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Yes, when I came to Lakeside in 1941 all I saw were dairies everywhere. One of the oldest dairies in the area was also one of the most modern at the time. The milking barn was located near the corner of what is now Riverford Road and El Nopal. I do not know when the barn was built, but I spoke with a person who worked there in 1905.
I understand that the dairy farm took in all of the area from Woodside Ave to the north side of El Nopal and both sides of Riverford. There were some tremendous wells on the property, and the alfalfa fields were flood irrigated. It was said the milking barn was large enough for 125 cows. The cows feed in the milking barn was delivered by conveyor belt driven by electric motors. The power lines ended at this milking barn and so did Riverford Road. The milking barn would be washed down into a 10,000 gallon tank and then flushed down to the fields through an irrigation system.
Milk was carried to the railroad siding in cans by horse and wagon. During the flood of 1906 the road washed out and the driver was stranded south of the river for three days before he could get back to the dairy. Finally, after the 1916 flood which destroyed most of the field, the city of San Diego purchased the entire dairy to obtain the wells for future water supply.
I came to Lakeside in 1941 to work on the building of the San Vicente Dam. 1946 the city sold 11 acres of the north east corner of the dairy property which included the remains of the milking barn and holding tank. With the help of L.E. Dixon of Dixon-Arundel Corp. (the largest corporation in the United States at that time and who built the San Vicente Dam) I purchased this 11 acres in 1946. The City of San Diego had advised the contractor to remove all the equipment and material that was still left at the dam site. We worked weeks hauling this material and equipment to my newly acquired property and to Los Angeles. There was considerable material that Mr. Dixon did not need and he gave it to me for the storage fees.
In the following years Reg Kuhner and I sold and traded this material for building supplies to build my house. My home was built on the cement slab of the milking barn. That slab is now over 100 years old. At this time, El Nopal did not exist and the West end of Lakeside was Riverford Road (A partially paved river crossing). West of Riverford was in the Santee mail district, but Santee would not deliver mail down the dirt trail that is now known as El Nopal. To get my Lakeside mail, it was necessary for me to have a mailbox at the corner of Riverford and El Nopal. Since I wanted my mailbox at my driveway, I carried a petition to the 4 or 5 dairies that were west of my property, asking to have the area in the Lakeside mail district. The Post Office agreed to service the area if we could get the road paved. Next, I went to the County. They agreed to pave the road if I would give them a right of way in front of my property, which I did. The road was paved, and for a long time B. J. Conrad delivered Lakeside mail as far as Magnolia Avenue. When Santee incorporated, they moved the boundry line east again but not back to River
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ford.
At this time (Late 1940's) there was one dairy just west of what is now Hilliker's Egg Ranch. I believe it was operated by Ed Campbell and later by Gilbert T. Drinkwater. There were 3 or 4 other dairies between Campbell's and Magnolia Avenue. Names of Northcotte, Van Berkel, Walker come to mind. Other than these dairies, I do not remember any other housing. There were dairies in the Lakeside Farms area, Riverview, Wintergardens, Los Coches and El Monte Valley was filled with dairies.
Another interesting thing about the area was a spring that ran year round just north of my north property line. This spring dried up in the early 40's, but you can still see the trail leading to it that was built by the Indians. The property just west of mine has large rocks with many holes along the edges where the Indians ground their food.
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