A collection of articles on Alameda History by Dennis Evanosky and Eric J. Kos
Part one in a series
Francis Marion “Borax” Smith, earned his nickname and a fortune dealing with sodium borate.
On Oct. 26, 1903, Smith’s Key Route system began operating with the ambitious name “The San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose Railway.”
From the Elks to the Eagles and the Oddfellows to the Masons, social clubs in Alameda left permanent marks on our community. The meeting places of these clubs, many originally restricted to White men only, today comprise some of the most recognizable locations in town. Some clubs still operate.
Historians often hear the mistaken idea that California played no role in the Civil War.
In fact, during the Civil War California furnished the Union army some 17,000 volunteers — a number that could make up just under two divisions of soldiers.
Dennis Evanosky
Part two in a series
Streetcar service began here in 1875, when the Alameda, Oakland & Piedmont’s (AO&P) horsecar line first carried passengers through town from the Central Pacific Railroad Station at today’s Tilden Way and Lincoln Avenue.
Part one in a series
Mid-19th-century Alamedans did not have a convenient way to travel to Oakland. This was especially true for West Enders who had to travel — oftentimes walk— across the peninsula to catch J. P. Potter’s omnibus that ran from Park Street to Oakland.
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