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Description
In this oral history interview, old-timer Fred Martin brims with memories of daily life in Mill Valley - from school, to groceries, to regular hikes down to Muir Beach - during the first half of the twentieth century. Fred describes living in Tam Valley when there were maybe "ten automobiles" and still people travelling by horse and buggy. Without wheels, he and his brothers walked into town from Tam Valley every day of the 1929 fire to help fight the spread of flames. Fred's work experiences included rebuilding part of the railroad in Sausalito for 33 and half cents an hour, running a service station when gasoline was tightly rationed, and aiding the war effort at Marinship during World War II. Fred paints an intimate picture of the layout of Mill Valley and its pace of life at a time when you could walk downtown and "take an hour… to get back because you'd meet so many people." Editor's note: The transcript for this oral history interview differs from the recording. The dialogue in the transcript appears to have been trimmed and modified for brevity and narrative flow.
Identifier
00163ED4-C377-481C-B96D-240234824141 1979.014.001
Subject
1929 Fire Baseball Camping Fire Floods Hiking MV history - Baby boom years (1950s and early 1960s) MV history - WWI and WWII Railroad construction & maintenance Residences Service stations Shipyards Shops Tamalpais High School Tamalpais Valley Teachers Transportation Weather World War II
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