Old San Jose Photos

CHILDREN PRUNE-PICKING 

Picture is 1930 in San Jose, just like the Marchese children did for the summer prune harvest. The man has a stick with a fork on the end to shake the tree. The kids were paid by the bucket. Grandpa Mario would rent an orchard, the family would camp out there in tent, and all of them pick the prunes and get paid.

APRICOT-DRYING

 An Apricot-drying shed in 1910, popular site in early San Jose. Uncle Joe tells of working in one of these, slicing the apricot in half, throwing out the seed and placing the apricot halves on the drying rack. They were paid per finished box. They also dried pears and apples.  

SAN JOSE IN 1935

  Picture of San Jose Valley . The city is in the center. This was the view I remember in 1937 and 1942 when we came in our new Model “A “to visit the Marchese relatives.Used to be all orchards.

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