Pontiac, not Detroit.

The move to Michigan was nothing like the cross country trek to California. The Ford truck was replaced by a nineteen thirty nine Chevy Deluxe. Like all of Bert's cars it was spotless and like new. The little in-line six cylinder engine ran like a fine watch. We made the trip at night so I didn't see much of the country.

We arrived at our new home early Monday morning. Everyone just got out of the car and went inside, laid down on the living room floor and went to sleep.

My dad had rented half of a duplex that had originally been a store front for an outfit called the American News Company. The place was located in a "Blue collar" residential neighborhood. A bunch of well kept older houses on one hundred by fifty foot lots.

Lowell and I had finished out the school year in Alabama but Michigan schools were still in session so the neighborhood was deserted during most of the day. Of course being new kids on the block kind of put us at a disadvantage any how.

I don't know why but every "Hillbilly"seemed to think Detroit was the only city in the state of Michigan. Trying to tell them otherwise was just a waste of time. Anyway, we had moved to a town called Pontiac and it was about as nice a place as you could ask for. Actually Pontiac was a pretty good sized city of about eighty thousand people. Strictly a General Motors town. The home of the Pontiac car and the G.M.C Truck and Bus Division. My dad worked at the latter. He earned forty five dollars a week. A pretty decent wage at that time. 

The first thing I noticed about Pontiac was that the air had a smell unlike anything I'd ever smelled before.  It was awful. As time passed you got to where you didn't notice the odor. At times there would be a smokey haze that just hung low to the ground especially on cold sunny winter days. all this of course was the price you paid for having all the factories in the area. Bear in mind that this was the early nineteen fifties. There wasn't much concern about what the pollution was doing to the air or the people that had to breath it.

So once again my family and I were having to learn how to fit into a different society and culture. There was at the time an open prejudice against southern whites. Something I learned to live with but never except. 
Posted by OLD DUGGY at Sunday, April 13, 2008 1:16:00 PM
Categories: uncategorized
 

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