Community Corner
"Photographic Reproductions" for Library from Generous Standard Oil – in 1949
Front-page news exactly 63 years ago today in El Cerrito included pictures given to the library by Standard Oil. a fire house contract for builder Marvin Collins, and the Dads and Sons night with an hour of magic at Harding school.
If you go to the Shadi Historical Room at El Cerrito City Hall and turn to the now yellowed front page of the weekly El Cerrito Journal for today, March 24, in 1949, you can find a snapshot of our community in its post-war growth years. Here are some of the actual headlines from the paper's front page, followed by our brief summaries of the articles:
Standard Oil Presents
Library with Pictures
Thanks to the efforts of City Councilman Melvin C. Heinkel and generosity of Standard Oil Company, El Cerrito's new library recently received a gift of four beautiful photographic reproductions of landscapes in color. The views include a waterfall from Yellowstone National Park, Crater Lake in Oregon, Yoho National Park in British Columbia and Mendenhall Glacier in Alaska. The reproductions – placed in 30-inch by 36-inch frames made by Standard Oil – add greatly to the beauty of the library, said librarian Miss Rose Vainstein.
Marvin Collins
Gets Contract
For Fire House
The City Council agreed Monday night to give the contract to build El Cerrito's third fire house to Marvin Collins. Collins' bid of $13,080 was higher than a competing bid but included wiring and fixtures, which were not in the lower bid. The new fire house will be built close to the south entrance of the Mira Vista Country Club.
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Dads and Sons Night
Is Due This Evening
The Dads and Sons night tonight at Harding school at 7 p.m. will feature singing, movie cartoons, free entertainment and an hour of magic. Any boy who'd like to attend but is unable to bring his Dad, he should contact Mory Schlatter at LAndscape 5-2238 to arrange for transportation to the gathering.
Your City Government
[First is a series by Edwin S. Howell, City Manager of El Cerrito]
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"The city of El Cerrito was incorporated on August 23, 1917, as a sixth class city. ... The city council, composed of five elected officials at large, are charged with responsibility of formulating the local policies in accordance with the general laws of California. The councilmen serve for a term of four years and receive a salary of $6.00 for each council meeting..."
Click for other vignettes of El Cerrito history. You can find some back issues of the El Cerrito Journal at the Shadi Historical Room at City Hall, open to the public on the third Thursday of each month, 4:30-6 p.m.
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