I grew up in Fremont, a city in the San Francisco Bay Area that falls between Oakland and San Jose. So did my dad, who grew up in a section of Fremont called Niles, which backs up to a canyon. I've heard plenty of stories from my dad of how the Bay Area changed since he was born, in 1955. An area that was once filled with orchards and undeveloped land is now lined with homes, traffic and industry.

Growing up in the Bay Area and being a reporter for the Bay Area newspapers, I was fascinated with its history, whether it was the ghost story of the White Witch in Niles Canyon, the once thriving and colorful community that lived in the salt marshes in Fremont, or the cult-like history out of Holy City in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

But yesterday, as I was reading "Thirst for Growth," a book that looks at the hisotry of water agencies in Southern California, it hit me: I know nothing about the San Gabriel Valley's past.

I report on the daily murders, crimes and local political upheavels, but I don't know what makes the San Gabriel Valley the way it is today. What are its legends? Are there ghost stories? How has the SGV changed over the years? What did your parents used to tell you about the area? What are the historical landmarks in the area that anyone who has lived here for more than 50 years should know about?

Its been almost two years since I moved here. I guess it's about time that I call it home.

(The photo is a picture of the SGV in 1900, taken from this Web site.)

Posted by Jennifer McLain at 10:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I just got back from Los Altos High School and their career day. There were a group of nicely dressed students asking me questions from what is the newsroom like to how do you get started in the profession. It was a good exercise for the students and for me. There were a few in the batch that have that go get em type attitude, a few that could easily be the future sports writers and a few who wanted to work for Vogue. I fielded the questions the best I could, but those interested in fashion writing I didn't quite connect to.

Oh yeah, and the question of salary and a dying profession did come up. But I tried to twist it into: By the time you graduate college and are working for a paper, it will hopefully have adjusted by then. Hopefully.

Posted by Jennifer McLain at 2:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I am scheduled to be a guest at a career day today at Los Altos High School in Hacienda Heights. A group of 19 students want to talk to a journalist, and for better or for worse, I'm what they end up with. The organizer told me I can expect questions like why I got into this business (I wanted to be a sports writer, and decided at 16 that my byline would be JJ McLain so that I could disguise my gender); what the salary range is (worse than a barista at Starbucks); when I decided I wanted to be a journalist (at 14 when I realized how cool it was to see my name in the newspaper from the sports I participated in); what degree I got in school (religious studies with a Middle Eastern studies focus).

I wonder if I should mention anything about how critics feel that our industry is dying and has no future?

Posted by Jennifer McLain at 4:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)