Saturday, July 05, 2008
In my previous endeavor, “Coming to Salinas,” I spoke of our trip coming to Salinas and what we found once we arrived. The following is a continuation of those thoughts.
When we (my wife, two kids and I) arrived in the area we somehow found ourselves in Monterey, we spent the night there in a big motel, I remember how nice we thought everything was. We were exhausted, the kids were grumpy, we had just traveled nearly six hundred miles, how we ended up in Monterey I’ll never know. My wife had family in Salinas so we called them and her brother-in-law came to Monterey to guide us to Salinas and to their home on California Street, which was lined with Flowering Magnolia trees, they were beautiful. Coming into Salinas, near the River Road exit I was blown away by all the farm land, farming operations going on everywhere, I couldn't believe it. I grew up near the mountains and only saw things like this in books, so to me this was fantastic to see and quite beautiful.
As we were getting settled we had no choice but to enjoy the hospitality of my wife’s sister and her husband, the 3500 mile trip out here had proved to be an enormous drain on our meager savings. The people were also open and friendly, not like today, everyone acting as though they are afraid to speak, we use to call such people stuck-up and rude, now it seems to be normal practice, it’s funny and sometimes sad how things get turned around.
I started work at the Monterey County Hospital, I was so happy to land a job, after being here just two weeks, I was willing to do anything and put up with any inconvenience just to be able to bring a pay check home to my family and to get us started looking for our new home. My wife’s brother-in-law never said anything but I know it had to have been a blessing to him for us to move into our new home, four extra people in a home not set up for it can be brutal. I’ll always be grateful for their hospitality.
The County Hospital was unique, as I drove in the public parking lot was on the lower left, the boiler/maintenance department was on the upper left above the parking lot. Following that to the right brought you to the Emergency Room, then to the front entrance, there were stairs leading down to the parking lot. The back of the hospital was nicely arranged, in a homey sort of way, there was even a house used as doctors quarters. At the far end of the hospital was the kitchen and receiving area and there was a loading dock leading into the back kitchen. There were a few scattered buildings followed by two at the end that were utilized by the maintenance crew, whose activities included mowing, sweeping around the hospital grounds and tree trimming. I was part of that crew. The County Farm facility was behind our maintenance building.
The County Jail had a good thing going back then, they raised their own food plus vegetables for the hospital. The inmates were housed a in labor camp type facility and during the day had to report for work in the fields surrounding the hospital, incredibly productive fields that are now littered with houses, what a waste. They also raised chickens, gathered eggs, and had hogs and cattle. This was all used in a self sustaining way, beneficial to the inmate population and to the county hospital and other county facilities. This type of farming operation also provided training to the inmates. Salinas was surrounded by farms so there would be no excuse why they couldn’t find gainful employment once released.
The hospital changed its name to the Natividad Medical Center, I helped put up the new sign. I remember how people would go horse back riding through out that back area, now a horse would get run over.
The hospital also had a T. B. wing at the back side and four or five homes across from the back parking lot used as doctors quarters, I have no idea if they are still there, probably not. I remember how the families of the doctors were not very happy when the County built the new jail facility behind the hospital.
After the facility was built there were those, believe it or not, who would break the law in order to housed there. Lets face it, three meals a day, work or not, television, basketball, weights, free haircuts and of course free medical for every real or contrived ailment (especially when it came to being removed from a work detail), then of course the eventual wake up when the poor things would be released back into the cruel, cold world where they would be expected to stand tall and be a productive citizen. For many the free cot and hot meals was and still is just to much of a deal to resist. This county desperately needs a “Sheriff Joe Arpaio.”
I remember one of my jobs was to clean around the hospital parking areas. The Eucalyptus trees were dropping leaves constantly, that and the litter deposited by people going to the hospital kept me busy a full day out of five. I was given two brooms, a flat shovel, a rake and a large horse cart with big wagon wheels to push around the property, it was heavy. Going up and down that hill to the right of the hospital was a killer, especially when the cart was full, I still wonder how I did it, just plain strength and determination I guess.
I utilized inmates for added labor but was restricted in what they were allowed to do. If it started to sprinkle they had to be rounded up and taken back to the facility, they couldn’t be given anything to strenuous to do, like pushing that horse cart up and down hills, they could help with the raking and sweeping but it was my responsibility to push the cart. Mowing the lawns or using any kind of power equipment was also off the table.
So what have we got now? The productive farm land is all gone, that rich, fertile top soil gone forever. The cattle, hogs, chickens and the eggs they produced gone. The inexpensive labor camp facility used to house the inmates also gone, nothing but memories of a bygone era, but not so very long ago. Those elected as leaders of our community over the past years can sit back, swelled with pride and expound over how fortunate we are to have experienced such growth. After all, who needs all that top soil, all those crops? The farming operation that once was doesn’t amount to a pile of sand when compared to all the houses, roads and business that now litter the landscape and lets not forget the tax dollars. Everything takes precedence over what once was, after all, this represents progress. Does it?
In my previous endeavor, “Coming to Salinas,” I spoke of our trip coming to Salinas and what we found once we arrived. The following is a continuation of those thoughts.
When we (my wife, two kids and I) arrived in the area we somehow found ourselves in Monterey, we spent the night there in a big motel, I remember how nice we thought everything was. We were exhausted, the kids were grumpy, we had just traveled nearly six hundred miles, how we ended up in Monterey I’ll never know. My wife had family in Salinas so we called them and her brother-in-law came to Monterey to guide us to Salinas and to their home on California Street, which was lined with Flowering Magnolia trees, they were beautiful. Coming into Salinas, near the River Road exit I was blown away by all the farm land, farming operations going on everywhere, I couldn't believe it. I grew up near the mountains and only saw things like this in books, so to me this was fantastic to see and quite beautiful.
As we were getting settled we had no choice but to enjoy the hospitality of my wife’s sister and her husband, the 3500 mile trip out here had proved to be an enormous drain on our meager savings. The people were also open and friendly, not like today, everyone acting as though they are afraid to speak, we use to call such people stuck-up and rude, now it seems to be normal practice, it’s funny and sometimes sad how things get turned around.
I started work at the Monterey County Hospital, I was so happy to land a job, after being here just two weeks, I was willing to do anything and put up with any inconvenience just to be able to bring a pay check home to my family and to get us started looking for our new home. My wife’s brother-in-law never said anything but I know it had to have been a blessing to him for us to move into our new home, four extra people in a home not set up for it can be brutal. I’ll always be grateful for their hospitality.
The County Hospital was unique, as I drove in the public parking lot was on the lower left, the boiler/maintenance department was on the upper left above the parking lot. Following that to the right brought you to the Emergency Room, then to the front entrance, there were stairs leading down to the parking lot. The back of the hospital was nicely arranged, in a homey sort of way, there was even a house used as doctors quarters. At the far end of the hospital was the kitchen and receiving area and there was a loading dock leading into the back kitchen. There were a few scattered buildings followed by two at the end that were utilized by the maintenance crew, whose activities included mowing, sweeping around the hospital grounds and tree trimming. I was part of that crew. The County Farm facility was behind our maintenance building.
The County Jail had a good thing going back then, they raised their own food plus vegetables for the hospital. The inmates were housed a in labor camp type facility and during the day had to report for work in the fields surrounding the hospital, incredibly productive fields that are now littered with houses, what a waste. They also raised chickens, gathered eggs, and had hogs and cattle. This was all used in a self sustaining way, beneficial to the inmate population and to the county hospital and other county facilities. This type of farming operation also provided training to the inmates. Salinas was surrounded by farms so there would be no excuse why they couldn’t find gainful employment once released.
The hospital changed its name to the Natividad Medical Center, I helped put up the new sign. I remember how people would go horse back riding through out that back area, now a horse would get run over.
The hospital also had a T. B. wing at the back side and four or five homes across from the back parking lot used as doctors quarters, I have no idea if they are still there, probably not. I remember how the families of the doctors were not very happy when the County built the new jail facility behind the hospital.
After the facility was built there were those, believe it or not, who would break the law in order to housed there. Lets face it, three meals a day, work or not, television, basketball, weights, free haircuts and of course free medical for every real or contrived ailment (especially when it came to being removed from a work detail), then of course the eventual wake up when the poor things would be released back into the cruel, cold world where they would be expected to stand tall and be a productive citizen. For many the free cot and hot meals was and still is just to much of a deal to resist. This county desperately needs a “Sheriff Joe Arpaio.”
I remember one of my jobs was to clean around the hospital parking areas. The Eucalyptus trees were dropping leaves constantly, that and the litter deposited by people going to the hospital kept me busy a full day out of five. I was given two brooms, a flat shovel, a rake and a large horse cart with big wagon wheels to push around the property, it was heavy. Going up and down that hill to the right of the hospital was a killer, especially when the cart was full, I still wonder how I did it, just plain strength and determination I guess.
I utilized inmates for added labor but was restricted in what they were allowed to do. If it started to sprinkle they had to be rounded up and taken back to the facility, they couldn’t be given anything to strenuous to do, like pushing that horse cart up and down hills, they could help with the raking and sweeping but it was my responsibility to push the cart. Mowing the lawns or using any kind of power equipment was also off the table.
So what have we got now? The productive farm land is all gone, that rich, fertile top soil gone forever. The cattle, hogs, chickens and the eggs they produced gone. The inexpensive labor camp facility used to house the inmates also gone, nothing but memories of a bygone era, but not so very long ago. Those elected as leaders of our community over the past years can sit back, swelled with pride and expound over how fortunate we are to have experienced such growth. After all, who needs all that top soil, all those crops? The farming operation that once was doesn’t amount to a pile of sand when compared to all the houses, roads and business that now litter the landscape and lets not forget the tax dollars. Everything takes precedence over what once was, after all, this represents progress. Does it?
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