San Leandro Portals to Past History for Fun

“It was in the year 1892 that the first trolley cars began to operate throughout San Leandro from Oakland to Hayward, known as the Oakland-San Leandro and Hayward Electric Railway.  It consisted of a one line track with wooden posts and cast iron extensions projecting out to hold the trolley wire. A year or two later, one bright sunny day, a gang of construction workers began to tear up our main street.  On inquiry, it was learned that they were about to install a double track system through town.  This the citizenry did not desire, claiming the street too narrow for a two-track line.  Quite a crowd gathered ordering the construction crew to cease work.   This they refused to do, and a battle took place right there – even throwing a rope over one of the trolley posts with the intention of a lynching party.                 The construction boss was put in the old town jail and work stopped through injunction proceedings.  A watch was kept on the job night and day, for it was u

IF YOU LIVE HERE YOU PRONOUNCE ESTUDILLO “ESTA-DILLO”.  Sorry Spanish speakers… As I tell you this story you will recognize some of our street names with origins in our founding families. The 1 st  settler was Don  Jose Joaquin  and this wife Dona  Juana .   Don Joaquin, as he was referred to, was friends with the new governor, Don Juan  Alvarado . Alvarado was put to the task of was dividing up grazing lands between friends.  Some of the  Estudillo   land was redistributed to Guillermo  Castro , who was related to the governor by marriage.  The hills of Castro Valley to Eastern Hayward was appropriated and Estudillo was left with all the grazing land below that. Castro Valley was part of the original 28,000 acre (110 km²) land grant given to Castro, called Rancho San Lorenzo. This land grant included Hayward, San Lorenzo, and Castro Valley, including Crow Canyon, Cull Canyon, and Palomares Canyons. Castro had a gambling habit and had to sell off portions of his land to pay g

The Broadmoor Neighborhood in San Leandro is just one of the many neighborhoods in our Bay Area that graced with the California Bungalow/Craftsman homes.  This booklet is the building plans that were available to build your home for as little as $2500. See if you can find a familiar style home you live in, grew up in or know of. Let's see what styles are the most identified.   Post a comment and the style # you remember and where.  This should be fun. As you look at the plans you will notice all of them have sleeping porches.  Here is a link to the history of the sleeping porch. Here is the link to the Broadmoor Bungalow Book.   Be sure to follow me so you don't miss other fun posts. Brought to you by Joy Elliott, Re/Max Accord.  Please consider contacting me for your real estate needs.  RE/MAX #1 - 510-326-2716  joy@joyelliott.com  Search for classic homes at joyelliott.com

"Then and Now Dinner" ​ Saturday, October 15 at 6:00 p.m. San Leandro Main Library , 300 Estudillo Ave., San Leandro TICKET SALES CLOSE OCTOBER 8 — No tickets at the door $40 Members / $50 Non-Members Click to buy tickets online with a credit card or PayPal Click to download a ticket purchase form to mail with a check Download a Sponsor/Donor form Download a flyer ​ The first ever "Then and Now Dinner" is coming to town! What used to be where Bay Fair Mall is?  What did Dutton Avenue look like in the 1800s?  Has city hall always been where it is now?  Join friends for a great dinner catered by Cuisine Catering (your choice of NY York Strip Roast, Chicken Chardonnay, or vegetarian Stuffed Acorn Squash), enjoy a slide show and stories of old and new San Leandro, win raffle items, and help the San Leandro Historical Society raise funds to enrich the future by preserving the past. Monetary donations from sponsors and raffle item donations from donors help us r

Castro Valley sold for $400,000 worth of gambling debts! Castro Valley was part of the original 28,000 acre (110 km²) land grant given to Don Guillermo Castro, called  Rancho San Lorenzo . This land grant included  Hayward ,  San Lorenzo , and Castro Valley, including Crow Canyon, Cull Canyon, and Palomares Canyons.  Don Guillermo Castro - The San Lorenzo Land Grant Don Guillermo was born in California, then a Mexican possession in 1810. The son of Don Carlos Castro of Las Lagas Rancho. His birthplace was located near the village of Coyote in Santa Clara County along what is now highway 101.A career soldier, he served in the Mexican army as a lieutenant of militia at the pueblo of San Jose. In 1838, he was listed as a surveyor of government lands in San Jose, and it is about this time he acquired his land grant, roughly 28,000 acres, then known as Rancho San Lorenzo. This land included those areas we now identify has Hayward, San Lorenzo, Castro Valley, as w

Saturday, June 4, 2016 Parade (1 0-11 am) &  Festival  (11am-6 pm) Downtown San Leandro #SLCHERRYFEST It was a lovely time to be alive and the most spectacular sight of all was the cherry trees in blossom, thousands of cherry trees as far as the eye could see...There were little villas hidden in the valleys of blossoms." June 5, 1902 San Leandro hosted the 1st Cherry Festival.  Bessie  Best....was considered on the San Leandro's fairest maidens was chosen queen of the Cherry Festival.  The festival was opened with parades, flag raising and a 21 gun salute. An estimated 25,000 people attended and 15 tons of cherrys were given away!  This year on June 4, 2016, the 107th Cherry Festival will again celebrate the tradition. Come visit the San Leandro Historical Society Booth.  I'll be there between 1-3pm. Download the app on Google Play or Itunes