History

All Aboard on Park Street

Sep 17,2020

In 1890 this station at Park Street and Tilden Way replaced the one that A. A. Cohen had built for his San Francisco & Alameda Railroad in 1864. Cohen sold his railroad to the Central Pacific Railroad in 1868. The very first transcontinental railroad train stopped here on Sept. 6, 1869.

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Charles Kuchel & Emil Dresel, Lithographers &nbsp&nbsp In 1855, the Methodist church built this school in the Federalist style complete with a portico and a cupola. The two-story building that stood on College Avenue housed a dormitory and classrooms.

What’s in a Name? College Avenue

Sep 10,2020

Homeowners on College Avenue own property with a chain of title that stretches back to San Francisco Sheriff and Texas Ranger Jack Hays and his deputy sheriff and fellow Texas Ranger, John Caperton.

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Library of Congress &nbsp&nbsp Well-wishers look on as Pilot Ed Musick and his crew board China Clipper in Alameda on Nov. 22, 1935, for their historic flight to Manila. Note that the numbers on the wing end with 16. This gave the plane its nickname “Sweet 16.”

Pan Am Flew Alameda into the History Books

Aug 13,2020

In its Nov. 21, 1935, edition, the Oakland Tribune informed its readers that “The largest mail load ever carried by an airplane was placed aboard one of Glenn L. Martin Company’s flying ships China Clipper.

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Hotel Replaced Palace

Jul 16,2020

John Barton owned the Union Pacific Salt Company that produced 20,000 tons of salt a year. He had this 15,000-square-foot home built on Broadway in 1879 and lived here with his wife Isabella and children William and Grace until his death in 1900.

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Alameda Museum &nbsp&nbsp Captain R. R. Thompson in the top hat visited the men who bore the first wells for the Artesian Water Works on today’s Thompson Avenue.

Alameda: the Story of its Water

Jul 09,2020

Editor’s note: Under normal circumstances, Alameda Sun publishers Eric J. Kos and Dennis Evanosky would be leading history tours for the city’s “Alameda Walks” program this time of the year. Instead, Eric and Dennis are presenting six weeks of history stories.

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Dennis Evanosky &nbsp&nbsp This display at the Coyote Point museum gives us an idea as to how the Ohlone lived along the San Francisco Bay shoreline. They fashioned their boats and homes from the branches of willow trees and tule reeds.

Remembering the Ohlone: Alameda’s first inhabitants

Jul 02,2020

Today’s Island City began life as a peninsula where Native Americans, members of the Ohlone tribe, first lived more than 3,000 years ago. These first settlers took advantage of the climate and the readily available staples — acorns, game, fresh water and oysters.

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