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 12
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It may be of interest, in passing, to note that on October 10, 1853, one of Don Francisco's sons, Juan José Castro, and his wife mortgaged to Thomas J. A. Chambers all of their right, title and interest in and to the San Pablo Rancho, declaring in said mortgage that it was "one undivided eighth part of the whole of said rancho," to secure the payment of a promissory note for $633, payable on demand, with interest at the rate of five per cent, per month, compounded monthly, until paid. On July 3, 1856, their interest was sold under foreclosure proceedings ; and on Janu- ary 12, 1857, no redemption having been made and the time for redemp- tion having expired, the sheriff of Contra Costa County, N. Hunsaker, issued a deed therefor to John H. Saunders and Hiatt P. Hepburn. The early part of this year, 1926, the Mercantile Trust Company paid $1,000 per front foot for their lot, 50 feet on the north side of Macdonald Ave- nue by 1071/2 feet on the east side of Tenth Street, where their new bank is now nearing completion.
Joseph Emeric had acquired the Jesus Maria Castro and Francisco de Moraga interests, amounting to a 2/22 interest in the rancho, but had not signed the agreement for the partition made by Gray, and interests of some of the minor heirs were not bound by that agreement. On November 19, 1867, Joseph Emeric and others brought suit in the district court of the Fifteenth Judicial District of the State for partition of the rancho. An interlocutory decree was rendered in that court on July 15, 1878. Several appeals were taken; and the judgment and order denying a new trial were / reversed by the Supreme Court ( Emeric vs. Alvarado, 64 Cal. Reports, page 529) and the case sent back to the lower court, where Judge James G. Maguire, on January 5, 1889, entered an interlocutory decree adjudg- ing partition among the parties in interest according to their respective shares, as determined and set forth in the findings. There were several hundred parties to the action; and the findings of fact, conclusion of law, and interlocutory decree covered about 750 printed pages. From this last decision there were appeals taken by five sets of appellants to the
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Supreme Court (Emeric vs. Alvarado, Cal. 90, page 444), but on August 7, 1891, that court rendered a decision covering the five separate appeals and affirming the judgment and interlocutory decree rendered by Judge Maguire, and also his order denying a new trial.
The final decree in partition was rendered on March 3, 1894, by Judge J. C. B. Hubbard; and the costs and expense of partition were fixed by that decree at $103,470.73. The cost of recording the certified copy of this final decree and of filing the certified copy of the map accompanying the same, in the office of the county recorder of Contra Costa County, was $300.
At the commencement of the suit in partition, Dr. Jacob M. Tewks- bury claimed the ownership and possession of nearly 5000 acres of the rancho, but by said final decree this was cut to 2214.1551/3 acres. In the meantime he had built some levees across the marsh lands lying between the mainland and the Potrero, and ultimately acquired title to about 1200 acres of this "salt marsh and overflowed land." The south 400 acres was sold in 1905 by his widow to H. C. Cutting, who organized the Point Richmond Canal & Land Company. This company dredged a canal from near Ellis Landing on the slough to a point near where the Washington School now stands, and almost parallel to Cutting Boulevard, and with the material thus obtained filled and reclaimed about half the acreage bought, subdividing it into streets and lots, and sold many of the lots. The writer was told some years ago by John R. Nystrom that he, Nystrom, had frequently sailed in a bay sloop through the channel between the Potrero and the mainland, from San Pablo Bay to Ellis Landing, before Tewksbury built the levees that finally caused shoaling, and ultimately the closing of the sloughs.
Among other portions of the San Pablo Rancho acquired by Tewks- bury, and confirmed to his widow, Emily S. Tewksbury, by the decree, was lot No. 48, as described by the decree and delineated on said map, said lot consisting of 392.12 acres. The southeasterly line of this lot was 100 feet northwesterly of the line of Washington Avenue and extended from the marsh on the north side of the Potrero across to San Francisco Bay. In 1901 Mrs. Tewksbury sold about half of this lot No. 48, and also a portion of the salt marsh and overflowed land, to the Standard Oil Com- pany, and has since sold that company the larger portion of the northerly 800 acres of marsh. On these lands acquired from the Tewksburys the Standard Oil Company's mammoth refinery and its adjuncts now stand.
The easterly portion of this lot No. 48 was subdivided and sold off in lots, as is shown in the map of the Town of Richmond, Amended Map No. 1 of the Town of Richmond, and maps of Third Addition to the Town of Richmond, Fourth Addition to the Town of Richmond, and Bay View Addition to the Town of Richmond.
Dr. J. M. Tewksbury was the leading physician in San Francisco, where he died on February 4, 1877, leaving a widow, Emily S. Tewksbury, and a son and a daughter. By his will he left his entire estate to his
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widow. For some years he and his family lived across Wild Cat Creek from Francisco Castro's home, east of the end of San Pablo Avenue, where the road up San Pablo Creek joins the avenue.
Joseph Emeric was another owner of a large interest in San Pablo Rancho. The final decree in partition awarded his son, Henry F. Emeric, as his successor, 1991.132 acres. Among the parcels awarded to him was Lot 44, which contained 236.49 acres. Henry F. Emeric married Eliza- beth Dover on May 10, 1899. He died in August, 1899, leaving all of his estate to his widow. She, in the early part of 1900, sold Lot 44 to John Nicholl for $50,000. The John Nicholl Company subdivided that portion of the lot lying northwest of the Santa Fe Railway, and on August 28, 1900, filed the map known as "Map of the Nicholl Subdivision of the Town of Richmond." As there was considerable hard feeling between Nicholl and the Tewksburys, the first subdivision map prepared by T. W. Morgan, C. E., for the company, made no provision for the opening of Richmond and Nicholl Avenue as they now exist, between the Tewksbury and Nicholl subdivisions, but was laid off in a continuous line of lots mostly 40 by 100 feet, backing up against the Tewksbury line and fronting on Washington Avenue.
John Nicholl came to this locality in 1857. He bought 200 acres of the San Pablo Rancho and built his house, which still stands and is occupied by his son, Joseph L. Nicholl, on the south side of Macdonald Avenue at 28th Street. The eucalyptus trees still standing in front of the house 'were planted in 1868, and are said to be the oldest in the county. This tract, in the decree of partition, is designated as Lot No. 55, and contains 191.76 acres. It extended from Road No. 14 (now 23rd Street) to 32nd Street on the east, and from the south line of the Oakland branch of the Santa Fe Railway to the vicinity of the Grant School. The easterly nineteen acres of the portion south of Macdonald Avenue was purchased by the city and is now being improved, and is known as Nicholl Park. It was here that John Nicholl, as captain, and a number of the earlier settlers, organized a small company known as a "Home Guard," which assembled and had "guard mount" and other drills during the Civil War.
Nicholl acquired other interests in the San Pablo Rancho prior to the partition, and on the advice of his attorney, John B. Moon, accepted Lot 45 of the San Pablo Rancho, containing 152.81 acres and including the promontory known as Point Richmond, now Ferry Point, Moon saying to him that some day it would be "valuable as a railway terminus." The truth of this prediction was proved when on February 26, 1897, Robert WV. Watt, as vice-president of the San Francisco & San Joaquin Valley Railway, gave Mr. Nicholl a check for $80,000, dated on that day and drawn on the Bank of California, in payment for fifty-seven acres, includ- ing Point Richmond and adjacent land, which the Santa Fe Company now own. For some reason the deed was made out to Claus Spreckels. This, as we all now know, was the entering wedge for the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad to reach tidewater on the Bay of San Francisco. An
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interesting sidelight on its coming is found in an article by A. S. Mac- donald written in 1910, entitled "The Beginning of the City of Rich- mond," from which the following is quoted :
"One November evening in 1895, I drove out from Oakland, bound - for the San Pablo Marshes on a duck hunt. Leaving San Pablo Avenue, we passed the old Nicholl homestead and came to what is known as Twenty-third Street. Here the county road turned to the north, and then to the west again along Richmond Avenue. The only house on the road at that time belonged to Mrs. McGann, whose daughter was the first post- mistress of Richmond. It was a muddy, treacherous road from her place to the Potrero, used only by a Swiss dairyman, tenant on the Tewksbury land, residing about where the Standard Oil Company's office now stands. Leaving our team at this place, we walked out on the dyke to blinds out at the mouth of the San Pablo Creek. It was a perfectly beautiful morning, sun shining brightly and not a breath of wind; consequently no ducks were flying, and after sitting five hours without a chance shot I concluded to quit, walk over the Potrero hill, and explore the Bay shore. On reaching the summit of the hill, a magnificent view greeted my eyes-Mt. Tamal- pais looming up to the right, Berkeley to the left and, seemingly just across the way, San Francisco-without a sign of life to disturb the quiet and peaceful scene. I wondered why such a delightful spot had been neglected for either pleasure or profit, as not alone its beauty, but also it's commer- cial possibilities, appealed to me at once and I determined to investigate.
"The government map and surveys showed a depth of sixty-five feet of water, the only point on the east side of the Bay where land and navigable deep water met. Aside from this, I discovered a saving of over twelve miles could be made by the Southern Pacific Railroad Company by a ferry from Point Richmond directly to San Francisco, instead of handling freight through Oakland to the shallow estuary of the Peralta Street slip. "These facts I presented to Mr. Huntington with the idea of establish- ing the freight and overland traffic of the railroad company at that point. Mr. Huntington thought very favorably of the project and prepared to look over the proposition; but unfortunately, or rather fortunately, as it has since turned out, he had become entangled in some lawsuits and left the State.
"Not discouraged, however, as soon as the Santa Fe Railroad Com- pany announced its intention of reaching San Francisco, I presented my scheme to them. To avoid attracting attention, the chief engineer, head officials and I went out by separate routes and carefully examined the water front, with the result that it was considered the most feasible and economi- cal point on the Bay for a terminus, and was adopted.
"As soon as this question was definitely decided, I knew that a great city must grow up there, and the next thing was to find a proper location. The Potrero was rough and hilly, while the immediate surrounding land was low, flat and swampy; the next choice tract was that belonging to George H. Barrett, a pioneer resident. This we secured and named the
1
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City of Richmond. The country was uninviting-looking enough at the time, except the homestead of Barrett, which stood on Tenth Street, just north of Macdonald Avenue. V
"The subdivision of this hay ranch by myself and associates was quite a serious problem and, to begin with, rather discouraging, as streets had to be laid out, blocks graded, sewers constructed, water and gas mains secured, railroad stations established by both the Southern Pacific and Santa Fe Companies, and street car facilities acquired; but all of this and much more has been accomplished, thanks to the energetic, enterprising people who have taken up their residence there-and much credit must be given the Women's Improvement Club.
"The argument which I made to induce the railroad to build to Rich- mond is stronger and better today, since it has been proven, than when first used-to wit, that it was the only place on the East Shore and the most desirable place on San Francisco Bay where land and navigable water came together, giving shipping facilities unexcelled anywhere else on the whole Coast.
"In addition to this, now, with the Southern Pacific Railroad, Santa Fe Railroad, and belt line railroad for land connections, and the Standard Oil Company's immense plant and the cables of the great Electric Com- pany affording cheap power, it is an ideal place for manufacturing, as is evidenced by the large manufacturing concerns already attracted to this locality.
"Richmond, with its fine climate, lying snugly behind the Potrero and sheltered from the prevailing westerly winds, its navigable harbor, over- land railroads and cheap power, has a basis for growth possessed by few cities and, having all the improvements of a modern progressive municipal- ity, is bound to be one of the most important cities on the Coast.
"I was laughed at in 1900 when I predicted a population of 10,000 in ten years. President Ripley stated that Richmond would have a popula- tion of 20,000 in fifteen years, and I have every confidence in his prediction.
"Augustin S. Macdonald."
In the early fifties the place at the foot of Tenth Street was known as Ellis Landing. Before that time this district was for ages the burial ground of prehistoric man. Scientists from all over the world have studied Ellis Shell Mound, and their researches unearthed much of value before modern improvements came. In 1849 Capt. George Ellis operated schooners between San Francisco and Ellis Landing. The channel ran from San Francisco past Ellis Landing to San Pablo Bay, through the present site of the Standard Oil refinery. The Potrero Hills formed an island subject to government occupancy. When this channel was closed, it made this section part of the mainland. In 1859 Captain Ellis acquired the property. He operated two schooners, Sierra and Mystery, carrying produce and freight between the landing and San Francisco. John Ny- strom was manager of the landing. When Ellis died his children acquired
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the property, and the old Ellis home and ninety acres of harbor property were purchased from George and Selena Ellis, his sister, by the Ellis Land- ing & Dock Company; M. Emanuel was president of the company.
George H. Barrett once owned 420 acres in what is now the business district of Richmond. Barrett Avenue is named for him. A. S. Macdon- ald bought some of the Barrett property, Macdonald Avenue being named for him.
Owen Griffins was a large landowner in the south part of Richmond. Part of it was subdivided by Griffins and Watruss, who sold to John Ny- strom, and he added Nystrom's Addition.
Benjamin Boorman came in 1859. A biographical .sketch of Mr. Boor- man will be found in another part of this history.
Bernard Schapiro bought 1500 acres of the Tewksbury property and subdivided it.
William H. Wood was another pioneer. His widow married Mr. Boorman. Her children were Robert N. Wood, Richard C. Wood, Lu- cetta Wood Dunlap, Ann Elizabeth Wood, and Frank G. Wood. By her second marriage there were two children, Adelaide Picton and Emily Axtell.
Under the guise of its being "the People's Road," the San Francisco & San Joaquin Valley Railroad was built from Bakerfield to Stockton, and then on to Point Richmond. The portion from Stockton to Point Rich- mond, now known as Ferry Point, was built during 1899 and the early part of 1900. When the writer came here in November, 1899, the rails had been laid this side of Pinole, although the grading was nearly finished, and the tunnel was through the Potrero Hills, but the fill across the tide- lands from near Keller's Beach to the Point had not been completed. However, a few people had awakened to the fact that there would be a city here, or at any rate a chance to sell lots, for on June 3, 1899, the "Map of the Town of Point Richmond" was filed in the office of the county recorder of this county. This tract was handled and sold by Charles T. Rodolph, of Oakland, and was the first within what is now the City of Richmond to be subdivided. It comprised the land on the north side of Barrett Avenue (then Road No. 12) and designated on that map as Point Richmond Ave- nue, between Mrs. McGann's property at the east line of A Street (called Spreckels Avenue on that map) and the Santa Fe Railroad, and also included a triangular piece west of the railroad, cut into some five or six blocks. As the place where Point Richmond Avenue crossed the railroad was destined to become a very busy portion of the yards of the railroad, the company exchanged some of their ground east of the railroad south of Point Richmond Avenue for that portion of the Town of Point Richmond lying west of the railroad, as shown on said map. The streets now known as A, B, and C Streets, and Garrard Boulevard, were designated on the map as Spreckels, Santa Fe, Topeka, and Atchison Avenues, respectively. The propaganda setting forth that the San Francisco and San Joaquin Railway was to be "the People's Road," to deliver them from the bondage
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and monopoly of the Southern Pacific, which was then the only road reach- ing the Bay of San Francisco or traversing the great San Joaquin Valley, was a shrewd move on the part of the Santa Fe people, for they succeeded in getting quite a large popular subscription for the stock, and many advantages in the way of obtaining rights of way. The building of the road exhausted the funds raised by the sale of stock and bonds issued; and the Santa Fe Company very accommodatingly stepped in and furnished a ferry boat (the Ocean Wave, a stern-wheeler from somewhere up around Puget Sound), rolling stock, and other equipment, and took over the man- agement of the road.
The first through train from Chicago, over the Santa Fe, arrived on July 3, 1900, about noon. Captain H. P. Lauritzen was in charge of the ferry boat, Ocean Wave, waiting for the train.
Prior to the arrival of that overland train, Lyman Naugle, Richmond's grocer, first newspaper publisher and first postmaster, had arrived from somewhere and had established himself and family in a small building on the north side of what is now Barrett Avenue, between A and B Streets. He and his family were the first and, for several weeks, the only settlers on this, the first part of the townsite platted. On April 15, 1900, he put in a few cases of old type, an old broken composing stone, and a small chase, and proceeded to set up the forms for the first newspaper published in this city, which he called the Richmond Record. In those days there was no Richmond depot on the Southern Pacific, only a three-sided shed with a long board seat in it, at the crossing of Road No. 12, now Barrett Avenue. This "flag stop" was then called Barrett Station, as Barrett's house, just east of Tenth Street between Macdonald on Nevin Avenues, was the nearest house to it, where the Southern Pacific trains stopped twice a day if "flagged." It was to this point Naugle carried the forms for his paper, and then on into Berkeley where the paper was printed. Soon after, he got a hand press ; and on July 5, 1900, assisted by Frank Critchett (who now lives in Oakland and has the first copy of the paper printed, and who was the first subscriber, and the writer), began the actual publica- tion of a newspaper in the young city. The first few issues of the Record were mailed from Stege, a little settlement with a railroad depot and post office, and called into being by the California Cap Works, the Stauffer Chemical Company's plant, and a match factory. Uncle Sam was not yet fully aware of the birth of this "Wonder City," but in August a post office was established in Naugle's store and print shop and he was appointed as our first postmaster.
The second subdivision of our city was known as the "Townsite of Santa Fe" and was owned and put on the market by McEwen Brothers, a corporation composed of George and Frank McEwen and some of their family. This tract extends from the south line of the A. T. & S. F. Oak- land branch right of way, to the salt marsh lands, then owned by the Tewksburys on the south, and from a line 100 feet west of First Street
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easterly to Tenth Street. The map of this subdivision was filed in the office of the county recorder at Martinez on March 17, 1900.
The next plat filed was known as "Map No. 1 of the Town of Rich- mond," being a portion of Lot No. 48 of the San Pablo Rancho, owned by Emily S. Tewksbury, and covered a few lots facing on what was called Tewksbury Avenue (now Standard Avenue ) from 100 feet west of Wash- ington Avenue over about to Castro Street. This map was filed on June 30, 1900.
Then came the "Nicholl Subdivision of the Town of Richmond," a map filed on August 28, 1900; and after it, on November 10, 1900, was filed the "Amended Map No. 1, of the Town of Richmond," which took in more of Lot No. 48.
We'll step over again to Barrett Avenue, where, at the northwest corner of A Street ( then Point Richmond Avenue and Spreckels Avenue ) , T. M. Ross (who had come down from Sacramento) had started the con- struction of the second building to be put up in Richmond. He had not yet got the roof on when along came Frank Critchett, from Tulare, who landed here about July 1, 1900, with his good wife Martha and her three sons : Elton Mason, Albert Mason and William D. Mason, the last named then about fourteen years of age. William D. Mason was afterward superintendent of the Standard Oil refinery. Critchett thought it would be a good place for business ; so he bought the property and started to fin- ish it. But the roof was barely done when he sold it to Henry Wanske, who opened, and for some time after operated, the Star Saloon. His reason for selling was that the writer had made a deal whereby Critchett was given by the John Nicholl Company the two lots at the north corner of Washington and Richmond Avenues (80 feet on Washington by 100 feet on Richmond) in consideration of his erecting, opening, and maintain- ing for not less than eighteen months, what they were pleased to term a first-class Mechanics' Hotel. The Tewksbury and Nicholl people also wanted Naugle, with his newspaper, grocery and post office. Naugle would not go without Critchett, nor would he go without Naugle ; so as a part of the same deal we arranged with Naugle to move over to the hill- side in consideration of Nicholl's giving him a lot 40 by 100 feet where the bank now stands, at the west corner of Washington and Richmond Avenues, and $300 to be used in the construction of a building, to house his grocery, print shop and post office, on the lot adjacent, 40 feet front on Richmond Avenue by 120 deep, given him by the Tewksburys, together with $300 in cash to be used in constructing that building. This building was started about September 1, 1900; and on the 10th, before he could get the roof completed, we secured a big dray and loaded on it Mr. Naugle's effects, including the Richmond Post Office, and brought the "whole cheese" over and established him in his new quarters. The post office did not stay long with the "bunch" at Washington and Nicholl Ave- nues. It was a hard blow to Rodolph and the others interested at the original location, which was for years known as "Old Town," to lose their
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most valuable advertising assets, other than the railroad, i. e., the grocery, newspaper and postoffice. Mr. Naugle had failed to get permission of the' post office department to make the move, and having raised the ire of Mr. Laymance and his friends, soon had Mr. Bricker, United States postal inspector, hot on his trail with a very large demand from so diminu- tive a man, "to immediately take that post office back." Back it went; and Naugle, with his grocery and print shop on the hillside, had to trudge through the rain and mud of that winter over to Old Town to take care of his post office. The spring following Miss Lizzie McGann was ap- pointed to succeed him, and was postmaster for many years, until Wav- erley Stairley was appointed, who in turn was succeeded by J. M. Long.
Frank Critchett, a small man with lots of energy and executive ability, soon got a crew of men together and started building operations at a lively rate. His hotel was started before we "stole" the post office. Then Miss McNally, who was boarding a lot of railroad men in a tent near where the roundhouse stands and was having difficulties with the winds and rain, prevailed on Critchett to put her up a hotel on the gore lot at the foot of Washington Avenue. Bill Richards came over from San Francisco and bought the lot adjoining Critchett's on the north, and he wanted a two-story building put up on it immediately. So Frank took over the man- agement of that work and soon had Richards Hall, where were had many a dance and frolic, under roof. He must have had a preference for "Bills," as there were Bill Redding, Bill Falls and Bill Conn, all sawing and hammering away at the same time. Those were stirring times in the live town; in fact the wind during that winter "stirred" several of the unfinished buildings clear off their foundations. The John Nicholl Com- pany had five cottages under construction-one at the south corner of Washington and Richmond Avenues, one on Washington on the second lot above Naugle's corner, one on Richmond opposite the end of Park Place, and two on Tunnel Avenue, between Richmond and Nicholl Avenues. During the earlier part of that season, P. M. (Pat) Dean and Mr. Wyatt had put up a two-story frame building on Tewksbury (now Standard) Avenue and were occupying it for a boarding house and saloon. And with so many other memories crowding along, I almost forgot what must have been a very important place during the railroad construction work around here-the old "Hunters' Home" saloon, that stood on the south side of Tewksbury Avenue opposite the end of the road that came up from the railroad yards. How long it had been there I do not know, but the build- ing looked old when I first saw it. It was afterward moved across the street to its present location on the corner.
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