Mid 30's, and earlier, and later...

We had several Duck Clubs around here owned by very wealthy and known citizens of LA, SF. Some of the original building still stand.. although today mostly in disrepair. A couple, however, are still nice although nothing fancy. Cinderblock buildings, some the old quonset huts.

In the 60's I got to know a few of them... they'd come into town at night to visit one of the 3 bars we had in town. I really can't exaggerate how great those days were... we had newspaper editors, hotel owners, very well to-do people from LA, SF, some other big cities in the west as well. And yes, a few actors. NO BUSINESS ALLOWED. It was sort of an unspoken code.

Visiting with them in their 'duck clubs' was a bit surreal for me. Our hometown certainly wasn't 'modern' but it wasn't 'wilderness aesthetics' either... so going into one of the duck clubs no more than 2.5 miles from my home, in places no more than 200yds from where we worked our fields, and seeing mounted fish, ducks, geese, hanging on the walls... a large fireplace with old shotguns and rifles mounted on the mantle, cabin furniture, was striking.... like suddenly being transported to the high Sierra's.