2000.1.1095

The inscription on the back of the photo reads "Visit to Smith home" The home referred to is Francis Marion Smith's. Smith was the developer of Borax mines in Death Valley, and later a dominant figure in the consolidation of Oakland's streetcar lines. Two-20 Mule Team Borax Team wagons, the symbol of Smith's borax enterprises, are stationed in front of his home. The team driver is sitting astride one of the mules, and another man is standing on a board just above the wheel of the wagon closest to the camera. There is a date, April 18, 1957, rubber stamped on the back of the photo, but it is not clear what the date stands for, other than the date the photo was published in the Tribune. [Smith had died in 1931 JM 9/19/2000]

Used: Oakland Tribune