Gamboa News

QUESTIONS
Jessee Crawford
Now for the question of the day, what building in Gamboa was never completed?

Jessee Crawford
Do you remember our dentist, Dr. Yates, from Gamboa? Remember the old cable (?) driven drills?

Does anyone remember Mr. Greer, who after he retired dug up old grave sites in the interior?

Lyla "Lou" Womack
Does anyone remember the name of the street that crossed Jadwin Ave.? Sibert Ave. was parallel to Jadwin Ave. but what is the street that crossed both of them on up to Frasers and Shobes and Feuilles?

Jim Driscoll
Do any of you remember when the Dredging Division moved to Gamboa, i.e. when the townsite was complete? I believe it was between 1935 (Lucy's birth year) and 1938 (mine) as she had lived in Peter Miguel for a year or two.

Jessee Crawford
BTW, when did you reside in Gamboa? I think we lived there from 1946 to 1956. We lived in the four family home on the right side of the street coming into Gamboa from Santa Cruz, Silver City or the Dust BowlŠ(take your pick J) originally before moving into the duplex at 101 A.

Our neighbor was Dr. Bandshaft (sp) who lived in the łCabin˛ at the end of the street.

ANSWERS
Lyla "Lou" Womack
My grandparents lived in that Four Family at the top of the hill. I know the exact place where you lived as I look at the aerial view of Gamboa. I lived down the street in the Up and Downer on the right side also. It was on Jadwin Ave. and the intersection that a certain other street crosses it. I canąt recall the name of it. Maybe someone in the gang can remember that streetąs name. The Frasers lived on that street in back of us. I used to sit in the culvert that came down from their house above ours when it rained and the water would flow over my head in that torrential downpour that I loved so much. Bill Campbell and I were trying to think of the name of that street. At the intersection there were Up and Downers on each corner. Shirers and Fredericks lived diagonally across from our house. The street led down the hill to the ridge. The Bantons were my next door neighbors and the Parkers lived across the street along with David and Bill Henderson. The Goodins lived a house away and next to them were the Ellis'...Eileen Bleakley lived further up the street on the same side and Elaine McDougal somewhere on Jadwin. Ida Harris, the Trowers, the Viets all seem to ring a bell. With everybody writing I am able to fill in the gaps.

One time my brother, nine years younger, crawled up to the window on the top floor of the Up and Downer and accidentally fell out the window. He was hanging on for his dear life. As I remember correctly there was a roof under the top roof with little bars on the eaves. As he hung onto those bars Mom grabbed a blanket and threw it over his body to keep him from sliding off the eave, screaming desperately all the while for someone to come and help. Mr. Viet was at the end of the street, heard her plea and looked up and saw the body under the blanket. From the end of the street he came running up the first set of stairs into the house, then up the second set of stairs to the bedroom window. Carefully he crawled out and grasped my brother just in time. That's how I know the Viets lived on that street.

Before that we lived first in the Dust Bowl, then at the opposite end of Jadwin Ave. where the other Four Families were. I had a terrible bicycle accident coming down that hill riding double. Landed on my face...head first on the concrete and I think I broke my nose but it was never checked, couldn't tell by looking at it but could tell I broke my front permanent teeth in half. Mom was pregnant and everyone was so worried that she would have a miscarriage when she went in shock.. after looking at my face. I spent many hours in the dental chair with dear old Dr. Yates. Last we moved into the cottage opposite the Bachelor Quarters. Incidentally Carolyn Tyssen sent me a picture of the cottage that she lived in mentioning that it was opposite the Bachelor Quarters and I got excited!!!! Hadnąt seen my home for 49 years.

Silver City or Silver Town or Santa Cruz I thought were separate from the Dust Bowl. I always thought the Dust Bowl was where the 12 Families were.

Doctor Yates

Jessee Crawford
I have a picture of me sitting in his chair waiting to have one of my teeth filled. I don't look like a happy camper.

Remember the old cable (?) driven drills.... Very slow and some what painful. I was 16 and living in Calgary, Alberta, Canada before I would ever let them inject me with novocaine - up till then I would "white knuckle" it... Not very bright on my part

. I was wondering if Bill Campbell remembered him being he became a dentist.

Lyla "Lou" Womack
I spent a lot of time in the dental chair.

Mr. Greer

Jessee Crawford
I remember visiting with Mr. Greer once and he showed me plates of gold, gold needles and fishhooks, and all kinds of other "neat stuff." He was the most interesting person. I think he was the one who got me interested in the National Geographic Magazine, in which he was once featured. I even had visions of going to work for them but after being a College Counselor for 15 years, I ended up working as an Accountant in Higher Education. You can see how closely the three careers are related.