Yearbooks for schools are valuable research tools, containing names and photographs of young people from their freshman to senior year of high school. We can learn what clubs they belonged to and what sports they played. We end up with a snapshot of time when they were young, good-looking, healthy and hopeful.
Although the first Mendocino High School graduating class was 1896, the first yearbook was published in 1907. This photograph pre-dates the first yearbook, although the early yearbooks often did not have photographs of the students and very little information about sports teams or clubs.
This current History Mystery is of the basketball team of Mendocino High School, probably between 1898 and 1901. The only person identified is Ralph Byrnes who stands in the back on the right. Ralph graduated in 1901 but he could have played basketball for several years before his graduation. Is one of these players your grandfather or great-grandfather? We are interested in knowing who these people are.
[kh_mystery_blurb subject=”Mystery Basketball Players”]