All States Picnic.

I was raised in an interesting time in an interesting place. I am thinking 1930 to 1940 in Pomona, California. It was the crest of the Great Depression. Hard times. People were leaving the Dust Bowl and the harder times in the Mid-West and moving to California. Many came to Pomona. I was raised with their children. Many were Okies (my older brothers married into this group, great sisters in law), many were from Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas, and other states in that area.

We had an disparaging nickname for anyone who had been born in California. This minority were called Prune Pickers. I was and am a Prune Picker. (native born Californian) I was at many a gathering of friends where I was the only Prune Picker present. I heard lots of stories about life in the Mid-West.

These people were homesick. They got together and started having an All States Picnic once year in Ontario. (next town east of Pomona). Euclid Avenue in Ontario was an ideal spot for such an affair. A straight main drag with a landscaped strip down the middle. Each state had a marked section of a picnic table placed down the middle of Euclid Avenue. Thousands attended. The picnic table reached two miles in length. The table was mentioned in "Believe it or not by Ripley". It was an exciting affair to me. The following photos bring back many memories to me.