Figure 1.- This photo shows 5th and 6th grades at Gallatin Elementary School, in Downey, California. Elementary was the American term for primary school. The 5th and 6th graders would be the oldest children at the school. They would have been 10-12 years old. It looks like a substantial school. We are not sure why they are being photographed together. There are two teachers suggesting two separarte classes. There are over 30 children which would seem about the size of a single class. The photo was taken in 1948. The clothing the children are wearing look like populat 1950s styles. Notice the cowboy shirt, T-shirts, and jeans. The girls all wear dresses well-below the knees. Many of the children are still barefoot.

This photo shows 5th and 6th grades at Gallatin Elementary School, in Downey, California. Elementary was the American term for primary school. The 5th and 6th graders would be the oldest children at the school. They would have been 10-12 years old. It looks like a substantial school. We are not sure why they are being photographed together. There are two teachers suggesting two separarte classes. There are over 30 children which would seem about the size of a single class. The photo was taken in 1948. The clothing the children are wearing look like populat 1950s styles. Notice the cowboy shirt, T-shirts, and jeans. Jeans after the War became standard wear in elementary schools. The girls all wear dresses well-below the knees. Many of the children are still barefoot. This was something that was becoming less common in Amercan schools after World War II. Downey is located southeast of Los Angeles and was a largely rural area until after World War II as Los Angeles continued to grow. Farmers raised grain, corn, castor beans and fruit, and by 1930s orange groves were increasingly important. When this photograph was taken Downey was in the process of changing from a rural to suburban community. Suburban home tracts and factories were replaceing farms and orange groves. The town was incorporated (1956). The largest employer as a result of the War and subsequent Cold War. The largest employer was what became known as Vultee Aircraft (which became North American Aviation/North American Rockwell/Rockwell International). The company was eventually bought by Boeing. The Downey facilities were the birthplace of the systems for the Apollo space program as well as the Space Shuttle. Downet has since become part of the larger Los Angeles area.

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Created: 10:42 PM 8/29/2011
Last updated: 10:42 PM 8/29/2011