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Description
This 1993 historical documentary, produced by the Cupertino City Channel, chronicles the early days of Cupertino through oral histories provided by members of some of the city's pioneer families. These personal narratives are supplemented by historical photographs donated by the Cupertino Historical Museum and the families themselves.
This video is one in a series of programs presented as part of the Cupertino City Channel's digital video archive project.
A
A
The
family
holds
an
essential
place
in
all
our
lives:
it
spans
generations
and
transcends
cultures.
It
provides
a
support
system
and
helps
us
form
our
identities.
Our
families
and
our
histories
give
us
a
sense
of
place
and
a
sense
of
belonging
as
Alta
California
changed.
The
lives
of
its
families
changed
the
first
families,
the
Ohlone
people
had
new
cultures
and
new
beliefs
imposed
upon
them
by
the
Spanish
and
Mexicans
Mexican
and
Spanish
family
settled
in
the
Cupertino
area,
in
the
1700s
and
by
1850
of
a
to
found
themselves
overrun
by
the
next
wave
of
immigrants.
A
The
greatest
influence
on
the
changing
cupertino
family
came
from
those
arriving
between
1840
and
1920,
the
search
for
a
new
life
for
gold
or
land
for
adventure,
or
for
the
chance
to
pursue
the
American
dream,
drove
these
settlers
across
the
Isthmus
of
Panama
across
the
plains
and
over
the
treacherous
snow-covered
Sierra
Nevada
mountains.
Some
of
those
who
arrived
safely
to
fabled
California
chose
to
make
Cupertino
then
called
Westside
their
home.
A
B
My
grandfather
came
over
here
in
1872
and
he
worked
as
a
foreman
at
the
Villa
Maria,
which
was
the
Jesuit
priest.
They
had
a
winery
there
and
he
was
the
little
old
winemaker,
I
guess
or
he
took
care
of
the
vineyards
and
then
then
1882.
He
went
to
Italy
and
this
is
the
northern
part
and
he
married
Teresa
chickaletta.
But.
B
I
think
he
came
the
way,
I
understood
it.
He
came
here
and
when
he
got
back
the
Jesuit
priest
said
I
think
you
should
now
that
you're
married
you
should
go
and
get
some
properties
for
yourself
and
go
up
in
Montebello
there.
They
didn't
call
this
Montebello,
then
he's
the
one
that
named
it,
and
so
he
got
came
up
here
and
he
got
160
acres.
B
A
Families
traveled
thousands
of
miles
together,
sometimes
taking
years
to
finally
settle
in
West
Side.
Sometimes
children
completed
the
immigration
that
had
been
started
by
their
parents.
William
Ragnar
sailed
from
London
in
1870.
After
attempts
at
mining,
he
purchased
over
150
acres
of
land
to
plant
prunes
and
grapes.
William
Ragnar
senior
returned
to
England,
with
sons,
Robert
and
Arthur.
William
jr.
and
Harry
regner
stayed
in
cupertino
and
became
the
fathers
of
generations
of
Cupertino
Records.
A
D
Great-Grandfather
from
England
came
with
his
family
of
four
boys
and
he
came
to
Cupertino
and
seemed
to
love
it
there
and
purchased
land
in
1870,
but
eventually
the
family
all
went
back
to
England,
but
my
father
afterwards
left
England
and
went
to
San
Francisco
at
the
age
of
19
to
21
where
he
become
a
Salesman
but
I
think.
Maybe
he
became
bored
with
that
and
knew
that
the
grandfather,
great
grandfather,
my
great-grandfather,
had
purchased
land
into
patina.
So
eventually
he
went
to
Cupertino
to
farm
the
land
that
was
left
to
them.
E
My
mother
and
father
came
from
Denmark
and
my
father
came
here
in
1917
8
and
they
lived
about
Oh,
20
20
kilometers
apart
in
Denmark,
but
never
knew
one
another,
and
my
father's
father
was
a
farmer,
grain
farmer,
sugar
beets
and
so
forth.
Had
a
dairy
and
my
mother's
father
was
a
carpenter
building
homes
and
so
forth,
and
they
can't
when
they
came
here
to
the
United
States.
A
F
Father
after
my
mother,
after
Victoria
came
over
here
they
were
neighbors
in
Yugoslavia
Palmieri,
any
the
family
were
friends
and
he
was
very
disappointed
that
she
came
to
America.
So
he
finally
just
convinced
his
parents
to
let
him
come
so
in
1902.
They
gave
him
$40
and
bought
him
a
ticket,
and
he
arrived
in
New
York,
where
he
went
to
work
in
a
coconut
factory
until
he
made
enough
money
to
get
to
California.
F
He
came
to
California
and
went
to
work
in
a
Cooper
shop
as
a
Cooper
and
a
wine
taster
in
San
Francisco
one
day,
the
swirlix
family
went
to
visit
this
family
that
my
that
Palmieri
Annie
was
living
with,
and
here
was
Victoria
who
we
hadn't
seen
since
they
left
in
1900.
So
they
made
it
got
acquainted
again
and
he
would
drive
a
ride
on
his
bicycle
I
here,
sometimes
to
tell
it
to
Cupertino
to
see
Victoria
and
the
family,
or
he
would
ride
the
train
to
Sunnyvale
and
then
bring
his
bicycle
and
ride
to
Cupertino.
A
Between
1840
and
1950
Cupertino
was
a
viticultural
and
agricultural
area.
Many
families
either
had
farm
or
ranch
land
or
worked
in
businesses
associated
with
agriculture.
Most
of
these
farm
families
were
tight-knit
and
believed
in
the
value
of
working
together.
The
roles
of
fathers,
mothers,
children
and
extended
families
were
clearly
defined
in
the
move
to
a
new
country
and
a
new
culture.
Family
bonds
did
not
weaken
but
grew
stronger.
A
A
G
We
got
any
trouble
with
my
mother
and
she
we
knew
she
was
after
and
she
could
run
like
a
deer.
We
had
a
quince
tree
outside
in
the
yard
and
we
would
start
running
and
she'd
be
right
after
us
and
she
would
grab
a
quince
limb
off
of
that
tree
and
never
miss
a
stride
and
we
paid
for
what
we
had
done.
Mother.
F
Was
always
home
when
we
got
home
from
school?
She
was
always
there
to
greet
us
to
hear
what
happened
during
the
day.
We
never
had
to
worry
about.
Mother
or
mother
was
a
very
vital
part
of
our
life.
She
was
very
good
to
people
in
the
community
and
especially
the
people
that
came
that
couldn't
speak
English
and
she
could
translate
and
really
help
people,
and
we
were
very
proud
of
her
so
and
both
mother
and
dads.
F
They
were
very
proud
of
us
because
we
tried
to
do
what
was
right,
but
then
mother
died
in
1942,
and
that
was
a
very
sad
time
for
us,
because
we
missed
her
very
much
and
dad
was
very
lonesome
instead,
although
mother
didn't
work
outside,
she
helped
dad
in
the
ranch
and
she
was
his
consultant.
He
never
did
anything
without
getting
her
opinion
on
it.
F
A
H
My
dad
had
a
couple
of
wagons
that
he
used
to
haul
the
fruit
out
of
the
ranch
in
the
boxes.
My
did
dad
did
the
plowing
before
the
blossoms
came
out
and
he
he
had
a
horse
and
then
he
borrowed
a
neighbor's
horse
to
make
a
team
and
he'd
used
that
plow
and
go
down
that
row.
I,
don't
know
how
many
times
so,
the
only
you
know
the
dirt
that
you
turn
over
with
one
sweep
was
about
like
20,
inches
or
so,
and
they'd
have
to
go
up
and
down
that
roll
I.
H
E
The
farmer's
wife
now
in
Cupertino
in
those
days
the
farmers
did
their
own
work.
Our
ranch
was
wasn't
too
large,
so
my
father
was
able
to
do
most
of
work
along
with
myself,
but
then
what
the
farmers
used
to
do
these
to
help
one
another
out
when
they
sprayed,
for
example,
my
father
would
helps
in
the
neighbors
spray,
for
example,
and
whoever
had
a
spray
reagan.
B
B
Learned
to
milk
cows,
he
would
not
go
help
but
I
think
IDEO
shoe
your
brother
and
Mario.
They
feed
the
chickens
and
do
other
work,
but
everybody
had
his
work
and
then,
in
the
summer
time
or
when
prune
season
came
when
we
were
still
younger,
we'd
have
to
pick
so
many
boxes
of
prunes
so
that
we
could
earn
a
horse.
So
when
we
got
so
many
boxes
and
prunes
and
they'd
go
out
and
buy
so
Horace.
Remember
that
although.
E
H
For
cotton
and
then
the
prunes
that
was
a
hard
job
to
get
down
on
the
ground.
You
have
to
pick
them
off
the
ground,
you're
gonna
pick
off
the
tree
and
you
get
hangnails
and
you
get
sore
knees
and
sore
back
and
everything,
but
it
didn't
hurt
us
I
mean
I.
Think
hard
work
is
good,
for
children
keeps
them
out
of
trouble
and
also
builds
strong
backs
and
strong
character.
H
G
C
Play
too
much
because
I
was
the
oldest
in
the
family,
and
my
mother
was
sick
with
arthritis.
Well,
they
called
it
rheumatism
in
those
days
and
so
and
she
had
at
that
time
she
had
my
brother
Louie
and,
and
then
there
was
always
things
to
do.
I
knew
I
had
to
wash
dieties.
My
father
put
the
washtub
on
the
floor
and
then
the
scrub
board
and
I
used
to
watch
the
deities
and
hang
them
out
and
I
sort
of
always
had
the
burden,
the
family.
A
G
Dad
was
a
family
man
which
I
have
tried
to
be
a
family
man,
all
the
orientation
that
a
family
man
goes
clear
back
to
his
family
because
they
were
all
very
close.
Caring
sharing
and
everything
that
went
with
it,
but
my
dad
always
said
to
us:
kids
help
one
another
and
work
together,
and
one
thing
that
I
added
to
that
is
to
be
firm
and
fair.
In
your
judgment,.
H
H
But
we
also
use
boxes
to
make
houses
out
of
the
boxes
in
the
fruit
trays
and
for
children.
That
was
a
most
fun,
because
we
could
imagine
that
these
houses
look
like
mansions
and
we'd
go
into
the
house
and
get
some
food
and
we'd
go
out
there
and
eat
it.
If
we
had
lots
of
fun
during
the
summer
building
those
houses,
one.
I
Thing
that
we
did
was
to
pick
prunes.
There
was
so
so
few
people
to
help
the
farmers
and
they
you
come
and
get
Pauline
and
milder
to
me,
and
we
had
three
pound
snowdrift
buckets
that
snowdrift
had
come
in
and
we'd
pick
prunes
in
those
little
buckets,
because
that's
all
we
could
carry
and
but
we
really
weren't
very
good
help,
because
we
spent
our
time
throwing
stones
at
horned
toads,
because
Warner
told
us
Pauline
his
brother,
that
if
we
hit
them
on
the
head,
blood
would
come
out
of
their
eyes.
We.
F
Used
to
play
in
the
yard
we
played
hopscotch,
we
played,
of
course
we
had
horse
and
buggy,
so
we
played
horseshoes,
we
played
baseball
and
in
the
summertime
the
people
used
to
come
to
help
cut
apricots
and
we
used
to.
It
was
always
fun
for
us.
We
thought
it
was
fun
to
cut
apricots
I
mean
at
that
time.
Just
to
have
people
come
in,
it
was
company
by
going
to
church
on
Sunday,
we
stayed
after
church
and
just
visited,
because
it
was
a
fun
time
to
see
all
your
friends
and
visit.
We.
D
E
First
year
in
school,
I
went
to
the
Doyle
school.
It
was
a
one-room
school
in
the
corner
of
Stevens,
Creek
and
Doyle
road.
Mr.
bleakman
was
our
teacher
and
if
I
recall,
there
were
three
of
us
in
the
first
grade,
Felix
married
on
and
Marjorie
Kraft
and
myself
as
a
second
grader
I
went
to
Collins
school
and
they
built
a
couple
portable
classrooms
and
not
exactly.
They
were
part
of
a
class
from
the
Collins
school
which
I
had.
A
E
Cedric
was
our
principal
and
we
all
went
to
Cuba
keener
Grammar
School
graduated
from
Cuba
Commuter
Grammar
School
in
1925,
and
we
all
went
to
Fremont
high
school
graduated
in
1929,
and
some
of
us
went
to
different
universities.
I
went
to
San
Jose
State
and
some
of
several
of
us
graduated
from
San
Jose
State
in
1933.
So
we
had
quite
of
experience.
A
B
G
Had
a
lot
of
friends,
the
crafts,
the
miners
and
people
have
been
here
for
years
and
and
we'd
have
them
over
for
weekends
and
play
football
out
in
the
field.
We
had
a
big
field
there
we
played
football
and
we
just
had
a
it
was
it
was
family.
Everybody
knew
everybody
if
we
had
say
700
families
in
this
area.
Here
we
knew
people
down
on
Saratoga
Avenue.
We
knew
people
on
Fremont
Road.
We
went
to
school
with
them
where
we
knew
of
their
families,
and
it
was
a
real
good
thing.
G
F
Our
family
was
a
very,
very
happy
family.
We
didn't
have
very
much,
but
whatever
we
had,
we
enjoyed,
we
used
to
sit
on
the
front,
porch
and
watch
the
traffic
go
back
to
by
the
Santa
Cruz.
There
was
only
a
two-lane
road
from
Sunnyvale
to
Santa
Cruz
and
a
first
one.
We
were
there.
It
was
just
a
dirt
road
and
finally
got
paved
and
the
people
would
there
was
only
one
stoplight,
and
that
was
at
the
intersection
of
El
Camino
and
highway
9.
F
At
that
time
it
was
known
as
Saratoga,
Sunnyvale
Road,
so
we'd,
south
I
arm
front
waved
everybody,
because
the
cars
were
stopped,
they
couldn't
get
by.
There
was
only
the
one
stoplight
and
they
just
had
to
stay,
and
everybody
waved
at
us,
and
that
was
our
entertainment.
Eventually
we
got
a
croquet
set.
We
used
to
play
croquet
and
people
would
stop
and
watch
us
play
as
we
played
out
in
front.
A
Although
people
lived
some
distance
from
one
another,
the
crossroads
at
Stevens
Creek
Boulevard
in
highway
9
was
where
they
met
located.
There
were
churches,
the
Cupertino
general
store
and
the
blacksmith
shop
all
places
in
which
to
meet,
share
news
and
MIT
more
tightly
together
the
fabric
of
a
rural
community
in.
G
General
store,
the
Cupertino
store
was
owned
by
Arch
Wilson
and
Harold.
Dixon
worked
in
there,
Bob
Trogdon,
Conn,
McCarthy
Jenkins,
and
one
of
the
reg
nartz
and
so
forth.
Everything
was
in
the
store,
was
a
general
merchandise
store.
You
could
go
down
there,
you
could
buy
hay
for
your
horses.
You
get
buy
feed
for
your
chickens.
You
could
buy
anything
any
of
the
staples
that
you
needed
in
your
home.
I.
C
Remember
how
cheap
things
were
like
his
100
pounds
of
sugar
was
five
dollars.
A
loaf
of
bread
was
a
nickel,
and
things
were
very
cheap
and
I
know
that
sometimes
the
clerks
in
the
store
to
give
us
kids
a
little
piece
of
cheese.
You
know
cut
off
a
little
piece
of
cheese
or
some
candy
and
I
know
they
had.
At
that
time,
one
sent
postcards
and
I
used
to
look
at
those
because
the
pictures
were
so
pretty
on
them.
Mr.
E
Calvert
used
to
come
around
on
Tuesdays
and
take
order,
and
he
had
a
ledger
book
and
your
your
mother
might
want
a
carton
of
oatmeal
or
she
might
want
some
tapioca
or
C
white
might
have
some
salt
and
then
the
next
day
they'd
deliver
those
groceries
and
then
also
Joe
eNOS
had
a
butcher
shop
with
your
patina
and
he
had
a
butcher
wagon
he'd
come
around
once
a
week
and
you'd
get
pork
chops.
Whatever
you
happen
to
want
to
want
to
get,
we.
I
A
C
Well
near
where
McClellan
Park,
you
know
is
today
up
on
the
side:
Hill,
Bell,
Macomb
and
her
brother
had
little
post
office
there
and
the
mail
was,
it
wasn't
really
a
post
office,
just
it
kind
of
a
convenience
like
a
convenience
post
office
and
the
mail
was
brought
from
Mountain
View.
Well
then,
when
they
don't
the
Cupertino
store,
then
they
had
little
bills,
a
little
post
office
there
and
the
boxes
were,
you
know
open
to
the
public
and
a
lot
of
Eastern
people
used
to
come
by
and
come
in
and
would
make
a
remark.
C
I
The
other
corner
of
highway,
nine
and
Stevens
Creek
was
the
blacksmith
shop
and
the
butcher
shop
and
the
blacksmith
shop.
We
love
to
go
by
there
because
mr.
Barrett
was
always
making
those
some
wonderful
things
and
the
smells
were
so
bad.
Would
you
say,
but
anyhow
we
thought
it
was
really
interesting
and
the
berries
were
so
nice
to
all
of
us,
Lila
and
Beulah
and
Webster
and
Burt.
A
H
I
know
that
I
belong
to
a
group
and
the
thing
that
I
remember
that
I
thought
was
lots
of
fun
and
we
made
it
to
like
The,
Odd
Fellows
and
the
Rebecca's
and
the
while
I
and
had
a
skip
they
all
put
on
a
skip
and
had
it
at
the
school,
and
that
was
a
lot
of
fun,
especially
when
the
offals
did
their
skip.
They
dressed
like
chorus
girls,
all
these
men,
mr.
Carter,
mr.
Larsen
Ellsworth
and
all
a
bunch
of
them.
They
came
out
on
the
stage
and
I
thought
she
was
looking
girls
funny.
H
But
then
I
realized.
They
were
all
men
and
they
did
things
like
that.
But
it
was
lots
of
fun
things
that
they
did
that
for
several
years
and
then,
of
course,
the
community
got
too
big
and
I.
Guess
they
just
quit.
But
those
kind
of
things
went
on
and
they
used
to
have
rummage
sales,
and
you
know
different
things
for.