SAN DIEGO (KGTV) – A table of photos at the City of San Diego’s Parks and Recreation Department shows people with plenty of smiles, the places they’ve been and loved ones.
“They look like just about any other family here,” Lucas Cruz said. “People being able to celebrate from time to time. I [saw] the photo of Excalibur, so being able to take a vacation every now.
On Tuesday, the City of San Diego Parks and Recreation crew found these seemingly decades-old photos after what some call a hundred-year storm near Southcrest Trails Park.
“It’s somebody’s memories. Their whole family,” Teresa Montero said.
City of San Diego Public Information Officer Ramon Galindo said some photos were in photo albums, and others were stacked.
"...But they were on top of a pile of mud, and really, employees didn’t have the heart to throw them out with the rest of the trash,” Galindo said.
Currently, the people who are in the photos remain a mystery.
“How do we get these back to folks? I’m sure we can, you know? But it’s like, where do they come from, you know? What street, what neighborhood? Because it’s affected so many of us in San Diego,” Montero said.
These photos may have been from that neighborhood or another and could have been washed s downstream, according to Galindo.
“Really, the hope is someone does recognize these folks, and they’re able to connect with us, and we’d be happy to give these photos back,” Galindo said.
Galindo said the albums that the photos were in had mold and mildew and took them out of them due to health concerns. He added that some photos had to be thrown out due to water damage.
Some of the photos that stood out were a Polaroid scribed with a date of December 6th, 1993, and a caption, “Meeh and my Mahel Val & Alma 4- Eva,” a baby’s baptism and a photo of a couple at Excalibur Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas from many years ago.
The waterlogged moments are preserved in time for a family, whoever and wherever they may be.
“I think it shows the humanity of the city workers, you know themselves,” Cruz said. “And for us to be able to try to help out one another and salvage something, I think it’s important. It says a lot about what’s going on in this neighborhood.”
Galindo said the Parks and Recreation office in Balboa Park would hold the photos. He told ABC 10News that anyone with information about the photos can call Parks and Rec at 619 525-8222.
