Montebello Memories
Those who labor, learn or live in Montebello may submit their memories about what they have done or seen in Montebello before 1990, including in the Montebello Hills. We are interested in a wide variety of stories from twenty to one hundred words, e-mailed to project_teacher@mymontebello.com, with "Montebello Memories" in the subject field. Submissions may be made in Spanish, also.
Also, if you have story about the history of Montebello or a historical photo of Montebello or its people, even if you were not a witness, you are welcome to submit that.
"My Montebello" reserves the right to decline or remove information which might not be accurate, takes up too much space or might be offensive to a reasonable person.
Organizations which have helped bring the memories and history here:
Montebello Historical Society
Montebello-Ashiya Sister City Association
For personal stories, click here.
For a story about the Battle of San Gabriel River, click here.
For a history about Montebello's "Sister Cities" program with Ashiya, Japan, click here. For a report on the trip of a Montebello delegation to Ashiya, Japan, go here. For a photo of the delegation and its Japanese hosts, click here.
For other photos:
Cars, 1973
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Personal Stories
As a rookie fireman, I was one of the fire fighters responding to a fire by the Sanchez Adobe. We saved the Adobe. // Before there was Lincoln Avenue, there were fig orchards on 29th Street, while 45th and Lincoln was all avocado trees. When the houses went up, the trees were gone. // There were many Birds of Paradise plants on 6th and Cleveland. Robert King, former fire chief and presently the Montebello City Clerk, 10.2007.
My family had a small, ten-acre farm. Part of the farm flooded two times by Lincoln Avenue. If you go by Washington and Bluff Road, you can see where the water flowed in the 1920s and the early 1930s. I remember the flood of 1938. Vail Avenue used to flood. Claire Stohlman, long-time resident and member of the Montebello Historical Society, 10.2007.
We had a stone roof and peacocks loved to romp on the roof. Eleanor Brown, long-time resident and member of the Montebello Historical Society, 10.2007.
My family moved to Montebello in the 1920s. My brother and I were born here. We could walk to school with no houses in the way. There was Curries Mile Hi Ice Cream. There were also Tovers Market and a Methodist church. Temple Market was under the dance hall. There as also Karnes and Crawford's market. The central school burnet down, which led to the construction of Fremont and Washington. There was a Masonic Lodge and Brown's Men's Store. Jack Bowman cut hair and there was the Vogue Theater. City Hall was at Sixth and Whittier. We had Lemark's Dairy, Howard's Nursery, Helms Bakery, Rudy's Dance Studio, Bob Calf Butcher Shop. The Montebello bus connected to the "R" car to Third and La Brea. Montebello Hospital was on Fifth near Whittier, where there now is a rooming house. Mr. Green had a clothing store. Jean Melver, long-time resident and member of the Montebello Historical Society, 10.2007.
I remember when I first used to go to the City of Montebello, in the mid 1970s. From East Los Angeles I would get the 40 bus on Beverly which would drop me off at my summer job, Montebello Convalescent Hospital or something to that effect, now called something else. The bus was such a nice ride with the friendly drivers and the music playing on the bus speakers. I remember how clean and safe the city looked to me, residents and properties alike. Those are my first recollections of Montebello. In 1988 we made Montebello our home. I look forward to when the city returns to being that safe and clean again. Ray Negrete (pen name), 2.2008.
We live on La Merced and only had to cross the
street [to the Montebello Hills]. The hills were the best playground a kid could have.
My mom, Helen Manookian, would yell at us not get tar or oil on our shoes and to be home before dark or when my Dad whistled. They never worried about anything dangerous up
there. I used to climb up the hills for giant tumbleweeds at Christmas.
It would take me hours to find a tumbleweed that was loose or I could pull from the hard ground.
I needed them to be round and three different sizes for I would spray them with snow flocking
and make a snowman for our front-yard Christmas décor. He would stand
five- to six-feet tall and we would all decorate him. Other times, we hung out
at a giant tree and hours passed throwing stones and just being free.
Sometimes after a rain there would be lots of frogs; mostly the boys would collect them.
I was a bird lover, not bugs or reptiles. Many times we would run home in a panic because we saw a snake or animal, but mostly giggling, laughing and out of breath, especially if it was a skunk or possum.
Life was beautiful, kids just don't have the unstructured luxury anymore of just being in nature not planned, supervised or
organized. Nature was just a part of life. How lucky I was to grow up across from the Montebello Hills.
Denise Hagopian, long-time resident, owner of Heavenly Choice, and member of
the Montebello Rotary Club, 3.2008.
Within a year of moving to Hibiscus St. there was a 'monsoon' which washed a foot of mud down our La Merced area streets from the hills and delighted us kids. Like Denise, I and all our neighbors played in the hills, occasionally finding pottery shards or arrowheads, and being astounded in finding petrified sand dollars just below the dirt. We waved at the oil workers, who waved back, as long as we kept away from the 'wig-wags' which pumped oil day and night. If you stuck a shish kabob skewer into our parkway, you sometimes got oil. Michael Popoff, long-time resident, member of the Save the Montebello Hills Task Force, and member of the Montebello Historical Society, 8.2008.
I lived in Montebello from 1955, when I was born, to 1976, when I left for college. I have so many memories of Montebello. One that stands out is the night the Thrifty drug store burned down. My father loved to follow emergency sirens so that he could get in on the action, even if it was during the middle of the night. About 2:00 am, sometime on the mid to late 60's, he rousted my mom, my sister and me out of bed because he heard sirens. We all jumped in the car, and off we went to find the action. We lived in the three hundred block of North 10th street, so we didn't have to go far. There it was, Thrifty was fully engulfed in flames. The funny thing was that the fire house was directly across the street. The firemen only got there about ten minutes before we did, so the fire had to be raging while the firemen slept. I always wondered if the firemen saw it first, or if someone had to call them and tell them. Well, the whole place burned right to the ground. I remember the firemen had to hold back because all the ammo from the gun case was going off. Through all the danger and excitement, there we were with front row seats. My Mom and Dad have left Montebello, and they're both in their mid 80's, but my dad still to this day jumps in the car when he hears the sirens calling. David Wynn, former Montebello resident, 12.2010.
