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All McDowell kids gathered in front of 1940s car in the Valley. From left to right Edison P. McDaniels (holding baby Donna), McKinley McDaniels (Dorothy McDowell’s older brother from first marriage), Leotra (later married Singer, later lived on Foisy), Betty McDowell (later Jennings), Dorothy, Alice, then cousin Joe Lloyd (mother is an aunt also lived in the Valley for awhile), last girl is Lily. Dorothy born in 1931 so image is probably from 1937. Ola McDowell had a total of 7 kids with Willis and 3 with earlier husband McDaniels (one died).
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Ola & Willis Richard McDowell Sr.
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Ola McDowell sitting in front of mailbox on Norman Road
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Ola McDowell (left) & Bessie Watkins (right) on Norman Road Dec 1950 in front of Ola McDowell’s house on Norman Road. (Bessie Watkins is dad’s mom)
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Erma Lee Golden & Ruth Redd (in white), best friends at St. Mark's Missionary Baptist Church.
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Reverand F.R. Williams was the pastor of St. Marks Baptist Church from 1947-1987, and was a mentor to Pastor Harper. He is pictured here on the program with his wife Lucille Williams. The inside of the program praises the Williams and provides an itinerary for the sessions. Rev Williams is Lynette Golden Scott's grandfather, still a member of St. Mark's Missionary Baptist church.
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Caroline Harper (left) and Lucinda Harper (right) in formal attire inside St. Mark's Missionary Baptist Church. Lucinda Harper, widowed by a drowning accident, raised her children, including Pastor Percy, in San Bernardino County. She worked as a teacher’s aide and in Child Services, relying on community support for stability (Truck Valley Farms Scrapbook, 2019).
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Sister Jessie Douglas (red suit) and Manuel Harper in their formal attire posing for a photo inside the St. Mark's Missionary Baptist Church. "Sister Jessie Douglas moved to San Bernardino in 1946. At St. Mark’s, she was a mission teacher, worked with teenage girls, sang in choirs, taught Sunday school and VBS, and ran a phone ministry for hospital workers. She advised youth to uphold God's principles and connect with older generations" (Truck Valley Farms, 2019).
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A portrait of Essie Green standing next to a dog outside the exterior of St. Mark's Missionary Baptist Church. "Sister Essie Green, left, joined St. Mark’s when she moved from Pasadena in 1949. She served as an usher, counselor, Pastor’s aide, and committees she assisted were flowers, kitchen, and General Mission. Her advice was to live for God, yield to Him, and love and help others" (Valley Truck Farms Scrapbook, 2019).
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Two men seated inside the Fellowship Hall of St. Mark's Missionary Baptist Church during an inspirational choir Christmas party in 1997. On the left is Harrison Crump, a musician for St. Mark's. On the right is Reverend Samuel Lewellen.
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A photo of the corner properties where the Spotlight Cafe, Pool Hall, hair salon, and other businesses that were run by the Overstreet family at the corner of Waterman and Central.
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A photo of Pablo Gonzalez, who is the husband of Rosalyn Overstreet, and Oscar Overstreet roasting a pig in the backyard at 24336 Pioneer in the backyard of Essie Green's home.
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A photo of Oscar Overstreet and 5 men in a group picture standing side by side, all in formal wear. From left to right is Oscar Overstreet, Sherwood Warren, George OVerstreen, Elwood Warren, Ronald Warren, Patrick Overstreet. You can see Allen Chapel A.M.E. Church in the background.
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A photo of Oscar out and about with a sign advertising for a store names "Western Auto" and Clayton Hotel behind him.
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Sydney and Myrtle Overstreet pose infront of their house on 376 E Norman Rd.
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Sydney Overstreet singing in his group, the Harmony Aces. One of the members is playing the guitar and all four members are singing into a microphone that is the labelled KHJ. Behind them are various signs that have pictures of seashells with musical notes.
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A photo of the second grade class that attended Mill Elementary School in 1945. A young Oscar Overstreet can be seen behind a young girl situated to the left of the teacher.
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A photo of children standing by a clothesline; from left to right is Jean, Don, Joyce, and Marcellus.
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A photo of Nell Carroll who grew up in the Valley, dressed in a pencil skirt, heels, and longsleeve top posing with her hands on her hips in a yard. Behind her a swingset and house can be seen.
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Aunt May Warren is wearing a white floral pattern dress with an apron hanging around her waist. She is also wearing a pair of hoops and behind her an old house and a clothes line hanging a blanket can be seen.
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A black and white photo of New Canaan Church on Waterman near Central built in the early 1950s. Dennis Green's family were members. It is now a Filipino church.
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A photo of Denise Brue Clopton, Otis Clopton, and Willie Brue dressed for Christmas with a Christmas tree in the background.
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A photo of Essie Martin Green and her six daughters: Patsy, Essie, Zoie. Backrow Erma, Opal, Lorena, Annette and her oldest son Daniel.
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David Blackburn discusses his upbringing in the small Valley Truck Farms community in San Bernardino. He describes the collaborative spirit of the community and how it fostered creative, ambitious, and caring individuals. He recalls stories of growing up and the ways he and his friends would play after school, with the rural Valley landscape as their playground, where they would make tunnels and underground clubhouses. He shares his experiences with segregation and stereotyping in school and later in working for the Sheriff’s Department. He also explores how the Valley Truck Farms changed in the 1980s as it was zoned for industry, expressing that he might not recognize the area at all today if he went back. While recalling stories of the good old days with his family, David Blackburn stresses the importance of keeping stories and memories alive.
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The Saville sisters and Robert Bland describe growing up in the Valley Truck Farms community in the 1930s and 40s. The Saville sisters describe their parents' 5 acre property filled with fruit trees and gardens, and the rural landscape of the Valley where they could collect watercress from the creeks and where Robert Bland remembers swimming in the irrigation canals. They tell stories of going to Mill School before Dorothy Inghram taught there, and share memories of neighborhood businesses. Robert Bland describes his time growing up between Kansas and San Bernardino, and how Barbara Saville met and married Robert Bland after WWII. They describe how Norton Air Base changed the community, Barbara Bland’s work at the base, and how the area changed over time.