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Winters Express
312 Railroad Avenue, Winters, CA 95694
(530) 795-4551
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By Newton Wallace, January 2005

WINTERS IN 1947: To the best of my memory and consulting the Express files, here is the business district when I assumed the job as publisher of the Winters Express.

Starting at Putah Creek on Railroad Avenue, D. E. "Pop" Streeter operated the service station where Biasi now has his auto repair business. Streeter also ran the service station where Pisani's Service is now located.

W.W. Stith and Son had the Chevrolet-Buick Agency in the half block building where the Irish Pub, Jeanne's Bookkeeping, Vista Resorts and Chuy's Taqueria are located. Lee Stith ran the business with help from his brother Oliver with his dad assisting.

Alice Lee Estepa ran the Greyhound Cafe next to the alley in the Buckhorn Building.

Joe Boggs Griffin owned the Buckhorn Bar on the corner, along with a package liquor store. He was a son-in-law of John A. DeVilbiss, who constructed the building in 1889.

Perry's Furniture was in the Buckhorn Building, occupying the portion now used as the bar. There was a beauty shop in the part of the building now housing the Buckhorn corporate offices.

Charles Fehl ran a dry goods and variety store in the eastern half of what was Smith's Colonial Chapel, and Harry Day and his wife Edith ran Day's Drug Store in the western half of the former mortuary.

Pacific Gas and Electric Company, with Walter Skinner as manager, occupied the building now housing Classic Video. Skinner, an outstanding executive, was promoted up the ladder by P.G. and E. and at the time of his death was in charge of the Oakland division.

Barker's Electric, owned by Fred Barker and his son Jim, was west of the P.G. and E. office. That building is now occupied by Chris' Florist.
Jim Roseberry operated Roseberry's Drug just west of Barker's with a popular soda fountain. The building now houses the Ireland Agency.

Franks Farish owned the next two buildings. A farm labor office occupied the building now housing Estrada's, and the Fowler and Lee Restaurant building is now the optometry office of Dr. Ed Anderson.

In the building now housing La Bodega Bakery, Bert Connor had an electrical business in one half, and Charley Chambers had his barber shop in the other half.

Wilber Riley's Five and Dime took up the space now occupied by Tienda Delicious.

Everett Fenley had his warehouse where there is now parking between Tienda Delicious and the bank building.

Bank of America, with A. G. Anderson in charge, occupied the building now housing the First Northern Bank of Dixon.

There was a vacant lot where Butler and Furrier, Custom Cleaners and Ocean Restaurant are located.

Ed Graf had the Ford Agency in the building now housing a convenience store, Warrior Video and the dance studio.

John Lorenzo had the California Market in the building now housing the Pizza Factory.

On the north side of Main Street, working back east, there was a large warehouse, and Dr. H. G. Potter's office building was on the corner.
The U. S. Post Office, with Charles Graf as postmaster, was in the corner of the Masonic Building, where the antique store is.

The Baker Company, owned by Ed Baker, had the newer portion of the Masonic Building. The store's slogan was "Everywear for Everybody." That building is now being remodeled for a restaurant and bicycle shop.

Everett Fenley’s Hardware Store was next to Baker’s, the store occupied the building now housing Realty World, and the western half of Kimes Ace Hardware.

The Pacific Telephone and Telegraph Company’s switchboard with its operators had the building now housing the eastern portion of Kimes Ace Hardware.

The building housing the Participation Gallery had a barber and beauty shop.

Lin Schroeder had just opened his Western Auto Store in the western half of the Cradwick building, where Dr. William Davis now has his offices.

George Moore had a meat market and locker plant in the area now housing Camile’s Coiffeurs.

John Chulick was in the meat and grocery business, along with his father, Mike where Berryessa Gap Winery is located.

Vasey Bros., owned by Jack and Gregory Vasey, occupied the ground floor of the Opera House Building, now housing LJT Interiors and the Cloth Carousel.

Bill Maywood owned the old bank building at the corner of Main and Railroad Avenue.

Allen Doll ran his grain business where the Winters Health Care Foundation business office is located.

The Purity Store was in the western part of what is now the Putah Creek Café, and Roy Carter had his ice cream parlor on the corner.

The three spaces occupied by Marian Hamilton’s Antiques were occupied by Cody’s Package Store, The Ireland Agency, and John Siranian’s dry cleaning business.

The Express was in its southern half of the present buildings, with Clarence Wright having his shoe repair business at 312 Railroad Avenue.

The building where Cody’s Deli is located housed Ed Gardner’s Monticello Stage Lines office and Bill Young’s bicycle repair and saw filing business, while P. G. and E. leased the rear part of the building for storage.

There was a vacant lot where J. J.’s Saloon is now located.

Lindy House ran the Shell Station where Juan Barbosa has his auto repair.

Just south of the old Winters Creamery Building at Railroad Avenue and Edwards, Elmer Bruhn had his plumbing shop, and his son, Meredith Bruhn, had his radio and appliance business.

Dick Frisbee owned the Creamery Building, which housed his Plymouth and DeSoto automobile agency, along with Dodge trucks. The building is occupied by Jack Cooper’s AAA Agency.

Chris Rojo had his hardware store where True Value Hardware is now located. That spring of 1947 he, Joe Ramos and John Martinez, Jr., converted the building into a grocery store, Winters Food Center.

Charles Cody owned the tourist court where Tortosa’s mini-mall and Lester Farms Bakery are located, and managed Cody’s Store just across the creek in Solano County.

As mentioned earlier, Pop Streeter had a service station where Pisani’s is now located.J. R. Chapman ran the Standard Oil station where the Winters Store is now located.

Lyle Gravink operated the Winters Dairy from the old Ice House where the Post Office parking lot is now located, and Lloyd “Tubby” Islip had an ice house across the street from where Lester Farms Bakery is now located.

M. M. Wilson and E. K. Crueger had the blacksmith shop at First and Abbey, now owned by Ralph Anderson.

W. I. Baker had his insurance agency behind the post office, on First Street, and Herb Smith was next door with his electrical shop.

The American Legion Hall was at First and Abbey, where the City Hall parking lot is located, and Judge Rod Degener ran the Winters Theatre in that building.

Rupert Snodgrass was fixing cars and farming equipment in the Economy Garage at the west end of Abbey Street at Emery Street.

Alex Klimes managed the Diamond Match Lumber Company on Edwards Street and was referred to as the “The Knothole Peddler”.

Next door, Sale and Ruggles had their drayage business.

Bob Streeter had a photo studio upstairs in the Maywood Building, and Leroy Harrington and Phil Latona were operating the Winters Nursery at East Street and East Edwards.

Vernon Jeffery and his father, George, had the Jeffery Milling Company on both sides of Grant Avenue at Railroad Avenue.

C.P. McDowell had his blacksmith shop on East Baker Street, next door to Bondee Low’s auto body shop.

Carl Franke was operating the Standard Oil bulk plant across the bridge in Solano County and Howard Hansen had the Union Oil plant on Railroad Avenue at the north city limits. Shell Oil Company had a plant next to Standard Oil’s, but I can’t remember who the agent was. It was before Walter Jorgensen took over.

Among the fruit industry people, Carl Holmes, Harold Hansel, Tony Martinez, Craig Niemann’s Winters Dried Fruit, Clem Hartley at Mendelssohn-Zeller California Fruit Exchange with Bill Brinck as manager and Winters Growers, headed by Allen Martin, all occupied space along the railroad track or its spurs.

The Southern Pacific Railroad station was east of Railroad Avenue and south of Edwards Street. I think Fred Carll was the agent, with Harry Timmons arriving several years later.

I probably have missed some businesses, and bored Express readers, but in these two weeks I have revisited a lot of wonderful people.