilege of witnessing the greatest revolution in history.
The year 1917 not only was the one in which the Rico family became a part of the community, but the United States had declared war on Germany (April 6, 1917). In June of that year Uncle Sam pointed his finger at all young men between the ages of 21 and 30, and said: “I need you.” Mandatory registration for the draft uncovered 344 young Vacaville men in that age bracket. Amazing was the count of 194 aliens, including in the total, many Japanese.
In the first quota of 97 men from Solano County to be called into training on Sept. 5, 1917, were two from Vacaville, William M. Souza and Rutherford B. Hayes. On Sept. 19 the names of George L. Martel, Alfred Borges (Elmira), Ralph F. Christopher, Walter A. Hilden, Kazma Matsushara and Richard S. Baynes, were among the contingent called up from Solano County.
In my 57 years on Main Street, I have been privileged to witness a revolution in our way of life; the transition of the small town atmosphere to its present city status. I can remember the days of men pushing brooms along Main Street to clear away the droppings of the hundreds of horses in use here in that era.
In those 57 years there has been a complete transition of faces along Vacaville’s main thoroughfare. The cracker barrel and coffee grinder are no more in downtown stores; the watering troughs for the horses have long since departed from the scene; hitching racks are no more; and the clang of anvils at the many blacksmith shops have silenced.
We all were skeptical when they told us the day was at hand when we could receive sound without wires. I can remember the delight when wearing earphones and listening to music being, transmitted all the way from San Francisco. And then there was the advent of a revolutionary new gadget called television; and talking pictures which bring back memories of Al Jolson.
There was the advent of the automobile which was gaining prominence in the period between 1910 and 1920. I can well remember being given a test drive in a new car possessing sufficient power to travel the road over Bennett Hill without shifting gears.
Fast food outlets were to be a part of the future; frozen chicken dinners and pizza were not as yet a part of the scene. No one worried about the price of gasoline, because it was cheap and long trips by auto were rare occasions. Many of us can well recall the unbelievable scene of miles and miles of blossoms making their appearance on tens of thousands of acres of fruit trees. We witnessed the rise and fall of the fruit industry.
We miss the whistle of the freight trains as they came to Vacaville twice each day to haul away the carloads of freshly packed fruits. We can still smell the aroma of coffee brewing in an old can over an open fire being attended by a knight of the road, a fruit tramp, or a common bum, who came here to work for a day or two to get enough cash so that he could “move on.”
The dark days during my 72 years will place on top the four wars in which U. S. troops participated, and the sadness suffered by Vacaville families as they received news of the loss of a beloved member. There were the boom days before the stock crash of 1929; then the depression years which followed and families were forced to go hungry. Then came the spend and spend’ years inaugurated by Roosevelt’s New Deal, which has catapulted the nation into a financial crisis today.
People have asked me, had I had the opportunity to repeat my way of life, would I suggest any changes. My one greatest error was not completing my high school years, thus depriving me of the enjoyment of youth which is essential to boys and girls alike. And of greater satisfaction is the enjoyment of seeing a family member continue in his father’s footsteps, bring accolades not only to the newspaper, to himself and his family, but also to his parents. I am glad to have lived my lifestyle and to have been privileged to have been a part of a community like Vacaville, with the thousands and thousands of wonderful people who I have been able to call my friends.
Link: http://articles.solanohistory.net/7063/ | Solano History Database Record
Printed From: http://articles.solanohistory.net/7063/ | http://www.solanohistory.org/record/7063
Vacaville Heritage Council