Sarah Lim: Looking back, the sights of Merced’s Main Street in 1929
It was an autumn morning in 1929.
At 9:30 a.m., Merced’s Main Street was already lined with parked cars as people went about their business of shopping and visiting.
Main Street had a carefree atmosphere, seemingly immune from the panic caused by Wall Street’s “Black Thursday” and “Black Tuesday.”
As depicted in a 1929 photograph of Main Street, looking west at the Canal Street intersection, the aftershocks of the Stock Market Crash had yet to reach Merced as it continued to enjoy the prosperity of the Roaring Twenties.
The photo, not published here, will be auctioned off at Merced County Historical Society’s 31st Annual Bill Kirby Western BBQ/Auction at Lake Yosemite on Sept. 13.
Merced in 1929 had an estimated population of 7,800 and a trading area population of 20,000. So, the business establishments are prominently shown in the 1929 photo with big, attractive signs.
At a glance, there are five drug stores, five hotels, five cafés or restaurants, two banks, one theater and numerous other stores between Canal and N streets. The oldest business was Merced Drug Company, which claimed to be established in 1871; the newest addition was the Thorington Garage, whose grand opening was on August 10, 1929.
While Merced Drug Company’s origin is difficult to verify, Thorington Garage’s beginning is well documented. Sidney P. Thorington came to Merced from Bishop in 1927 and established Thorington Nash Motor Company at 642 W. Main Street.
He was among the exodus of farmers and ranchers who left the Owens Valley during the California Water Wars. His son would later marry the daughter of local surveyor and historian Bill Bedesen.
However, Thorington’s family connection to Merced County dates to the Gold Rush. His grandfather was William B. Thorington, aka “Lucky Bill,” a colorful character of the American West and a pioneer of Carson Valley, Nevada.
As a gambler, gunslinger and con artist, Lucky Bill was the inspiration for Bret Harte’s fictional gambler Jack Hamlin and a victim of California’s vigilante justice in Hubert Howe Bancroft’s history.
Lucky Bill was convicted and hanged for sheltering, aiding and abetting William Edwards of Merced County in the murder of cattleman Harry Gordier in 1858. Edwards was on the run for killing William S. Snelling while committing this murderous act. Edwards was Lucky Bill’s connection to Merced.
It is interesting how a descendant of Lucky Bill Thorington came to settle in Merced County and played an essential role in Merced’s economic development in the 20th century.
Sidney Thorington saw the potential of Merced and decided to invest here by buying the southeast corner of Main and N streets. He had a garage built in 1929. This two-story, fireproof building was erected by C. B. Cameron & Son of Merced.
“The entire new building is finished in stucco dash, over the solid concrete. A creamy pink, the structure is trimmed in ornamental Spanish black rug brick, with window castings of light green.” According to the Merced Sun-Star reporter, it was one of the most beautiful buildings in the business district.
In addition to a showroom and offices, the garage was equipped with a full-service department and gasoline station.
The area in this part of Main Street had always been underdeveloped, and the N Street intersection could never rival its counterpart on M or Canal until the 1920s. First came the Merced Theatre at the northeast corner; next, Merced Ice and Storage at the southwest corner had an annex built; then, Hotel Tioga was erected at the northwest corner.
With the completion of Thorington Garage at the southeast corner, this intersection became an integral part of the downtown business corridor.
The timing of Thorington’s investment was not an accident, as he saw Merced had two new banks in a short period of time: the First National Bank and Bank of Italy. Moreover, there had been a robust improvement in business conditions which led to the arrival of corporations like Montgomery Ward & Co. and private companies such as Three Lions Sweet Shop and Shively-Gravell.
With the looming of the financial catastrophe, some businesses would survive while others would disappear forever.
Now back to the clock in the 1929 photo. Located in front of the Bank of Italy, it is showing 18 seconds past 9:30. Under the clock, a mom is helping her younger daughter step off the sidewalk. Just to the right of the clock, two men in business attire are chatting up a storm. They might be discussing the devastating stock market news or reminiscing about the tremendous success of the First Annual Roundup parade, which occurred right here on Main Street a month earlier.
Across the street from the clock, a man holding a child in his arms is window shopping at Maze Drugs while others and two dogs are making their way to their destinations. It seems like just another day on Merced’s Main Street, but it is the calm before the storm — the Great Depression is lurking around every corner.
In addition to the photo, our fundraiser on September 13 will feature unique antiques, local artwork, gourmet foods, and fabulous weekend getaways. Please join us at the annual BBQ/Auction.
Tickets are now available for purchase at the Courthouse Museum. Proceeds benefit Courthouse Museum programs, scholarships, and building renovation. For more information, please call (209) 723-2401.
