CHAPTER XVIII

ALAMEDA

Alameda was no special Mexican grant in itself, but was a portion of the Rancho de San Antonio, granted to Don Luis Maria Peralta, and by him given, with other property, to his son Antonio Maria Peralta. It was originally called "Bolsa de Encinal," and sometimes "Encinal de San Antonio," the first-named meaning the low-lying or level lands of the peninsula, and the last the peninsula of San Antonio, which took its name from the creek.

With the advent of the immigrant it became the resort of the hunter, the trapper and the charcoal-burner, who on landing found the ground occupied by coyotes, quail, hares, rabbits and possibly deer in companionship with stray herds of cattle that had found their way to this shady retreat through a brush-fence constructed by Antonio Maria Peralta. The latter held it intact until the year 1850, when he leased a portion of it to two Frenchmen named Depachier and Le Maitre, who acquired the tract for the purpose of supplying the San Francisco market with fire-wood. These two men were the actual pioneer settlers of Alameda township; the next were W. W. Chipman and Gideon Aughinbaugh. The latter came over in September, 1850, with Chipman and subleased from Depachier and Le Matire the eastern end of the Encinal, comprising 160 acres fronting on San Leandro bay, where they pitched their tent; the site was southeast of Versailles avenue. They were followed, before the end of the year by a Belgian named Parfait, who put up a cabin on the south side of Monroe street, between Mound and Court streets, and by three brothers named Salmon, who located on the Sandy Point, which, on account of the depth of water, was the then landing place for the Encinal. The Salmons were hunters. In the meantime Chipman and Aughinbaugh sent to the eastern states for fruit trees of various kinds, chiefly peach, apple and cherry, and in May, 1851, planted them on the land afterward occupied by the High Street Station and adjacent tracks of the Southern Pacific Coast railroad, and the contiguous lands on the northeast. During the month of October, 1851, negotiations were commenced and consummated between Gideon Aughinbaugh and Antonio Maria Peralta, at the residence of the latter in Fruit Vale, whereby the entire Encinal passed into the hands of William W. Chipman and Gideon Aughinbaugh for the sum of $14,000 and in the following month, they commenced the erection of the first frame dwelling house in the township-one of those which had been brought in pieces from the Atlantic Coast to California. They found it necessary to raise money. The partners therefore disposed of some of their real estate; tracts representing one-fourteenth interest were sold to Hays and Caperton, J. J. Foley, J. J. McMurtry, H. S. Fitch, Wm. Sharon and a one-third interest to B. F. Hibbard and C. Minturn, besides 150 acres to C. C. Bowman. The consideration ($3,000) for the Fitch-Sharon one-fourteenth interest was a fifty-vara lot at North Beach,

San Francisco, and the balance secured by mortgage on the tract sold. The same tract was conveyed in 1854 to Charles L. Fitch, who in 1857 obtained possession and held it by force of arms until the Squatter's League, then existing, declined to assist the squatter claimant to regain possession.

In September, 1852, Chipman and Aughinbaugh partitioned off lots, each four acres in extent, in the eastern portion of the Encinal, fronting on High street, and sold them at an average price of $80 per lot. Among the purchasers were the Rev. William Taylor and his brother Harvey Taylor. Rev. A. H. Myers settled on the land sold to C. C. Bowman and started the first nursery in the peninsula. To him is also due the credit of being the first to administer to the devotional wants of the small community. Louis Ettebleau came in this year and erected the first hotel in the Encinal. As soon as the fouracre lots were disposed of the construction of a levee across the slough between them and the point was undertaken by Chipman and Aughinbaugh. In that year John D. Brower lived about half a mile north of the Willow Street Station of the Central Pacific railroad. Franklin Pancoast dwelt about a quarter of a mile east of Park Street Station; Henry and Russell M. Rogers had their abode at Chestnut street and Central avenue. Mason and Wickware claimed and occupied nearly all the tillable land lying between the Fitch tract and Webster street, on the creek side of the peninsula, north of Mastick Station. Dr. B. F. Hibbard built a large two story frame house from drift lumber, picked up on the beach, and situated on the tract of land purchased by himself and C. Minturn, situated between Clinton avenue and the bay shore and Union and Lafayette streets. In 1853, there arrived on the peninsula, Thomas A. Smith, N. W. Palmer, H. S. Barlow, A. S. Barber and several others.

In 1854, Chipman and Aughinbaugh desired still further to increase the size of their town, and at the same time make money. They had established the Bonita on the ferry route between San Francisco and Alameda, but found her unsuited and she was displaced. To these ends they laid out a number of blocks of 233 feet square, containing lots 33 x 100 feet, which realized $15,000 at auction. With this money the Ranger was purchased at Sacramento and replaced the Bonita. A series of attractions known as watermelon excursions were inaugurated. Chief among these was the offering of a lot free of expense to any one who, on acceptance, would build a house thereon. This tender was made by public advertisement, and produced no fewer than 300 applicants, who were promised their title-deeds upon completion of a building, but only twenty complied with these provisions. The others forfeited and the lots were sold at auction. Among those who fulfilled this engagement were C. C. Mason, who started the first livery stable in the town, and a man named Keys, who opened a boarding house. Each received two lots. Still further in the hope of benefiting their property, a charter was secured in 1854 from the Legislature to build a bridge and road from Alameda to San Leandro via Bay Farm Island. Accordingly, they built a bridge across the neck or mouth of the bay at a cost of about $8,000-which bridge was subsequently removed and used for constructing a wharf at the west end of the Encinal. They also threw up a road twenty feet wide on the top, from the bridge across the marsh to the island, a distance of over a mile, on the roadway of which was placed a surface of oyster shells one foot deep. This section of the road cost $5,000. Another section of the road.

was thrown up from the island to the mainland toward San Leandro, which was not finished, but cost $6,000.

Although the entire population of the Encinal did not muster more than one hundred souls in April, 1854, it was found necessary to incorporate under the title of the Town of Alameda. By section 2 of that act the boundaries were fixed as follows: On the northwest by the northwest line of the land of James J. Foley, Jr., purchased of W. W. Chipman and Gideon Aughinbaugh, running north 34 1/6 east from an oak tree 8 inches in diameter, on the shore of the Bay of San Francisco, 89.83 chains to the line of the land of Antonio Maria Peralta; thence south 61 east along the line dividing the land of said A. M. Peralta from the land deeded to said Chipman and Aughinbaugh by said Peralta, October 22, 1851, until said division line strikes the Estero de San Leandro, at the head thereof near Romby's brickyard; thence following down the center of said estero to its mouth, in the Bay of San Leandro; thence following the center of the channel thereof, and the deepest water along the southern border of the Encinal San Antonio, about two hundred yards from the line of ordinary high tide thereof, until the said line in the water of said Bay of San Leandro, running a southwesterly course, following the general outline of said southerly border of said encinal, strikes the center of the channel opposite to the present steamer landing in said town of Alameda; thence following the center of said channel northwesterly, until the said center line strikes the first boundary line projected; thence with said boundary projected north 341⁄2 east, to the beginning. No election of officers being held under the act, it became void. In 1854 Dr. Hibbard laid out his tract into the town of Encinal, and in the year following built therefrom his wharf, which was afterwards known by his name. Not long thereafter, the town of Woodstock was planned and platted, both became part of the town. of Alameda. In this year, too, the first store on the peninsula was opened by Zeno Kelly and stood at the corner of High street and Central avenue. About this time A. B. Webster started the first lumber yard.

Among other early settlers of Alameda were Doctors W. P. Gibbons and Henry Haile; Lawyer A. A. Cohen, who was the moving spirit in the establishment of the Alameda and Haywards Railroad and the San Francisco and Alameda Ferry; Henry H. Haight, Governor of California from 1867 to 1871; E. B. Mastick, Henry Robinson, Nathan Porter, Gen. M. G. Cobb, R. H. Magill and many others.

Until the start of the regular San Francisco and Alameda ferry system, which was established largely through the exertions of A. A. Cohen, the mode of access to the metropolis was by means of ferries of various kinds-first the whaleboat and then by steam communication from the several landings at Old Alameda Point, West End, and Hibbard's wharf, or by a walk to the banks of San Antonio creek, across it to Oakland, and thence to San Francisco.

On Thursday, September 16, 1869, the first number of the Encinal of Alameda was issued. When F. K. Krauth sent forth this paper to the world in 1863 the whole town of Alameda might have been bought for $300,000. In 1869 the same property could not be purchased for $4,000,000. The construction of the South Pacific Coast Railway gave Alameda an independent ferry system and resulted in the rapid growth of the town, the establishment of the famous baths, etc. The completion of the Western Pacific Railroad, and the termination of

one of its branches conveyed the freight from Alameda wharf to the foot of Second street. The elements of material prosperity were in evidence within the limits of this little town.

In the month of November, 1869, the survey of the Main and Winchester tract was made and many other improvements were carried on. On March 19, 1870, the Alameda newspaper made its first appearance under the changed name of "The Encinal," and a month later published the following sketch of the rise and progress of Alameda: "The town was originally laid out by Chipman and Aughinbaugh, with its principal street (High) forming its extreme eastern limit, and where all the business of the town centered; but on the advent of the railroad, it was deserted, and the business transferred to the neighborhood of the station, where it has since remained, and is constantly on the increase. Alameda station, which is near the center of the peninsula, is about ten miles east of San Francisco across the bay. Its westerly point is reached by ferry boats from the foot of Davis street, and the road travel is made over the Western Pacific (or Alameda, as familiarly known) railroad. Between the point of landing and Alameda there are three stations about a mile apart, viz.: Woodstock, Mastick and Encinal. All the freight trains from the East pass over the road, which runs through the town. The trains are at present switched off at Simpson's from the Central Pacific road. An extensive wharf, with weatherproof sheds for receiving and protecting merchandise in transitu has been erected at the Point, or landing, from whence freight is conveyed by boats to the foot of Second street, San Francisco, without transshipment. The town contains 1,300 inhabitants. There are two public schools in Alameda, one at Encinal station and the other in the upper town, or Old Alameda. There is also a private academy with about twenty-five pupils. Within the next twelve months, we have good grounds for believing, we shall also have a first-class academy for young ladies, within a mile or two of our station. At the head of High street, in the old town, a new wharf has recently been erected by Moulton Brothers & Co., for the purpose of running a daily line. of schooners in the carrying trade between Alameda and San Francisco. There are about four hundred families in the township, most of whom occupy their own premises. There are two churches-Presbyterian and Methodist-and two lodges-Masons and Odd Fellows." From the foregoing it will be seen that Alameda has made large strides towards prosperity.

On the 16th of April, 1870, George L. Lewis once more started his stage line from Alameda to Oakland via San Antonio and Brooklyn, while about this time the discussion of the construction of what is now the Webster street bridge occupied considerable attention. On the 31st of January, 1871, the private insane asylum of Doctors Trenor and Tucker, located on Park street, was destroyed by fire. In 1863, this building and the Alameda Park Hotel were erected by a company of capitalists with a view of establishing a first class hotel for summer guests, a club house, and billiard rooms, bowling alleys, etc. The hotel proper was, for causes unknown, never built. The premises were leased to Frank Johnson, who opened them to the public under the most flattering auspices. People came over in crowds to Alameda, and the building at first proved insufficient to accommodate them. It then became a private insane asylum with Doctor Trenor as resident physician. This purchase was made in the latter part of 1866, from which time, to the middle of December, 1870, it was used as a refuge for insane persons whose