Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Alameda
    Alameda
    Alameda
    Ebook160 pages48 minutes

    Alameda

    By Greta Dutcher and Stephen Rowland

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    Alameda was once a peninsula of grassy fields and sandy beaches, separated from Oakland by a snaking estuary. A tidal canal made Alameda an island in 1902 and its waterfront became a major shipping port. Park Street s bay-windowed commercial buildings looked out on a prosperous city of streetcars and comfortable homes. Between the two world wars, Alameda s Neptune Beach resort and amusement park became the Coney Island of the West, eventually boasting a Moorish entrance tower on Webster Street, a stadium, two swimming pools, a high dive, and a roller coaster called the Whoopie. Alameda s strategic location made its airdrome the busiest in the world in the 1930s and eventually attracted a U.S. Coast Guard base, known as Government Island, and the Alameda Naval Air Station.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherArcadia Publishing
    Release dateSep 21, 2005
    ISBN9781439614433
    Alameda
    Author

    Greta Dutcher

    Bay Area native Greta Dutcher is a collector who specializes in vintage East Bay postcards. Working with fellow enthusiast Stephen Rowland, she draws from both her own archives and that of collector Edmund Clausen, selecting the best images to recall Alameda�s charming public face in the 20th century.

    Related to Alameda

    Related ebooks

    United States History For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      St Helena's Anniversary Set

      Jul 10, 2020

      St Helena's Anniversary Set
      4 min read

    • Article

      Rags To Honest Riches

      Mar 26, 2019

      Rags To Honest Riches
      3 min read

    • Article

      Union Bay Historical Society

      Sep 3, 2019

      Union Bay Historical Society
      3 min read

    • Article

      A Hidden Escape

      Jul 5, 2023

      A Hidden Escape
      3 min read

    • Article

      Buckets Of Fun

      Aug 6, 2020

      Buckets Of Fun
      2 min read

    • Article

      Virgin Islands Early Issues

      Jul 10, 2020

      Virgin Islands Early Issues
      4 min read

    • Article

      Remember Poole Pottery?

      Sep 29, 2023

      Remember Poole Pottery?
      5 min read

    • Article

      The Faraway Nearby

      Feb 27, 2020

      The Faraway Nearby
      10 min read

    • Article

      Nyasaland

      Mar 12, 2021

      Nyasaland
      5 min read

    • Article

      Q&A YOU ASK, WE ANSWER

      Aug 6, 2020

      Q&A YOU ASK, WE ANSWER
      8 min read

    • Article

      Netherlands Antilles 1958

      Nov 11, 2022

      Netherlands Antilles 1958
      4 min read

    • Article

      The Panama Canal 1915

      Apr 8, 2022

      In theory, the Panama Canal was such a simple idea. The Isthmus of Panama was just a thin strip of land separating two mighty oceans. If you dug a canal across it, you’d save yourself the long, hazardous journey around the Cape, or the even worse one

      6 min read

    • Article

      Coromandel Gold

      Jun 27, 2021

      Coromandel Gold
      6 min read

    • Article

      1900s Notebook

      Jan 5, 2022

      1900s Notebook
      3 min read

    • Article

      Going For A Song

      Jan 17, 2022

      Going For A Song
      10 min read

    • Article

      Town & Country Notebook

      Feb 14, 2024

      1) What would one measure using a pluviometer? 2) Which English Prime Minister had the first names William Ewart? 3) What institution is known as the ‘old lady of Threadneedle Street’? 4) ‘Fill-dike’ is a rural name for which month? 5) What are Rum,

      4 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Alameda

    0 ratings

    0 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      Alameda - Greta Dutcher

      useful.

      INTRODUCTION

      Alameda is unlike any other city or town in the San Francisco Bay Area. That’s not an exaggeration from two proud residents, but something that’s been acknowledged by many outsiders, as well. Where else will you find such a large concentration of Victorian architecture? Where else are you so shielded from sprawling freeways and strip malls that grow next to them? How many other physical islands in this area can you actually live on?

      Alameda has, for the most part, avoided the temptation to become another wasteland of tract housing and shopping centers. The fact that it is an island (and trying to access it from the freeway is convoluted for the uninitiated) lends Alameda just the slightest bit of isolation, making it the unique, charming town it is today—one we have dubbed The Island Paradise.

      All that being said, Alameda is no stranger to change, as the postcards in this book demonstrate. Over time, we were surprised to find how many different Alameda postcards were made. For such a small place, the island sure had a lot to say in pictures. We have painstakingly selected the most unique, interesting, rare, and relevant postcards we have been able to get our hands on. Given the enormous amount of subject matter printed on postcards in the early 1900s, we hope that you’ll find exactly what you’re looking for. You may even find your house.

      With all the change that has taken place, however, the handwritten notes on the backs of these postcards prove that, even with the passage of time in a rapidly evolving world, people haven’t changed very much. As these images and their messages attest, our basic wants and needs are the same as they were 100 years ago, and our desire to connect with each other continues.

      As a peninsula, Alameda really came onto the map when William Chipman and Gideon Aughinbaugh purchased the land from Antonio Maria Peralta in 1851. Although filled with dense oak groves, meadows, and marshlands, San Francisco residents found the peninsula ideal for orchards and residences and, working with other local landowners, they created the Alameda we all know and love today. Their work paid off as the population boomed during the late 1800s and early 1900s, being the catalyst for the creation of schools, churches, houses, and businesses with awe-inspiring architecture. A large number of these early buildings still exist today. We’ve worked to include as many lost buildings in this book as possible, so that everyone may be aware of and remember them.

      Once the canal opened in 1902, finally making Alameda an island, businesses burgeoned along the waterfront, boosting the population and economy. World War I only helped to perpetuate this expansion. You could call this period Alameda’s glory days, and browsing through this book, you’ll find that a good deal of the postcards included are from this era.

      The other key player in Alameda’s growth was the Naval Air Station. Although not complete when America entered World War II in 1941, the Naval Air Station evolved with the war. For over 50 years, it was a key player in Alameda’s expansion of business, economy, and population.

      Although businesses along the canal have dwindled since the early years of this century, and the Naval Air Station fell victim to downsizing in 1997, Alameda still thrives. These postcards help to document Alameda’s fascinating history during its busiest era—small, personal souvenirs that, after all these years, ensure we never forget the origins of this place we call home.

      Dated October 8, 1912, this postcard shows three boys borrowing a cow’s pasture to fly their box kite on a windy day. According to the message written on the back, this photograph was taken from the writer’s front porch, and her son Robert was one of the boys pictured. Note the large sailing ship passing by on the estuary.

      One

      THE ESTUARY

      Water first flowed through the canal on August 7, 1902. The first craft to navigate the canal was a rowboat carrying three children. On the evening of September 15, 1902, an extravagant parade marched through the streets of Alameda, ultimately finding its way to the Park Street Bridge. An elaborate fireworks display was then held along the canal, and a carnival and celebration continued for two more days. At the end of the festivities, a procession of 200 decorated ships made its way down the canal, and more than 35,000 people watched and cheered. World hammer-throwing champion Tom Carroll entertained the crowds with an exhibition of his skill, which culminated with a hammer being thrown across the canal. Alameda was finally an island. (Published by Cardinell–Vincent Company, Oakland, c. 1907.)

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1