Mervin Belfils was a local historian who collected and contributed to the record of El Cerrito’s history. He took over curation of Louis B. Stein’s collection of historic East Bay photos, adding to the collection over the years until it was donated to the El Cerrito Historical Society. Mervin also wrote for the El Cerrito Historical Society’s bulletin, The Forge. These stories, written in 1975-76, are Belfils’ personal recollections of the city’s history.