Densho Digital Archive
Preserving California's Japantowns Collection
Title: Eddie M. Inaba Interview
Narrator: Eddie M. Inaba
Interviewers: Tom Ikeda (primary); Jill Shiraki (secondary)
Location: Sacramento, California
Date: December 11, 2009
Densho ID: denshovh-ieddie-01-0003

<Begin Segment 3>

TI: So in the early days, you were at Canal Ranch. Do you remember Canal Ranch?

EI: Yeah.

TI: So tell me about Canal Ranch. What kind of work...

EI: Asparagus field.

TI: And what did your father do at Canal Ranch?

EI: Taking care of four or five hundred acre of asparagus, so Libby, McNeill & Libby, he used to work under that Libby, McNeill & Libby. So cultivating the field and take care of the crop.

TI: So that's, you said four to five hundred acres?

EI: Yeah, five hundred acres, that's right.

TI: Five hundred acres, this is for Libby asparagus.

EI: Uh-huh.

TI: So how many men did he work with to do that?

EI: Oh, we have Filipino, about forty, fifty people.

TI: And what was your father's role? I mean, what was his job? With all these people, what did he do?

EI: Looking after the, cultivating the asparagus and they used to cut when the time comes, take care, take care of the ground and everything. Worked for about fifteen years.

TI: So it sounds like hard work, asparagus farming.

EI: Yeah, asparagus.

TI: In those early days at the ranch, Canal Ranch, what are some memories that you have? Do you remember what Canal Ranch... like when you played, what kind of play activities did you have at Canal Ranch?

EI: I used to go to grammar school and high school, to Gold High School, I used to go to, and I moved to Courtland after I get friends with Sam Sakata.

TI: Okay, before we go there, let's talk about, remember the Thorton elementary school?

EI: Yeah, and I went to school, New Hoboke school, yeah. Still there.

TI: So that school is still there.

EI: Yeah.

TI: Do you remember any games that you used to play when you were a child?

EI: Game? I played... well, baseball, basketball, or I was kind of small, but played football. I played football in high school, two, three years.

TI: What position did you play?

EI: Quarterback.

TI: Wow. [Laughs] That's good. You must have been a fast runner or a good arm?

EI: I was a fast runner, I guess.

TI: Good.

<End Segment 3> - Copyright © 2009 Densho and Preserving California's Japantowns. All Rights Reserved.