Oral History of Mr. and Mrs. Maurer and Mrs. Elsie Burkhart
Entry/Object ID
2002.048.001T
Scope and Content
Clarence Maurer attended the University of Iowa. Mr. Maurer was born and raised in northeastern Iowa, but came to California to find a job. He and his wife Estelle built a house on his father’s land and officially moved to Los Altos in 1947. The Maurers dried apricots for their neighbors and the people from the Lutheran Church on El Monte for years.
Mr. Maurer was born and raised in northeastern Iowa, but came to California to find a job. He first lived in Oakland with his wife when they got married in 1929. Mrs. Maurer's father bought land on Fremont Road in Los Altos for them to grow apricots. The Maurers and Mrs. Burkhart talked about how they and their neighbors helped each other with harvesting and drying apricots. They also discuss the beginning of some businesses, like the Los Altos Garbage Company and the first grocery store, called Berry Farm on El Camino Real.
