In the month of December, 1849, there crossed the bay in a whale-boat, with baggage and guns, Thomas W. Mulford and Moses Wicks, A. R. Biggs of San Francisco, E. Minor Smith and W. C. Smith. They landed on the shore in the vicinity of the Estudillo mansion, there pitched their tent and commenced a war upon the feathered denizens of the marshes. At this date there were probably no permanent foreign settlers and no houses save those of the Spaniards mentioned above, an Indian hut where the graveyard at San Lorenzo stood and an Indian rancheria on the site later occupied by the county hospital. This party dwelt in a tent pitched on the shore, and in the spring of 1850 erected a "ten by twelve" cabin which was used as a cook-house, subsequently adding a chimney thereto of brick taken from a pile which had been thrown into the bay-the refuse of those used in the construction of the new Estudillo house. The cabin stood on the margin of the bay, but its site was later washed away by the rolling surf. In the spring of 1851 the dwelling tent gave place to a cabin, and there it remained on the original location until 1876. That winter another party located temporarily at the mouth of the San Leandro creek; they were Robert Smith, Stephen Smith, a Mr. Solomon, and several others. They did nothing more than hunt in the locality.

In the spring of 1850 a field of wheat, about ten acres in extent, was put in by the Senor Estudillo and some Sonorians, which gladdened the eyes of the few Americans then roaming about the district. This green oasis amid the apparently sterile region was at the lower end of Leweling's place near the Hayward road, where the Sonorians also had a dwelling. This was by no means the first cultivation of the cereals in Eden township, for the Spaniards sowed wheat, planted corn, and raised quantities to provide for their own households. In his will Don J. J. Estudillo says: "I declare that I leave at different places on the rancho three fields sown in barley, in company with Don Guillermo Davis-one with Mexicans, and another with Sonorians-of which contracts exist, written agreements, signed," etc. The industry of stock-raising was still prosecuted with energy, there being on the Estudillo rancho alone in 1850, 3,000 head of cattle, more than that number of sheep, and fifty horses of all classes. In the month of October, 1850, Capt. William Roberts came to the township and established himself at Roberts' Landing, then known as Thompson's, whence he commenced freighting with small craft to different points along the bay. His settlement was soon after followed by that of Captain Chisholm.

In the fall of 1851 William Hayward came to the township and first located on what he thought was land belonging to the Government in Polomares cañon, but which he was quickly informed was the property of Guillermo Castro, who, however, suggested his removal farther down the valley. This he did, and early in the following year, 1852, located on A street, Hayward, and there erected the first building in the flourishing town that bears his name.

During 1852 the squatters took possession of the entire plain. What is now San Lorenzo was known as Squatterville. They found their chief attractions apparently on the Estudillo rancho, for it was to that portion of the township that their attentions were principally turned. The rancho was believed to be Government land, and it was not until after years of litigation that the squatters were disabused of this belief. Among those who took possession of

part under such an idea was Franklin Ray. He erected a dwelling house in the vicinity of San Leandro and on being warned off, refused, when, on March 21, 1852, the owners of the rancho tore down the building, to recover the value of which, namely, $300, he brought suit. This was only one of many cases of the same nature. With this great influx of people came many of those whose names are now among the most honored in the county. There were Robert S. Farrelly, William C. Blackwood, Messrs. Crane, Kennedy, McMurtry, Campbell, Harlan and Johnson. They were followed by Fritz Boehmer, Charles Duerr, William Field, George Meyer, Alexander Patterson, Juel Russell, and John Johnson, who all settled in the vicinity of Mount Eden, which up to that time had been entirely unoccupied. In 1852 also there are the names of Peter Olsen, John W. Jamison, Alexander Allen, and Liberty Perham. This year Eden township had its commencement. In 1856 Castro was compelled to mortgage his estate and then piece by piece the lands were brought to the hammer, and finally, in 1864, they passed entirely into the hands of Faxon D. Atherton who gave Castro $30,000 for them, with which amount he went into a self-inflicted exile in South America. Among the men who made their homes in Eden in 1853 are Henry Smyth, George S. Meyer, Tim. Hauschildt, David S. Smalley, Joseph De Mont, J. F. Elliott, John Huff, William Mahoney, E D. Mann, Thomas W. Mulford, Moses Wicks, William Smith, E. Minor Smith and Emerson T. Crane.

From this year onward the growth and prosperity of Eden township was wonderful. In the next decade the population increased many fold. The names of those arriving in 1855 were Richard Barron, Joseph Graham, Josiah G. Bickell; in 1856 William Knox, Otis Hill, Frederick Wrede, John Wille, Conrad Liese, Ferdinand Schultz; in 1857 W. T. Lemon; in 1858 Maas Lueders, W. H. Miller; in 1859 Watkin W. Wynn; in 1860 N. D. Dutcher, John W. Clark; in 1861 Frederick Brustgrun, A. P. Rose; in 1862 Duncan Sinclair, O. W. Owen, A. W. Schafer; in 1865 E. B. Renshaw and hundreds of others.

A rusty old six-pound cannon lay for years within twenty or thirty feet of the sidewalk on Washington Square, Oakland. The gun was known by the older inhabitants as the "Squatter Gun." The country for miles around was in possession of squatters at the commencement and warm times were experienced by them in their fight to hold their ground. The gun was purchased by the squatters from the captain of a vessel which came around the Horn, and was brought over to Oakland in 1852, to be used for giving an alarm to the occupants of the entire valley in the event of an attempt to forcibly eject any of the possessors of the land. It was at first proposed to procure a bell for that purpose, but the bell advocates agreed to the argument that the sound of a bell could not be heard as far as the report of a cannon, and so the squatter gun was procured.

CHAPTER IV

THE WATER FRONT CONVEYANCE

There was introduced in the city council on May 17, 1852, an ordinance for the disposal of the water front belonging to the town of Oakland and for the construction of wharves, the essential part reading as follows: The exclusive right and privilege of constructing wharves, piers and docks at any points. within the corporate limits of the town of Oakland, with the right of collecting wharfage and dockage at such rates as he may deem reasonable, is hereby granted and confirmed unto Horace W. Carpentier and his legal representatives for the period of thirty-seven years; provided that the said grantee or his representatives shall within six months provide a wharf at the foot of Main street, at least twenty feet wide, and extending towards deep water fifteen feet beyond the present wharf at the foot of said street; that he or they shall within one year construct a wharf at the foot of F street or G street, extending out to boat channel, and also within twenty months another wharf at the foot of D street or E street; provided that two per cent of the receipts for wharfage shall be payable to the town of Oakland. With a view the more speedily to carry out the intentions and purposes of the Act of the Legislature, passed May 4, 1852, entitled An Act to incorporate the Town of Oakland, and to provide for the construction of wharves thereat, in which certain property is granted and released to the town of Oakland, to facilitate the making of certain improvements; now, therefore, in consideration of the premises herein contained, and of a certain obligation made by said Horace W. Carpentier with the town of Oakland, in which he undertakes to build for said town a public schoolhouse, the water front of said town, that is to say, the land lying within the limits of the town of Oakland between high tide and ship channel, as described in said act, together with all the right, title and interest of the town of Oakland therein is hereby sold, granted and released unto the said Horace W. Carpentier and to his assigns or legal representatives, with all the improvements, rights and interests thereunto belonging.

Mr. Carpentier at once entered upon his newly acquired possessions, and, in accordance with the ordinance and its provisions made a report respecting wharfage, on the 30th of December, accompanied by an affidavit that the due percentage of wharfage and dockage had been paid to the town of Oakland, up to date. On July 12, 1853, he reported in further proof of what was required from him, that "I have built a substantial, elegant and commodious schoolhouse for said town, which is now completed and ready for delivery. In the plan and construction of the building I have intended to go beyond rather than to fall short of the obligation of my contract. I would also state for the official information of the board that a free school is at present main