USA > California > Contra Costa County > History of Contra Costa County, California; with biographical sketches of the leading men and women of the county who have been identified with its growth and development from the early days to the present > Part 11
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services. They then began an adobe building, but never completed it. In November, 1858, they erected a church, which blew down in 1866; then another, the present building, was erected.
Shirley & Mizner operated a ferry between Benicia and Martinez, landing at the foot of Ferry Street, so named. In 1878 they sold out to the Northern Railway Company, and this company, with the San Pablo and Tulare Railway Company, constructed the first railroad through the city of Martinez. -
In 1882 the Martinez Packing Company was established; and a sal- mon cannery was also operated by Joseph Black, both at a time when the fishing industry meant much to the town. The Pacific Coast Steel & Iron Manufacturing Company was built in 1884.
In 1887, B. Fernandez erected the Martinez Hotel on the site of the Morgan House, which had burned down; the property had been bought up by Fernandez. In 1887, also, the Martinez Electric Light & Gas Company was organized.
Several fires have devastated Martinez, and mention is here made of the more destructive ones. In September, 1856, the Union Hotel and Blum's, Lazar's and Hook's stores were burned. In July, 1867, fire de- stroyed the Gift mansion. On December 12, 1876, several buildings at the southwest corner of Main and Ferry Streets were burned; on March 16, 1877, the residence of Mrs. Chase; on January 6, 1878, Granger's Restaurant; and on March 8, 1880, the Alhambra schoolhouse. The next serious conflagration was the disastrous fire of August 19, 1904, when over half the business houses were burned and two entire blocks were laid in ashes, with the greatest financial loss the city ever experienced. Again, a fire occurred on July 16, 1925, that burned several business places on the corner opposite from the one above mentioned.
The earthquake of October 21, 1868, did considerable damage. It razed two walls of the Alhambra Hotel, threw down the walls of the court house, top and rear, and did minor damages to many smaller build- ings. On April 18, 1906, slight damage was done to chimneys, but other- wise the city experienced no harm.
The buildings constructed in the last two decades have been modern in every respect. The county hospital building was built at a cost of $70,- 000, in 1910. The city hall was built in 1911. The court house, costing $600,000, was erected of granite in 1901. The Alhambra High School was erected in 1904, and the grammar school in 1909.
The Alhambra Water Company, established in 1903, began bottling water piped from the famous Alhambra Springs, and shipping to various parts of the country.
The Mococo, or Mountain Copper Company, established its smelting plant here in 1905. It employs 400 men, with a payroll of $500,000 an- nually. The California Transportation Company built a wharf and be- gan making regular calls at Martinez. in 1909. In 1911 the city estab- lished its municipal wharf under a bond issue.
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In 1911 the Pacific Gas & Electric Company bought out the Contra Costa Electric Light & Power Company; and the Great Western Power Company entered this field in 1913. The Contra Costa Gas Company was established in 1915. The Martinez-Benicia Ferry was established in 1913.
In 1914 the city experienced its first real boom, when the Shell Oil Company chose Martinez as the site for the central base of their future operations. Hundreds of families settled in the town, homes began spring- ing up everywhere, and the business district enlarged accordingly. The Shell Company bought the Cutler, Potter and Arnstein properties, com- prising about 400 acres adjoining the city, and began by erecting a $5,- 000,000 oil refinery and employing some 2000 men. From that date to the present time the policy of the company has been one of expansion, and this has meant prosperity for the entire city. The Shell Company was followed by the Associated Oil Company.
The streets are all paved, many miles of sidewalks built of cement have been installed, and the water mains have been extended to all the addi- tions. The State Highway traverses the county via the Tunnel Road to Berkeley, and also via Franklin Canyon and Pinole.
CHAPTER VI
RICHMOND By CLARENCE A. ODELL
The first inhabitants of Richmond and the surrounding country were of a prehistoric race, as we learn by investigation of the Indian or shell mounds, of which there are several located in this county. Among those in this vicinity is the one at the mouth of Wild Cat Creek; a larger one just behind the Mastersen Hotel at San Pablo, about 300 feet north from the old Alvarado Hacienda ; and another that was occupied by the house of Antone Luis, not far from the San Pablo station of the Southern Pacific Railroad; but the most important of them all is the one at Ellis Landing. These shell mounds, or "kitchen middens," as they are sometimes designated by scientists, who are much interested in them because of the anthropological and historic facts which they disclose, are composed of the accretions of centuries of tribal life. All the offal, refuse and debris, as well as burials of generations succeeding generations, have, from the dead level, built up mounds that represent alike the abodes and the his- tory of the dusky aborigines.
The Ellis Landing shell mound is situated east from Ellis Landing, on the northwest shore of San Francisco Bay proper, directly north of Brooks' Island. It is mostly submerged and imbedded in an average of about thirteen feet of fine silt, but rests on a firm gravel foundation. The mound has a roughly triangular outline. With the shore as a base, it stretches out about 300 feet. The greatest height above the marsh level
4
MACDONALD AVENUE, RICHMOND. 1925
RICHMOND IN 1900
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was seventeen feet, and the greatest depth below the marsh level, about sixteen feet.
Scientists who have investigated this mound have been unable to fix its age. Some state that it is probably 3500 years old; others venture no opinion further than to say it is prehistoric. It is made up of charcoal ashes and shells, of which there were four hundred varieties. In it were found implements, weapons and ornaments already totaling some 630 specimens. Many skeletons have also been unearthed from it. In the graves of the males were found charm stones, obsidian blades and smaller weapons. In the graves of the women were found mortars, pestles and awls; while the infants' graves had in each a handful of disk beads made from the obivelle shell, or pendants of abalone shells.
This mound, like others, was built simply of refuse, and besides being a conspicuous archaeological feature, furnishes incontestible evidence of having survived considerable subsidence of the Bay country, which occurred subsequent to the arrival of primitive man; and it was for these reasons especially investigated by the Department of Anthropology of the Uni- versity of California. It would seem that it was the custom of these early Richmondites to emigrate to the mountains during the summer to fatten on the berries, pine nuts, acorns and wild game then so freely supplied by nature; and that on the approach of winter they came back to their tepees along or near the bay shore and drew upon the sea for their winter food. From some unknown cause this race of people became extinct; and it is only from the mounds which they left as monuments in this region that we may have any conception of the story of their existence.
Richmond, with a population of 27,000 and an assessed valuation of $27,000,000, is the largest city in Contra Costa County. It is situate on the northeast of a low range of hills formerly known as the "Potrero de San Pablo" (pasture of the San Pablo Rancho), which forms the headland of a broad peninsula projecting from the easterly or mainland shore of the Bay of San Francisco. This peninsula and headland separates San Francisco Bay from San Pablo Bay and the bodies of water above it, viz .: Carquinez Straits, Suisun Straits, Suisun Bay and the deltas of the two great interior rivers of the State, the Sacramento and San Joaquin.
The earliest available record of Richmond and its immediate vicinity is contained in the diary of Rev. Father Crespi, the historian of the first expedition to explore the eastern shore of the Bay of San Francisco, in 1772. In this diary he states that the expedition camped on Cerrito Creek (the county line at El Cerrito, the boundary between Contra Costa and Alameda Counties ), where they "killed a fat bear and enjoyed a supply of / fresh meat"; the next day, marching on ( through what is now Richmond) , they "viewed the second arm of the sea or large round bay" (San Pablo Bay). There they noticed a large whale disporting itself, and "therefore infer that this bay is sufficiently deep for large vessels."
From 1772 until April, 1823, there seems to be little, if any, authentic history of this locality ; but on April 15, 1823, Francisco Castro presented
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to the Provincial Assembly (Deputation) of Alta California a memorial stating, that "being the owner of large herds of horned cattle and horses," he finds himself under the necessity, in order to preserve the cattle which he now possesses, and may hereafter possess, and in order to provide for the maintenance of his numerous family, to solicit of the Assembly that a piece or tract of land be given to him for the purpose of fixing his estab- lishment, and asking that it would be pleased to concede to him the "pos- session of three square leagues [sitios] in the place called 'Los Cuchi- gunes,' or 'San Pablo,' " and praying that there be given to him the "cor- responding possession and ownership of this land, as it may be proper in the premises" for his protection and that of his succession; and thereon the Assembly made the following decree :
"Monterey, April 15th, 1823.
"The Honorable Assembly [Deputation] grants to the claimant the piece of land which he solicits, measuring three square leagues, consider- ing the said claimant entitled to said favor for his services, his known probity and the abundance of stock which he possesses, for which purpose the Government appoints the Commander of the Presidio of San Fran- cisco for the measurement, and giving him possession of the lands for which he petitions."
Said decree was signed "Arguello" and countersigned "José Joaquin de la Torre, Secretary." Lui'S
On April 15, 1823, Louis Antonio Arguello, whose name is signed to the foregoing decree, was President of the Provincial Assembly (Deputa- tion) of Alta California and was acting as Governor of California.
On January 1, 1827, the said Francisco Castro presented to the Com- mander-in-Chief (Señor Comandante General) of the Californias a peti- tion stating that he had, on said 15th day of April, 1823, presented to the said Provincial Assembly the said memorial, and that the Assembly had made to him the said order or decree.
The said petition of January 1, 1827, further contained the following : "Considering that to the present time the foregoing decree has not been complied with, the reason therefor being unknown to me, I present myself to you in order that, making use of the powers with which you are invested, you will be pleased to give the orders necessary for the purpose of having the foregoing decree enforced.
"Wherefore I respectfully pray that, taking my petition into considera- tion, you will be pleased to order all that which you will deem pertinent and reasonable, which favor will, I hope, be granted to me."
On the margin of this petition the following order was made by the Commander-in-Chief of the Californias :
"Port of San Diego, January 29th, 1827.
"The Commander of San Francisco will be pleased to report why the right of possession within referred to was not given."
On July 27, 1827, the said Francisco Castro presented a petition to the Commander-in-Chief and Political Chief (Comandante General y
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Gefe Superior Politico) of California, which petition begins as follows : "Francisco Castro, owner of the Rancho San Pablo, respectfully pre- sents himself to you, and in due form of law exposes," and proceeds to set forth, "that during four years he has been in possession of said place as shown by the document respectfully presented to your Honor herewith ; and as in this document, issued by the Most Excellent Deputation, it appears that it decrees and commands that due possession be given me. and requires the Commander of San Francisco to do so; that though that gentleman notifies me for the purpose of giving me said possession, as I was at that time a member of said Deputation, and was then called to Monterey on public service, I could not obey said summons, and as from that day to this I have not as yet been able to settle this matter, I now have recourse to the well known justice of your Excellency, requesting that you should be plesaed to order that due possession of said tract of land be given me."
The petition further states that he has "already built upon said land a walled house, having a stone fence measuring 40 varas to the other wooden ones, and planted a garden with many fruit trees therein and a vineyard containing upwards of one thousand stalks of vines, built a mill, and sowed thirty fanegas of wheat, and one-half a fanega of corn and beans each"; that he has "six hundred head of cattle, and five hundred horses, more or less"; that the tract of land "runs along the bank of the creek [estero] and shores of the bay [mar] of San Francisco, from north to northwest from where it bounds with the Rancho of the Sergeant Luis Peralta."
The "walled house" above referred to was built on or near the south- erly banks of Wild Cat Creek, just a little east of the present San Pablo Avenue. The old adobe house, which has been more or less improved, and is still standing east of San Pablo Avenue, just a little north of El Cerrito Creek (the boundary between Alameda and Contra Costa Counties ), was built by Victor Castro, one of the sons of Don Francisco Castro.
On January 30, 1828, Castro again presented his petition to be placed in possession of said land; and on May 10, 1830, he presented another, his fifth petition to be put in possession of the land sought, and which recites that he therefore renews his claim that due possession be given him of the said tract, and that the amount expended, and the improve- ments made by his family on the said land "be taken into united action-the same consists of a house measuring ten varas, and having good foundations, one thousand stalks of vines, and sundry other plants.
"And in order that this claim be attended with full knowledge of the facts, and justice rendered me in the present instance, I will add that I am fifty-five years of age; am married and have ten children; was born in the town of Cinaloa, in the District of Sonora, which was founded by my father; that I was for thirteen years a soldier and corporal in the Mexican artillery ; and that I have belonging to me on the tract which I occupy one
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thousand four hundred head of cattle, six hundred sheep and five hundred horses."
On this last petition the following marginal decree was made by the Political Chief of Alta California :
"Monterey, 26th May, 1830.
"Let claimant add to his petition a plan [diseño] showing the confor- mation, extent, and all other important particulars relating to the tract of land claimed by him."
Don Francisco Maria Castro died on November 5, 1831, before any other proceedings were had, leaving a widow, Gabriela Berryessa Castro, seven sons and four daughters surviving him.
On May 26, 1834, Joaquin Ysidro Castro, the son and first executor of the will of said Francisco Castro, presented to the "Political Chief" a petition, stating that in consequence of the death of his father, who had instituted him the heir (heredero) of a portion of his property and guardian of that of his brothers, "as results from the Testament, a copy of which is archived in this Capitol," . . . he solicits the lawful owner- ship of a tract of land named San Pablo.
The petition proceeds in the following words : "a plan of which I here- with present, together with a copy of the first petition for said tract, pre- sented by my father, dated the 15th day of April, 1823, and copy of the Gubernatorial decree of the same date," and states, "the same having remained without effect, I hereby reiterate the petition, imploring of your Honor the proper documents for the security of the stock which occupies the aforesaid place."
Governor José Figueroa, on June 12, 1834, at Monterey, made a decree and grant, reciting: "Whereas the late Francisco Maria Castro has had granted to him [tiene concedido] by the Most Excellent Territorial Deputation, since the 15th of April, 1823, the land known under the name of Los Cuchigunes or San Pablo, bounded by the Ranchos of San Antonio and El Pinole, and by a portion of the Bay of San Francisco; and whereas, his successors [herederos] subsequently applied for the lawful ownership thereof. . .
"Now, therefore, using the powers with which I am intrusted, and in the name of the Mexican Nation by decree of this day, I do grant to the said successors the above mentioned land, declaring the same to be their property," etc., subject to the usual conditions, the fourth one being as follows :
"Fourth .- The land of which mention is made is of three square leagues, more or less, according to the diseño which accompanied the expediente granted to them. The Judge who will put them in possession shall cause it to be measured according to law, so that the boundaries may be marked out, the surplus, if any, reverting to the Nation for such uses as may be proper."
On June 23, 1835, the said Joaquin Y. Castro presented to the "Political Chief" a petition for an augmentation of the San Pablo Rancho,
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reciting : "I have already solicited from your Excellency the legitimate possession of the Rancho San Pablo which we, the heirs of my deceased father, actually occupied, as I have already stated in my first petition, but through inadventence have neglected to ask for the extent of land included in the plan annexed thereto, and have said that I asked for the three square leagues which we anciently occupied. .
"This piece of land being rather small for the number of cattle grazing on the same, which number we are exerting ourselves to increase, I solicit you, in the name of the other heirs, and as their attorney in fact, that said petition be understood to include with the three leagues which we occupied the augmentation of the land described in the aforesaid diseño."
On August 14, 1835, Governor Figueroa made an order which recited that "Considering the petition at the beginning of this expediente, and the grant [concession] which was obtained on the 15th day of April, 1823, from the most Excellent Territorial Deputation, the subsequent petition which was made on the 23rd day of June of the present year, praying for the amplification of a little more than a square league according to the diseño marked No. 2, and also such other additional documents as were furnished in conformity with the law and regulations in such cases made and provided, I hereby declare Don Francisco Maria Castro the lawful owner in full property, and by his demise his successors, of the tract of land known under the name of Los Cuchigunes or San Pablo, bounded by the Ranchos of San Antonio and El Pinole, and by a portion of the Port of San Francisco. I order that a good and sufficient title be made out and that the same be registered in the proper record book; that it be delivered to the testamentary executor and heir, Joaquin Ysidro Castro, for all necessary purposes, and that the expediente thereof be archived."
"I, Don José Figueroa, general of brigade of the Mexican republic, commander in general, inspector, and political chief of the territory of Upper California, so order and decree, and in faith thereof hereunto affix my name.
"José Figueroa, "F'co Del Castillo Negrete, Secretary."
On August 20, 1835, a grant was made by said José Figueroa in the same terms as said grant of 1834 for the whole property, including the augmentation, to the successors of Francisco Maria Castro, and declar- ing the same to be their property.
On May 22, 1840, the expediente was presented to the Departmental Assembly, and the same was approved by the Assembly on May 30, 1840.
On October 9, 1852, the said Joaquin Ysidro Castro, as "Adminis- trator with the will annexed of the estate of Francisco Maria Castro," filed with the United State Land Commissioners to ascertain and settle private land claims in the State of California, under the Act of Congress of March 3, 1851, a petition for the confirmation of said grant. After other recitals in said petition appears the following: "Petitioner further represents that said Francisco was married to Gabriela Berryessa, and
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died in the year 1831, leaving surviving him his wife and eleven children, · the issue of said marriage being Alvina, Maria de Jesus, Maria, Francisca, Martina, Antonio, Juan José, Gabriel, Victor, Jesus Maria, and petitioner, (Joaquin Ysidro Castro). That the said Francisco left a will signed, attested, and published according to law, whereby he devised and be- queathed to his wife one undivided half of his land and other property, the other half to his said children to be equally divided between them. That said Martina Castro has intermarried with Juan B. Alvarado." "That since the death of Francisco first aforesaid, his said children, Alvina, Maria de Jesus, and Maria died without issue, and their share of said land descended to their said mother, who thereupon became the absolute owner of fourteen twenty-seconds (14/22) of all of said land.
"That afterwards, on the 4th day of August, 1851, said Gabriela Berryessa de Castro, by deed executed the day and year aforesaid, in con- sideration of the natural love and affection for her said daughter, Martina Castro de Alvarado, gave and conveyed to said Martina all the said inter- est (14/22) of her, the said Gabriela, to and in said land. That said Martina thereupon became entitled to fifteen twenty-seconds (15/22) of all the land aforesaid."
On April 17, 1855, the claim of petitioner was confirmed and adjudged to be valid. Such further proceedings were had that the claim was finally confirmed by the proper United States District Court, the land was sur- veyed and the final survey was approved on August 17, 1864, by Hon. Ogden Hoffman, United States district judge. According to this final sur- vey the rancho contained 17,938.58 acres, a patent for which was on Janu- ary 31, 1873, executed and issued by the United States.
The above-mentioned deed from the widow, Gabriela Berryessa de Castro, to her daughter Martina Castro de Alvarado was recorded on September 9, 1851, in the office of the county recorder of Contra Costa County. It was the cause of considerable dissatisfaction among the re- maining heirs of Don Francisco Castro, and was one of the reasons for the protracted litigation which involved the title of this magnificent tract of land. A proceeding was begun in the Probate Court of Contra Costa County, to set aside and annul the will of Don Francisco, in August, 1852, more than twenty years after his death, and on October 30, 1852, a judg- ment setting aside the order admitting the will to probate was entered; but in 1856, on the second appeal to the Supreme Court, the will was again declared to be valid.
From time to time the various heirs sold off portions of their holdings, in some instances attempting to convey a complete title, while in others the conveyance called for an undivided interest. The title thus became so in- volved that none of those claiming an interest in the rancho knew exactly what he owned. There were various suits and disputes, and efforts made to effect a settlement ; and in 1856 an agreement for or deed of partition was formally drawn up, between parties of nine parts. By it three disin- terested parties, viz., James Alexander Forbes, John B. R. Cooper and
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Nicholas Gray, were named and appointed to make partition of the rancho, and to that end to make the necessary survey, map, and report, which were to be filed for record among the land records of Contra Costa County "with this deed of partition and release, the whole to take effect when so filed and recorded, and not before."
This instrument purports to have been executed and acknowledged by nearly all the parties to it. The survey, map and report were made, and the deed, etc., were filed and recorded on August 28, 1857.
Nicholas Gray, one of the above named commissioners, was at that time a deputy United States surveyor, and the map and report he made, dated September 15, 1856, places the acreage of said grant at 29,941, of which 2,470 acres were marsh land; but the final report of the referees in partition of the San Pablo Rancho, which was incorporated in the final decree of partition, signed by Judge J. C. B. Hubbard, March 3, 1894, places it at 17,628.15 acres.
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