PHOTO: Brochure for 1932 farm property in SF;Model home in Reseda, CA 1951. Courtesy of San Fernando Valley History Digital Library
Letter from “Hap” Rogers (HAPYROGER@webtv.net) of Yerington, NV:
Hello again Andrew:
Sure I don’t mind if you print my letter to you. Like I said
being almost 80 years old now I do have a lot of memories of San
Fernando Valley from 1935 until we left there in 1963. Our two boys at
that time were 9 and 12, our eldest just getting out of Shirley Ave
School and was to start in Sequola Jr High in September, and it did not
have a very good reputation at that time. To me the Valley had grown
large by then and I had always liked it the way it was when I was young.
All the towns were separated with farms, walnut orchards, orange groves,
and near us in the 30’s and 40’s was the Runnymede Chicken Ranch over on
Lindley Ave just north of Saticoy St.
The house my folks bought back in 1935 at 7732 Jellico
Avenue was $2100.00, on a commercial acre, and monthly payments were $18.00
per month. But at that time my dad was only working for Pacific Electric
17 days a month at $5.00 per day. The last I heard those lots were still
zoned as R/A so you could still have farm animals on them, I’m sure that
has been changed by now. And I have also heard they are in the
$1,000,000 range now. That tract of 40 houses were on 40 acres, and
there were 100 more of them built in El Monte and they were the originators
of what is now the FHA.
The house we left in Reseda on Welby Way to move up here in
1963, we bought new for $9545.00 in 1951, and sold it for $19,995.00. Two
years ago last November, my wife was down there visiting family, went by
to see the house, stopped and talked to the man there and he told her he
had just sold it for $350,000.00. Prices have gone crazy down there, but
here also, due to so many Californians selling out there and moving up
here.
We have a motel here in Yerington which is now in escrow. My
wife says 42 plus years in here is good enough. Don’t know what I’ll do
then, but we do have a nice house here that we bought last July,
anticipating the motel being sold. A long way from what I was doing in
the Valley. I was chief engineer for a rubbish truck manufacturing
company there in Sun Valley, and prior to that was an engineer for a
equipment manufacturing company on Tujunga Ave in North Hollywood.
Oh well, maybe I’ll try to write my life history when we get
out of here. And yes, I did see about Kevin’s [Roderick’s] book and I did forward him
the letter I wrote to you earlier this morning. Hope you don’t mind.
Keep in touch and if I can help on anything let me know, and
incidently, I’m known as “Hap”, not Mr Rogers.
My Best To You,
Hap, in Yerington, NV
Here in Van Nuys 