A People’s History of the Inland Empire Digital Archive

George Overstreet Oral History

2024.021.004

Oral History

George Overstreet describes being born in Los Angeles, but moving to the Valley Truck Farms in the 1940s. Overstreet says that the Valley was better for his family than L.A., since his dad could buy property. His family opened a small cafe in the business development they built on the corner of Central and Waterman which he says became a space for the community to hang out. His grandmother ran the cafe, and he estimates that the business lasted for about a decade. At the time of the interview, Overstreet still lived in the Valley Truck Farms, and describes his experience of living through the community’s changes. He mentions witnessing more and more cement buildings being constructed, and houses being sold, and less and less people coming to visit him. He describes his porch as a once lively gathering place, but many of his friends had passed away in recent years. He ends by saying that the Valley Truck Farms was a good place to grow up, where neighbors were united in community.

Community life in San Bernardino

Local Business

Mill School

St. Mark's Missionary Baptist Church

Valley Truck Farms, San Bernardino (Calif.)

1950s-2023

George Overstreet

Jennifer Tilton

2023

A People's History of the I.E.

.mp4

English

00:10:53