Studio portrait of Walter and Edna Jackson, c. 1930.
March 22, 1920 – Walter Jackson opened the Jackson Vulcanizing Company in the old Flanagan Saloon, which he rented from the Kelley estate. This building faced Lansing Street on the west side of today’s Rotary Park and was torn down in 1929. Jackson’s company advertised Archer, Dayton, and Sampson Tires for sale, and he also repaired and retreaded tires.
Walter had completed a vulcanizing course in San Francisco the previous spring and accepted a position as foreman in the repair department of the Jost-Waterman Tire and Rubber Company of San Francisco in June 1919. At the end of July, he briefly returned to Mendocino and eloped with Edna Buck. Their first stop was Ukiah where they obtained a marriage license and married before journeying on to San Francisco. The Beacon congratulated them, “He is a young man of good ability and exemplary habits. His bride has been a resident of this section all her life. She is an exceptionally fine young woman. Both young people have a host of friends here, who join with The Beacon in extending congratulations.” Although the Beacon reported that they planned to make their home in San Francisco, the couple returned to Mendocino in August and spent the rest of their lives here.
In November 1919, Walter and Edna moved into one of J. D. Johnson’s rental cottages on Evergreen Street near the intersection with Ukiah Street. This building housed the Sankey Gallery in the 1960s and is a private residence in 2022. Walter’s sons, Francis and Kenneth, were born in this home, and this was Walter’s residence when he opened his tire store.
A week after the vulcanizing shop opened, the Beacon reported that his business was booming, Walter “has been kept busy since his opening day having a large amount of work on hand and meeting with a good business generally. He found it necessary to add very materially to his stock.”
The Jackson Vulcanizing Company advertised in the Beacon the entire summer of 1920, but the business didn’t last. In September, the Beacon reported, “Walter Jackson has closed his vulcanizing shop here and has taken a position in the Fort Bragg Vulcanizing Works.”
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