In 1903, Emma Schnugg was born in a little Victorian house that is situated on the 3700 block of El Cajon Boulevard. The building was originally set in National City, built in the early 1880’s. The dwelling exemplifies the architectural and social development of a housing district adjacent to the railroad being developed in National City. In 1893, the house was moved by oxcart to its current location.
The development along El Cajon Boulevard between 1902 and the 1920’s represents a period of growth and affluence, and the daughter of Albert Hill, Emma Schnugg, and lived till 93, spent her entire life in this house and witnessed a century of dramatic development. Emma inherited the property after both her parents died in 1954.
In the early 1900s, El Cajon Avenue, which didn’t become a boulevard until 1937, was just a ‘wagon trail” according to Emma. While Emma was very young, her family tended to two acres of an orchard farm that produced apples, quinces, pears, peaches, apricot, and plums. To get home from downtown her parents walked two miles from Park Boulevard, the closest streetcar stop. By 1909, the streetcar company had a line running out University Avenue to their neighborhood, which made the walk home a lot shorter.
Although Emma has passed away, her memories of El Cajon Boulevard remain.
In an interview with Emma, she clearly expressed that although she has fond memories of the past, such as “no crime, no income tax, the air and water were pure, and people were friendly,” she appreciated that evolution of modern technology. Apparently kerosene lamps were no comparison to the implementation of electricity.
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