The War to End all War

One of the first men in the Valley to enlist after the US joined the World War I in 1917 was Henry S. Aram. He enlisted prior to the registration that would result in the draft, with the Army Signal Corp. Being one of the first, Aram was placed on the Honor Roll. In a letter published in the Sentinel in 1918, he describes life in the trenches: "After you get used to hearing a shell say LoooooOOOOOU and then hear it explode and not hit you, then all you have to do is sit tight and wait for the next one to sing the same song . . ."

Although Valley men were injured overseas, none lost their life. Herbert Hartman of Boulder Creek was badly injured; Hartman would serve as the Boulder Creek postmaster in the 1940s. 

To signal that the train was carrying returning heroes, the engineer would tie the engine whistle so that it blew all the way between Felton and Boulder Creek. When Archie Hagerman and Fred Hess arrived home it was reported that half of the population of Boulder Creek were at the depot to welcome them. 

Image: San Lorenzo Valley Museum Collection. Men from the San Lorenzo Valley who served in WWI. 

Bottom Left: Stanley Horstman. Top Right: Archie Hagerman. Bottom Right: Frank Walter.