Clifford in Willits
Click here to view it larger.
These two photos (each measuring about 2.5 x 4 inches) came from a box of photos that I believe belonged to a woman who was a schoolteacher in various locations in Northern California, including Willits, a small town about 140 miles north of San Francisco, nestled in the forested hills of Mendocino County. Written on the backs of both of these pictures is “Willits 1912 / Clifford Steele”. The population of Willits in 1912 would have been around 1,200 people. For all I know, the small, remote town of Willits may have been Clifford’s dream home. Or maybe he was just visiting. But I can’t help suspecting that a young man with Clifford’s obvious flair may have found Willits a little stifling, and I’m glad there were people like the schoolteacher who appeared to value his friendship.
Pics of Then 
“obvious flair” is right! These were a real find; I’m glad they made it to you, and we all get to see.
Thanks, I’m glad of it, too! Side note: I just read the obituary of Edie Ceccarelli, the oldest woman in America, who died a few days ago at age 116 in her hometown of Willits. She would’ve been four years old when these pictures were taken, and it made me wonder if she ever encountered the schoolteacher whose pictures these were, or even encountered Clifford himself.
darn, I wish there had been a chance to ask her! I actually tried looking up Clifford in the California Digital Newspaper Collection, but didn’t find any certainties (the name Clifford Steele is not as uncommon as I expected).
Yes, that would’ve been a remarkable coincidence if she had. Thanks for looking for him. I searched briefly, too, and didn’t find anything conclusive.