In the book:
Those Who Make Memories
Auburn Centennial 1888-1988
Auburn Journal
When Robert Amlin first arrived in Auburn some 65 years ago, he had 15 cents in his pocket. Enough, he recall, to buy a sandwich from an Old Town eatery.
A native Missourian, Amlin and two friends packed up a Model T and journeyed for two weeks, stopping along the way many times to take in the sights.
"I remember it as the best vacation I ever had," said Amlin, who still lives in the Mr. Vernon area house he built in 1942. "We started out with plenty of money and we didn't care how long it took us. If we wanted to see something 500 miles out of the way, we just did it."
Amlin said his group went broke twice before they even reached california. But that, he said, made the trip more interesting.
"The day after we got to Auburn, we started picking cherries." At the time, Amlin had a brother and sister living in the area. "When the fruit was over, we went to work for PG&E up at Fordyce. I was a carpenter's helper. PG&E was building a camp for 300 men."
Amlin worked at the job for several months, but would eventually move to Los Angeles, where he worked at a lumberyard and later as a plumber.
Amlin eventually worked as a contractor for several years before returning to Auburn for good.
"I made a lot of money and decided this was where I wanted to live," he said. "I think this is about the best part of California."
Perhaps combining the various skills he learned as a young man, Amlin tried his hand at irregation. In 1936, he and a crew of men installed the first permanent irrigation system in Placer County.
"That job took three years," said Amlin. "It was on a 50-acre ranch owned by Joe B. Francis. We had a lot of fun doing that. We didn't have plastic pipe in those days, everything was steel.
"We designed a sprinkler head that had no moving parts. Because of that design, those heads would last 15 years."
Seven years later, Amlin purchased his own orchard.
"A lot has changed since then," said Amlin. "There was nothing here but dirt roads. My brother and I strung a phone line out to our place by ourselves."
Amlin has served as secretary for the Auburn Fruit Exchange, is a charter member of the tahoe cattlemen's Association and was a director of the Placer county fair board for 20 years.
His first retired 20 years ago, but it didn't last too long. "I got tired of being lazy ao I started my own irrgation service. I didn't think it would last this long, but it's still going strong. My stepson and stepdaughter are running it."
Amlin still helps out there on occasion. "Oh, I repair a springkler head or fix a valv now and then. I try to keep busy."
Amlin's first trip west took 15 days. He's since returned to Hickory county in eight hours (that's by jet, you know," he said). Two years ago, he took a 30-day journey back to Missouri with his wife. "We just took it all in," he said.
Story/Jeff Caraska
Transcribed/Glenda Ragan-September 12, 2012
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Marriage: 27 JUN 1926 • Auburn, Placer Co., CA
Robert Roland was born on February 22, 1906, in Hermitage, Missouri.
Those Who Make Memories
Auburn Centennial 1888-1988
Auburn Journal
When Robert Amlin first arrived in Auburn some 65 years ago, he had 15 cents in his pocket. Enough, he recall, to buy a sandwich from an Old Town eatery.
A native Missourian, Amlin and two friends packed up a Model T and journeyed for two weeks, stopping along the way many times to take in the sights.
"I remember it as the best vacation I ever had," said Amlin, who still lives in the Mr. Vernon area house he built in 1942. "We started out with plenty of money and we didn't care how long it took us. If we wanted to see something 500 miles out of the way, we just did it."
Amlin said his group went broke twice before they even reached california. But that, he said, made the trip more interesting.
"The day after we got to Auburn, we started picking cherries." At the time, Amlin had a brother and sister living in the area. "When the fruit was over, we went to work for PG&E up at Fordyce. I was a carpenter's helper. PG&E was building a camp for 300 men."
Amlin worked at the job for several months, but would eventually move to Los Angeles, where he worked at a lumberyard and later as a plumber.
Amlin eventually worked as a contractor for several years before returning to Auburn for good.
"I made a lot of money and decided this was where I wanted to live," he said. "I think this is about the best part of California."
Perhaps combining the various skills he learned as a young man, Amlin tried his hand at irregation. In 1936, he and a crew of men installed the first permanent irrigation system in Placer County.
"That job took three years," said Amlin. "It was on a 50-acre ranch owned by Joe B. Francis. We had a lot of fun doing that. We didn't have plastic pipe in those days, everything was steel.
"We designed a sprinkler head that had no moving parts. Because of that design, those heads would last 15 years."
Seven years later, Amlin purchased his own orchard.
"A lot has changed since then," said Amlin. "There was nothing here but dirt roads. My brother and I strung a phone line out to our place by ourselves."
Amlin has served as secretary for the Auburn Fruit Exchange, is a charter member of the tahoe cattlemen's Association and was a director of the Placer county fair board for 20 years.
His first retired 20 years ago, but it didn't last too long. "I got tired of being lazy ao I started my own irrgation service. I didn't think it would last this long, but it's still going strong. My stepson and stepdaughter are running it."
Amlin still helps out there on occasion. "Oh, I repair a springkler head or fix a valv now and then. I try to keep busy."
Amlin's first trip west took 15 days. He's since returned to Hickory county in eight hours (that's by jet, you know," he said). Two years ago, he took a 30-day journey back to Missouri with his wife. "We just took it all in," he said.
Story/Jeff Caraska
Transcribed/Glenda Ragan-September 12, 2012
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Marriage: 27 JUN 1926 • Auburn, Placer Co., CA
Robert Roland was born on February 22, 1906, in Hermitage, Missouri.
In the book:
Those Who Make Memories
Auburn Centennial 1888-1988
Auburn Journal
When Robert Amlin first arrived in Auburn some 65 years ago, he had 15 cents in his pocket. Enough, he recall, to buy a sandwich from an Old Town eatery.
A native Missourian, Amlin and two friends packed up a Model T and journeyed for two weeks, stopping along the way many times to take in the sights.
"I remember it as the best vacation I ever had," said Amlin, who still lives in the Mr. Vernon area house he built in 1942. "We started out with plenty of money and we didn't care how long it took us. If we wanted to see something 500 miles out of the way, we just did it."
Amlin said his group went broke twice before they even reached california. But that, he said, made the trip more interesting.
"The day after we got to Auburn, we started picking cherries." At the time, Amlin had a brother and sister living in the area. "When the fruit was over, we went to work for PG&E up at Fordyce. I was a carpenter's helper. PG&E was building a camp for 300 men."
Amlin worked at the job for several months, but would eventually move to Los Angeles, where he worked at a lumberyard and later as a plumber.
Amlin eventually worked as a contractor for several years before returning to Auburn for good.
"I made a lot of money and decided this was where I wanted to live," he said. "I think this is about the best part of California."
Perhaps combining the various skills he learned as a young man, Amlin tried his hand at irregation. In 1936, he and a crew of men installed the first permanent irrigation system in Placer County.
"That job took three years," said Amlin. "It was on a 50-acre ranch owned by Joe B. Francis. We had a lot of fun doing that. We didn't have plastic pipe in those days, everything was steel.
"We designed a sprinkler head that had no moving parts. Because of that design, those heads would last 15 years."
Seven years later, Amlin purchased his own orchard.
"A lot has changed since then," said Amlin. "There was nothing here but dirt roads. My brother and I strung a phone line out to our place by ourselves."
Amlin has served as secretary for the Auburn Fruit Exchange, is a charter member of the tahoe cattlemen's Association and was a director of the Placer county fair board for 20 years.
His first retired 20 years ago, but it didn't last too long. "I got tired of being lazy ao I started my own irrgation service. I didn't think it would last this long, but it's still going strong. My stepson and stepdaughter are running it."
Amlin still helps out there on occasion. "Oh, I repair a springkler head or fix a valv now and then. I try to keep busy."
Amlin's first trip west took 15 days. He's since returned to Hickory county in eight hours (that's by jet, you know," he said). Two years ago, he took a 30-day journey back to Missouri with his wife. "We just took it all in," he said.
Story/Jeff Caraska
Transcribed/Glenda Ragan-September 12, 2012
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Marriage: 27 JUN 1926 • Auburn, Placer Co., CA
Robert Roland was born on February 22, 1906, in Hermitage, Missouri.
Those Who Make Memories
Auburn Centennial 1888-1988
Auburn Journal
When Robert Amlin first arrived in Auburn some 65 years ago, he had 15 cents in his pocket. Enough, he recall, to buy a sandwich from an Old Town eatery.
A native Missourian, Amlin and two friends packed up a Model T and journeyed for two weeks, stopping along the way many times to take in the sights.
"I remember it as the best vacation I ever had," said Amlin, who still lives in the Mr. Vernon area house he built in 1942. "We started out with plenty of money and we didn't care how long it took us. If we wanted to see something 500 miles out of the way, we just did it."
Amlin said his group went broke twice before they even reached california. But that, he said, made the trip more interesting.
"The day after we got to Auburn, we started picking cherries." At the time, Amlin had a brother and sister living in the area. "When the fruit was over, we went to work for PG&E up at Fordyce. I was a carpenter's helper. PG&E was building a camp for 300 men."
Amlin worked at the job for several months, but would eventually move to Los Angeles, where he worked at a lumberyard and later as a plumber.
Amlin eventually worked as a contractor for several years before returning to Auburn for good.
"I made a lot of money and decided this was where I wanted to live," he said. "I think this is about the best part of California."
Perhaps combining the various skills he learned as a young man, Amlin tried his hand at irregation. In 1936, he and a crew of men installed the first permanent irrigation system in Placer County.
"That job took three years," said Amlin. "It was on a 50-acre ranch owned by Joe B. Francis. We had a lot of fun doing that. We didn't have plastic pipe in those days, everything was steel.
"We designed a sprinkler head that had no moving parts. Because of that design, those heads would last 15 years."
Seven years later, Amlin purchased his own orchard.
"A lot has changed since then," said Amlin. "There was nothing here but dirt roads. My brother and I strung a phone line out to our place by ourselves."
Amlin has served as secretary for the Auburn Fruit Exchange, is a charter member of the tahoe cattlemen's Association and was a director of the Placer county fair board for 20 years.
His first retired 20 years ago, but it didn't last too long. "I got tired of being lazy ao I started my own irrgation service. I didn't think it would last this long, but it's still going strong. My stepson and stepdaughter are running it."
Amlin still helps out there on occasion. "Oh, I repair a springkler head or fix a valv now and then. I try to keep busy."
Amlin's first trip west took 15 days. He's since returned to Hickory county in eight hours (that's by jet, you know," he said). Two years ago, he took a 30-day journey back to Missouri with his wife. "We just took it all in," he said.
Story/Jeff Caraska
Transcribed/Glenda Ragan-September 12, 2012
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Marriage: 27 JUN 1926 • Auburn, Placer Co., CA
Robert Roland was born on February 22, 1906, in Hermitage, Missouri.
Family Members
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
Advertisement
