USA > California > Alameda County > Past and present of Alameda County, California, Volume I > Part 48
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60
When Oakland was really passing from town to city the authorities fully comprehended the importance of commencing a comprehensive system of public improvements. They began at once to improve the streets, build first class school- houses and erect a suitable city hall. Ground for the latter cost $17,673, and was opposed by many as extravagant, yet within ten years the property was valued at ten times the amount paid. Many thought they would be ruined by the large
367
HISTORY OF ALAMEDA COUNTY
street assessments, but advances in their property contradicted this view within two or three years. Taxpayers were staggered when $20,000 was spent for a schoolhouse, but a short time not only proved its necessity, but demanded others equally as large.
On March 19, 1868, an act authorizing the city council to purchase land and erect a city hall was passed by the Legislature, and directed the issuance of bonds therefor. On October 31st the contract for the mason work was awarded to J. S. Emery, at $11,784, and that for joiners' work to F. L. Taylor and J. V. Goodrich, at $23,965.
On November 16, 1867, Mr. Moody offered a resolution to the following effect : To embody the city of Oakland and such other territory as might be fixed upon into a consolidated city and county of Oakland. The matter rested thus until 1874, when the scheme once more commenced to attract attention, but nothing of consequence appears to have resulted. On November 2d the fol- lowing resolution was passed: That the thanks of the council are due to the Hon. W. W. Crane, Jr., whose resignation of the office of mayor of the city of Oakland has just been received, for the faithful manner in which he has dis- charged the duties of his office and especially for the assistance he has rendered the council in the management of the affairs of the city since his election to said office. On the same date Dr. Samuel Merritt was elected to the mayor's chair in place of Mr. Crane.
On March 1, 1869, the city debt reached the amount to $110,400. This called forth the following observations from a committee appointed to ascertain the amount: "It is the unanimous opinion of your Committee that means must be adopted to liquidate the city's floating indebtedness that has been ignominously brought upon her by those who were too sanguine in the rapid development of the future of Oakland, resulting in the lamentable fact that with her annual interest and municipal expense she finds herself pecuniarily embarrassed and wholly beyond the power to honor the bills of her employes when they are due. There- fore, it is the opinion of your Committee that immediate measures be taken to dispose of some of the city's unproductive property, and the proceeds be applied to cancel her present floating indebtedness. We are already paying interest on $118,700, and should it be materially augmented, it is but reasonable to ask, when would our taxation be less, and when could we pay the principal unless our per- centage on taxation was increased? And in view of the many obstacles that have arisen in the minds of your Committee to devise some way to pay the floating indebtedness of the city, they can see only one satisfactory way by which it may be done, and that is to have a Legislative power vested in the guardians of the city, and dispose of the City Hall, and with the proceeds pay the bills now knocking at the door of our Treasury for admittance."
INDEBTEDNESS, 1871-72
Old Funded Debt. $ 18,400.00
City Hall Bonds. 50,000.00
Carpentier's Judgment Bonds
16,000.00
School Bonds of 1868.
50,000.00
New Funded Debt of 1870.
70,000.00
School Bonds of 1870
50,000.00
Total amount of Funded Debt. $254,400.00
Vol 1 -24
368
HISTORY OF ALAMEDA COUNTY
FLOATING DEBT
Warrants $ 10,000.00
Salary Bills unpaid. 11,268.26
Miscellaneous Bills
5,974.32
Gas Bills 8,616.98
City Hall Bills
1,870.84
Total
37,730.40
Making the sum total.
$292,130.40
CITY PROPERTY AT ITS COST
City Hall Lot and Buildings $ 72,000.00
School Lots 35,406.00
School Buildings
67,730.00
Water Front property (estimated value)
35,000.00
Fire Department property
12,731.00
Total (exclusive of school furniture and other per- sonal effects of the city). $222,867.00
The Oakland Free Library was organized March 5, 1868, by a party of citi- zens called together for that purpose, upon which occasion about $6,000 was sub- scribed. Dr. Samuel Merritt was the first president. It originally occupied rooms in the Holmes building, corner Eighth and Broadway, and later rooms at Eleventh and Broadway. In the early part of 1872, a building was erected on the corner of Twelfth and Washington streets. Owing to lack of funds the association sold this lot for $12,500 cash. The city council gave the association permission to use a corner of the city hall lot, and the building was accordingly removed to that spot. In 1878, under the act of the Legislature and upon conference with the city council, it was decided to transfer all the property to the city on condition of its being sustained thereafter by taxation. The transfer was made; the building, from 4,000 to 5,000 books, and above $2,300 in cash, formed the nucleus of the new library. The Free Reading Room on Eleventh and Wash- ington streets was also merged in the new library. The library building was raised, and a reading-room was erected under it. The old association had a paying membership of three hundred. In November, 1878, when it was opened as a free institution, there were upon the shelves 4,392 books. The library proper and reading-rooms were managed by a board of five trustees, elected by the people. The force of employes consisted of Miss Ina D. Coolbrith, librarian, who had held the position since October, 1874; H. F. Peterson, first assistant ; Ina L. Peterson, second assistant; D. P. H. Brown, janitor and curator of central reading-room; L. D. Mason and Miss C. E. Bromley, curators of West Oakland and East Oakland branch rooms. Miss Ina D. Coolbrith, the librarian, was a woman of genius, and one among the gifted of California's daughters of song.
In 1868, when the city council bought the property of the city hall park, public library site and engine house site and a small park adjoining for $17,672.91,
369
HISTORY OF ALAMEDA COUNTY
the act was denounced as one of uncalled for extravagance. In 1898 when it was proposed to sell the city hall property its valuation was placed at $700,000. Shortsightedness in municipal affairs began thus early to check the progress of this extraordinary locality and promising city.
The damages caused in Oakland by the earthquake of October 21, 1868, were light as compared with those of other towns in Alameda county, Dwelling houses received trifling injuries ; in many houses crockery and glassware were broken, and great numbers of chimneys were thrown down or otherwise dam- aged. The city front suffered most. A portion of the wharf extending east from Broadway gave way, and several tons of coal were precipitated into the creek. At the lumber wharf of Taylor & Co., a trestle-work pier on which were 150,000 feet of lumber, was thrown into the creek.
Early in 1869, the Toland Tract Association with a capital stock of $22,500 was organized, the trustees being Henry Durant, Edward McLean and Jacob Hardy. Its object was the purchase of land to be divided into lots suitable for homesteads. In January, Shattuck & Hillegass' hall was converted into a theatre, and opened as such on the evening of January 25, 1869. The enterprise of ship- building was progressing, there being at that time a two hundred ton schooner on the stocks at Allen's Yard at Oakland Point. It was a year of great prosperity.
What was called Lake Chabot was constructed about 1868-69. Two years were consumed in building the series of dams that backed up the waters and created the lake. The eastern branch of Temescal creek, for a mile or more, ran between two steep hills about seven hundred feet apart. Instead of form- ing a gorge, as in most canyons, there was a valley some thirty or forty acres in extent. This was dammed up. Lake Chabot was about four hundred feet wide and three-quarters of a mile in length and its capacity was estimated at two hundred million gallons. Until June 1, 1872, all the water used in Oakland came from below Lake Chabot and from Fruit Vale. From the lake the water flowed through the original bed of Temescal creek for a mile and a half. The- elevation of Lake Chabot is four hundred feet above Broadway wharf. Before the lake was built a large reservoir stored the water for city use. Its capacity was about 1,000,000 gallons. On an elevated locality near the head of Fruit Vale, there was later a distributing-reservoir, from which there was a main lead- ing directly into Brooklyn (East Oakland). In Brooklyn two artesian wells were used. On February 12, 1872, the Lake Tahoe and San Francisco Water Works Company were granted the right to lay pipes through the streets of Oakland, and on October 15, 1877, like privileges were granted to the Oakland and Alameda Water Company.
The foundation of the city hall was laid in the spring of 1869, the original contract price being $24.000; many other improvements added later raised the total cost to about $70,000. It stood on the irregular block bounded by San Pablo, Washington and Fourteenth streets. The basement was occupied in part by a city prison. The third story had just been fitted up for occupancy at a cost of $6,000. Before it was erected sessions of the city council were held in Shattuck's brick building at Broadway and Eighth streets.
On February 5, 1869, the first number of the Alameda Democrat made its appearance and was said by one of its contemporaries to have "a countrified
370
HISTORY OF ALAMEDA COUNTY
appearance." At this time Oakland boasted of three daily papers, and in that respect took third rank in the state.
Another fire department was organized March 13, 1869, with John C. Halley as chief engineer, and Thomas McGuire and George Taylor, assistants, who suc- ceeded John Scott, chief, and John C. Halley and W. W. Moore, assistants, acting under authority of a previous organization. The apparatus of the department comprised a third-class Amoskeag fire engine, purchased by the city, and a hose carriage procured with funds temporarily advanced by Col. John Scott. On March 3, 1869, the Phoenix fire company was admitted into the organization, but soon disbanded for want of organization.
In his message to the council March 15, 1869, Mayor Merritt, said: "Within the limits of the city surveyed into blocks and streets by Kellersberger, seven blocks were set apart for public squares, and as such have been dedicated to public use. They are named as follows: Lafayette, Jefferson, Washington, Franklin, Oakland, Madison and Caroline. Having been informed that some question existed as to the validity of the city's title to these squares, with the approval of the members of the Council, I had five of them inclosed with a good, substantial picket fence. The whole cost of inclosing these five plazas was $990.17. The remaining two, Washington and Franklin Squares are in the pos- session of the city."
In March, 1869, Mayor Merritt said: "During my administration events have transpired of vital interest to the future welfare of Oakland. The water front controversy of sixteen years' duration has been satisfactorily adjusted and the terminus of the Western Pacific Railroad has been secured. The market value of real estate within the city limits has advanced more than one hundred per cent ; many substantial brick buildings have been erected to accommodate increased business, and the rapid ingress of population has resulted in the con- struction of many elegant mansions and tasty villas in various parts of the city. Water has been introduced from the Coast Range of mountains; streets have been graded and macadamized; wharves have been built and the general appearance of the whole city has been vastly improved. The statistics of the Health Officer relating to the recent epidemic of small-pox, show conclusively that there is nothing in the climate or soil of Oakland to feed an epidemic. For many years Oakland has taken the lead on the Pacific Coast in the number and range of edu- cational institutions, and within the past year the State University has been located at Berkeley, a suburb of this city, which establishes her position perma- nently as the educational center of the State. The securing of the terminus of the Western Pacific Railroad promises to result in the dredging of the bar and converting the San Antonio Creek into a basin five miles in extent, capable of receiving ships of ordinary draught, at any stage of tide, which, in my judgment, is all that is required. to elevate Oakland to a prominent commercial position. At the time of the settlement of the water front controversy, two reservations were secured: The arm of the San Antonio Creek north of the Oakland Bridge was dedicated perpetually for a public lake. Since then a dam has been con- structed near the bridge at a cost of at least $20,000, converting this branch of the creek into a beautiful lake. A road sixty feet in width and four miles in extent is now being built around the border of the lake. The second reservation is for a public landing, and embraces that part of the water front lying between
371
HISTORY OF ALAMEDA COUNTY
the middle of Webster and the middle of Franklin Streets, and extending southerly to a line parallel with Front Street. Soon after it became known that the above described property had been reserved for the city, certain parties attempted to take possession under a pretended lease to the San Francisco and Oakland Rail- road Company. Subsequently the railroad company instituted suit to quiet title to the property in question, claiming that the City Council had granted this prop- erty to the said company for a 'marine railroad and wharf.' On the first day of the present term of the Third Judicial Court, Judge McKee rendered his decision against the said railroad company and in favor of the city of Oakland."
The extension of Broadway was accompanied with numerous legal diffi- culties and perplexities. The first step taken was to tear down the only fence in the proposed line by the road commissioner, then began the work of grading. The morning after this was commenced that official found the fence restored to its original place, and in a short time an injunction was served upon him, ordering him to suspend operations. In the year 1873 Oakland was chosen to be the future county seat by a majority of 985 votes of the people. , In this year, too, there were surveyors at work on the proposed narrow gauge road to Walnut creek, Contra Costa county.
In the year 1871 Elijah Bigelow sold to the San Francisco Land and Loan Association for $102,000, two-thirds of Broadway Block. In 1871 it was rec- ognized that Oakland was fast becoming a city capable of sustaining the very best class of stores, and that unless that street furnished the proper accommoda- tion, other and more enterprising capitalists would turn their attention to some other locality, and there erect the improvements demanded by the enlarged condition of the city. Their policy was a wise one, and, by carrying it out, they secured for a time the prestige of Broadway as the most important thoroughfare in Oakland. In May the Hurlburt block, bounded by Broadway, Washington, Thirteenth and Fourteenth streets, was sold to Armes & Dallan for $75,000, making the third heavy land sale within the city, and all aggregating $230,000. Heavier sales than these had taken place. The railroad company purchased sixty-six acres of land at the Point for $330,000; the Casserly tract for $125,000; and the Lake Side tract for $100,000. On November 13, 1871, an ordinance was passed levying a tax opening and widening Broadway from Fourteenth street, northerly, to the charter line. On December 4, an ordinance was passed changing the names of Caroline square to Lincoln square, and Julia street to Madison street.
Mayor Spaulding, in his message to the council, dated May 15, 1871, speaks of city sewerage as follows: "Another matter which I deem of eminent importance to the city, and to which I wish to call your attention, is the subject of sewerage. The subject was brought before the City Council about two years ago, and by them submitted to a Board of Engineers. This Board was composed principally of the best engineering talent of the State-men of large practical experience- who spent a great deal of time in examining the topography of the city and determining the best and most economical method of drainage. They submitted to the Council an elaborate report, recommending the adoption of the pipe system of sewerage. This report was unanimously adopted by the City Council. Another point in connection with this subject to which I wish to call your attention is that many residing on the streets where sewers are laid have neglected to connect
372
HISTORY OF ALAMEDA COUNTY
their house drainage with the sewers, thereby rendering void, to a certain extent, the salutary benefits calculated to be produced. I would therefore recommend that necessary steps be taken by your Honorable Body to compel these connec- tions to be made with as little delay as possible." In this year (1871) the sewer on Webster street from Twelfth street to the water front was constructed, but no especial action was taken to establish a general system of sewerage. Late in the year 1871, the board of engineers recommended as part of the system of sewerage proposed by them to the council, the "construction of a main sewer, leaving Lake Merritt at Delger street and running thence along Delger street to San Pablo avenue; thence to Twenty-first street ; thence to Market street ; and thence continuing along Twenty-first street to the shore of the bay, a total length of 84 1/100 miles. During the year ending February 28, 1873, three miles and 3,150 feet of sewerage were laid at a cost of $26,075.07. But the construction of the main sewer became now imperatively necessary, and attracted much dis- cussion. It was necessary to get an act passed by the Legislature. On March 23, 1874, "An Act to authorize the City of Oakland to construct a Main Sewer" was approved, and on the 18th of May, the City Council passed an ordinance directing the building of the sewer. On October 12th the contracts were awarded to Mr. Jordan and M. Miles & Co. The Main Lake sewer was completed in 1876, and connected Lake Merritt with the bay. The cost of the work is given below.
First Section-Contract price $126,850.00
Extra work 512.40
Second Section-Contract price 38,200.00
Extra work 525.00
Total $166,087.40
Paid contractors
$157,483.73
The News in the early 'zos was published by William Gagan in a two-story frame building on the north side of Ninth between Broadway and Washington streets. The paper finally died of inanition. General Sullivan and Mr. Fairchild were connected with newspapers here later. Although the News was edited by Mr. Gagan, its editorial writer was really Calvin B. Macdonald. W. D. Harwood was local editor and general news gatherer. Gagan was the republican leader of the county and Col. John Scott was the democratic leader. William Harvey was connected with the News about this time. Soon the News passed to General Sullivan and Oscar Fairchild, who espoused the temperance cause during the local option era in the early '70s. Soon afterward the News was sold on fore- closure by Sheriff Harry Morse. The Transcript was published by Col. John Scott and in 1870 had its offices on Broadway near Eighth. It was previously issued in a frame building at Twelfth and Broadway. Harry Linden was its editor then, but was succeeded by Henry George, the world renowned single-tax advocate. In this city was evolved that theory of administration. Mr. Foote was connected with the Transcript for a while and so was Thomas Newcomb in 1869. Arthur McEwen and Daniel O'Connell wrote good prose and passable poetry for the Transcript. W. C. Morrow was another early local writer of
373
HISTORY OF ALAMEDA COUNTY
merit. There was no steam power in the early days, all presswork being done by hand power. Pennybacker ran the Transcript's press and Fish ran that of the News.
On April 15, 1872, the fire department was in possession of one steam fire engine; one two-wheel hose carriage; one hook and ladder truck and hooks ; 2,100 feet of hose ; forty-one fire hats and belts; two fire bells; thirteen hydrants and three cisterns, valued in all at $14,713.
In 1872 the following land was annexed to Oakland: Bounded on the north by the line of division between the plots ten and eleven on Julius Kellersberger's map of the rancho of Vicente and Domingo Peralta, filed in the office of the recorder of Alameda county, January 21, A. D. 1857, said line being produced in a straight line with itself westerly till it intersects the westerly boundary of the County of Alameda in the Bay of San Francisco and produced in like manner easterly beyond the easterly line of Webster avenue until it intersects the small creek known as Cemetery creek, which rises in the grounds of the Mountain View Cemetery Association and flows southwesterly to its junction with another creek rising east of said Webster avenue; on the east by said Cemetery creek and the other creek aforesaid below their junction until they empty into Lake Merritt or Peralta, and then southerly along the west shore line of the northwestern arm of said lake until the same intersects the northerly line of the city of Oak- land; on the south by the said north line of said city; and on the west by the westerly line of said county of Alameda in the Bay of San Francisco to its point of intersection with the north line already described as the line of division between Kellersberger's plots, numbers ten and eleven.
In the early part of 1872 the following branches of business were in Oakland : Auctioneers, 3; liquor saloons, 84; barber shops, 8; boarding-houses (licensed), Io; billiard saloons, 6; bakeries, II ; breweries, 3; bathhouses, 2; bill posters, 2; cigar manufacturies, 3; cigar stores, 6; clothing stores, 3; carpet stores, 2; con- fectioneries, 4; drygoods, 3; drug stores, 6; express agents, 2; fruit stores, 8; furnishing goods, 4; furniture stores, 2; feed and produce, 3; flour mill, I ; game market, I; groceries, 15; glaziers, 2; general merchandise, 2; hardware, 4; harness makers, 3; insurance agents, 12 ; ice depot, I ; jewelers and watchmakers, 5; livery stables, 8; laundry, I; lodging houses, 12; lumber yards, 4; locksmiths, I; markets, 14; marble works, 2; milliners, 4; music stores, I; paint shops, 5; pawnbroker, I; plumbing, 7; planing mills, 3; restaurants, 20; real estate agents, 9; roofing agency, I; sewing machine agents, 3; stationers, 4; shoe and boot stores, 7; stove stores, 3; merchant tailors, 3; tinsmiths, 6; toy stores, 4; under- takers, 2; upholsterers, 2; vegetable stores, 4; variety stores, 3; wood and coal yards, 5. Besides the above there were two banks, one cornstarch factory, one brass and one iron foundry, etc.
In 1873 the boundaries of Oakland were greatly extended and the city lost its original encinal or peninsular form. The northern limit was extended over a mile and the eastern limit was extended to embrace the incorporated town of Brooklyn which had grown up at the same time as Oakland along the eastern margin of San Antonio creek. When the growth began in earnest at the time the railroad was built the population soon spread over the plateau and up the sides of the hills. Blocks near the center of the business section doubled and trebled in value. Soon Oakland proper comprised about nine thousand acres,
374
HISTORY OF ALAMEDA COUNTY
besides the tide lands. In June the famous Grand Central hotel was completed under the personal supervision of Doctor Merritt. It was four stories in height with a mansard roof and brick basement, the whole surmounted by three immense towers. The building occupied the block bounded by Webster, Harrison, Elev- enth and Twelfth streets. It was destroyed by fire in 1881. The tax levy for city purposes in Oakland was 70 cents on the $100; in 1874 it was increased to 90 cents on the $100. The population of Oakland in 1873 was 13,387 accord- ing to the school census. In 1874 the population was nearly twenty thousand. In September, 1873, half-hour boats were put on from Oakland to San Francisco by the Central Pacific Company to meet the enormous travel between the two cities. An important achievement was the construction of the city wharf, at the city's expense upon the only space of water front which the city had a right to call her own. The wharf at once proved itself a success beyond what its most earnest advocates had anticipated. It was completed August 5, 1872, at a cost of $19,635.90.
On November 17, 1873, twenty or thirty citizens assembled in the reading room of the Grand Central hotel for the purpose of considering the organization of a humane society for Oakland. Henry Durant served as chairman. The organization was perfected and meetings were held regularly until April, 1874, and were then suspended for three years. It was revived in March, 1877, at which time Dio Lewis became president. Again in 1878 it went out of existence. In 1890 it was revived and continued vigorously until 1892. Towards the end of 1873 a silk manufactory was started under the superintendence of John Green, who had two looms at work and carried off the State Agricultural Society's gold medal for his exhibition of home manufactured silk.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.