Joe's Frostie then. Taco Tree now

Growing up in the 1950s and 1960s meant a never-ending stream of fads. Be it Davy Crockett raccoon hats to Super Balls to hula hoops, there was always some new doodad to buy. The Baby Boomers were creating a new market and the marketers were quick to catch on in the post World War II era. Exhibit A in Auburn would have to be this vintage photo pulled from the Oct. 20,1960, pages of the Auburn Journal showing what was then the Joe's Frostie property at Oakwood Drive and High Street. Those are Sierra College phys ed students testing out the recently installed trampolines. Eight trampolines Back in 1959 and 1960, trampoline parks were a thing. And Joe's Frostie owner Joe Christiany was willing to invest in the craze and install eight of them at what is today the parking lot of the Taco Tree eatery. Pits were dug and the trampolines were placed above them at ground level — invariably to avoid the broken bones that came with above-ground models. But like most crazes, the shelf life was short and the trampolines didn't last — both at Joe's Frostie and around the nation as the trend died out. Christiany was one of those entrepreneurs who would innovate to gain business. In 1958, he would advertise something new for its time — a pizza burger. The next year, it would be car hops bringing Joe's Frostie sundaes, shakes, cones, sandwiches, hotdogs and hamburgers to a more motorized clientele. Taco Tree since 1979 By 1960, Christiany had been operating Joe's Frostie for six years. The trampolines were a swan song of sorts. He would continue on for another year before selling the eatery early in 1961 to John and Jean Ward, who had operated a similar business in Grass Valley. They would keep operating the place as The Drift In. The new name came after a contest that offered a transistor radio to the person who thought up a new moniker. In 1979, the Joe's Frostie-Drift In property would have a new owner and a new focus, Dentist Jim Anderson would open Taco Tree with the promise of fresh ingredients, new energy and proximity to Placer High School. After 40 years in business, Taco Tree's longevity has turned Joe's Frostie into a footnote. But those trampolines will live on as an indelible part of Auburn's past. Media Life and Gus Thomson can be reached at gust@goldcountrymedia.com or 530-852-0232. Thomson is a state and national award-winning reporter who writes for the Auburn Journal.