Three Dimensional Museum Exhibit

When posed with the task of developing a "Three Dimensional Museum Exhibit", I was so excited because I knew exactly what I wanted to do. As noted in the above inset caption of the historical reference of Bay Farm Island, the early residents of Bay Farm Island entertained each other with outdoor dinner parties – complete with homemade wine and music.

I remember feeling envious of those families because even that oh-so-brief description conjured up so many delightful visions in my head. This assignment allows me to take my day dreaming further to a level that brings me even more enjoyment as I envision the Island paradise in the early 1800’s.

What I want the reader to take away from this "Three Dimensional Museum Exhibit" is that the story of early Bay Farm Island is one of richness – rich family connections, rich love – both young and old, rich fertile soil, rich nutrient laced produce, rich Italian culture, rich Italian food, rich red grapes made into sweet red wine, rich musical talent, and rich island pleasure.

The richness of Bay Farm Island is epitomized by the outdoor dinner parties of the time. The warm summer air cooled by the ever so gentle San Francisco Bay breeze. The moon lit sky speckled with stars illuminating brightly in the dark surroundings. The large family table surrounded by lush vegetation - nature at its best. A multitude of softly glowing lanterns hanging from the trees illuminating the large family table draped with a family heirloom – a soft hand-embroidered tablecloth. The air is filled with the aroma of an abundance of scrumptious Italian entrees made from ancient secret family recipes brought to this country by traveling brave Sicilian immigrants, fresh vegetables sautéed in garlic and olive oil, salad overflowing with freshly grown vegetables – smothered in homemade Italian cilantro dressing. Lively Italian music plays in the background and both old and young lovers dance as the children join in. Wine flows – toasts are made thanking God for the abundance of richness – rich family connections, rich love – both young and old, rich fertile soil, rich nutrient laced produce, rich Italian culture, rich Italian food, rich red grapes made into sweet red wine, rich musical talent, and rich island pleasure.

I am no longer envious of the early Bay Farm Island residents because I just lived through what I conjured up - so many delightful visions in my head. I took my day dreaming to the ultimate level, and I basked in the joy of all five senses – sight, smell, taste, hearing, and touch – I truly and deeply enjoyed the moment! My hope is that you do too.

Additional Info - The Narrative; Historical Significance; Secondary Sources; & The Wood Minor Collection

The Narrative:
At first I found it difficult to provide a strong narrative background; I found it difficult to determine the “one” idea about the story I want to tell. At the onset of the course, I began with the idea of telling the story of the history of Bay Farm Island – which is very general and vague. In my mind’s eye, I saw the story as one that would provide a brief history of the early days on the island when it was in habited by the farmers, the linkages to the “main island” of Alameda in regards to family, commerce, land development, etc.

Historical Significance:
The assignment also challenged me to determine what my local story about Bay Farm Island reveals about larger historical truths on the Island of Alameda and in California. Wow! At this point, this is where my focus began to change. When challenged with connecting the history of Bay Farm Island to the larger picture including the Island of Alameda and then connecting that history with the even larger picture including the State of California, I found what makes me tick.
I have revised my plan. My new plan is to tackle this as the large, massive project that I want to complete. But I will tackle the project in phases. Phase I will be the work completed in this course, as it will lay the groundwork for the next phases. I envision Phase I to incorporate just what I’ve discovered so far by going to the archives and getting the background story on housing, immigration, railways, commerce, farming, etc.

Secondary Sources:
When I first set out on this quest to document the history of Bay Farm Island, many to the “Woody Minor” collection located at the Alameda Free Library referred me. I spent hours perusing the infamous collection. It was time not only well spent gathering valuable information, but I was so surprised to find that it was also so enjoyable. I just loved pouring of the pages of the collection. The “Woody Minor” is a collection of newspaper articles that were authored by Woody Minor, an Alameda resident employed by the Alameda Times Star. Mr. Minor is still living, and he is on my list of those to interview in either Phase II or III of this multiple phased project of documenting the history of Bay Farm Island. My time was well spent at the Alameda Library because I discovered so many interesting factoids. I discovered that Bay Farm Island was first “settled” which translates into “inhabited by Europeans” beginning in the 1850’s and moderate development held steady until about the 1870’s. During these twenty years, the community was inhabited by a prominent figure by the name of Benadah Benedict who as an advocate for the island. One of the many things Benedict advocated for was the first school on Bay Farm Island. Interestingly, the Bay Farm Island community petitioned the local school board to finance a teacher for a school that was built and financed by the Bay Farm Island community. The schoolhouse was eventually abandoned and later dismantled. Bay Farm Island was referred to as a backdrop of Alameda development, an area that was frequented by hunters, which interestingly infuriated Bay Farm Island residents

The Wood Minor Collection:
Another interesting factoid I discovered in the “Woody Minor” collection was that in the 1860’s, the bridge connecting the Island of Alameda with Bay Farm Island was dismantled requiring residents to ride a boat to Alameda. The bridge that was dismantled was named after two prominent Alameda figures of the time - Chipman and Augenbaugh – both of whom have namesakes in present-day Alameda. I plan to do further research to determine why the bridge was dismantled and when it was replaced. However, In my research has determined that many aspects of Bay Farm Island were neglected – especially the roads.

ASSIGNMENT #9 ~ Conclusion

The old adage, “parting is such sweet sorrow” is more than appropriate in this venue because I have enjoyed this course more than any other I have taken in my entire academic journey – which by the way ends after six consecutive years of schooling as I graduate from graduate school in two weeks on June 12, 2010. Yeah baby! I must reiterate how incredibly awesome the experience of becoming a full-fledged historian has been for me. I honestly feel as though I have been given the golden opportunity by Professor Linda Ivey to live and breath as would a historian over the last 10 weeks, and I’m filled with gratitude. Thank you.

I will utilize this venue as an opportunity to add information and sum up my story - The Only Written History of Bay Farm Island. The final impressions that I want to leave the reader with is that this journey has brought to the completion the Phase I of a long litany of phases that I will travel through as I complete the full and comprehensive telling of the story of Bay Farm Island from the 1800’s into the new millennia. Within Phase I of this story, the creative hook I found lies within the story of landfill. Challenged with the task of building a narrative and tying together what my research about BFI has uncovered, I discovered that I encountered at every turn the subject of landfill. The story of landfill is how BFI began and it is how it has become the Island paradise that it is today. As I set out to collect information and collected, collected, and collected some more, all the information unearthed spoke of landfill. The real diamond I discovered is the Woody Minor Collection at the Alameda Free Library. This priceless collection chronicles the first settlement on the island by Italian farmers, the first efforts to develop the land for residential use with the essential task of reclaiming land to prevent flooding of roads and residences, and the eventual sophisticated, organized efforts to collectively reclaim major portions of land in the area for large scale residential development. A brief visit to the area today explains why such effort was expended as it is abundant in natural beauty despite the planned setting. The once fertile sought after agricultural marshland slowly began to be viewed prime real estate and became one of many reclaiming projects that were commonplace within during the era in California’s Central Valley. However, for BFI the project to reclaim land was unique because it was for residential purposes. The historical context behind this effort is a topic that is of much interest to me and will be further explored in Phase II of the multi-phased project. I suspect that the land reclaiming project and the dredging of the waterway between the Main Island of Alameda are linked to the Cold War, and I will explore that in detail in subsequent phases of this project. There are numerous topics to be researched in the following phases of this project that I, as a self proclaimed historian, still need to uncover. I must admit that I am thrilled about what I may unearth! In conclusion, what I want you to walk away thinking about is, “where you can purchase my books that cover phases II, III, IV, & V of The Only Written History of Bay Farm Island.

Oldest Maps of Rancho San Antonio

Oldest Map of Rancho San Antonio - encompassing present day Alameda, Bay Farm Island, Oakland, and various other cities:


Rancho San Antonio - Bay Farm Island identified as "squigley" line in lower middle:

ASSIGNMENT #8 ~ Public History

Land grant given to Peralta:


Earliest map of the area referred to as Rancho San Antonio:


Map of Rancho San Antonio with Bay Farm Island is located at the bottom middle:


Bay Farm Island is located at the bottom right hand corner of this earliest map of the area:


MORE TO COME....

Assignment #6 ~ Continued

Below are three different kinds of advertisements for land in the Island City of Alameda. These advertisements makes claims of a comfortable climate, excellent soil for agricultural purposes, and the fact that mud does not exist because the soil "soaks up the rain as soon as it falls."






There are no advertisements for land for sale on Bay Farm Island. In fact, the maps of the area at the time do not include many parts of the island that are currently inhabited. At this point in the history of the island and it's surrounding area, these portions are marked as "marsh land" as indicated in the upper left-hand corner of this advertisement.

It isn't until later that what is referred to as "re-claiming" of the land occurs and the marsh area are filled in and built upon. More on this subject to come...

Assignment #6

In the early 1900's, the "Ark Community" occupied the marsh land between the Island of Alameda and Bay Farm Island. Modest cottages on piles occupied most of the area. However, there the was one gem built in the San Leandro Bay. The Philani Castle as it was named was complete with winding stair case that led to a look out tower.


The community was touted as a desirable place to live with Bay breezes that claim to heal. It evern came equipped with it's own bathhouse as the one pictured here in the foreground.



The Woody Minor Collection covered the story of both the Ark Colony and the sale of real estate on the Island paradise and shares that the land upon which the Ark Colony was built was not owned by the occupants, and there were many dissagreements over the settlement. Land on the Island City of Alameda was being parceled off and sold. Advertisement for the land made many interesting claims that will be shared later.

Secondary Sources

WOODY MINOR COLLECTION:




When I first set out on this quest to document the history of Bay Farm Island, many referred me to the “Woody Minor” collection located at the Alameda Free Library referred me. I spent hours perusing the infamous collection. It was time not only well spent gathering valuable information, but I was so surprised to find that it was also so enjoyable. I just loved pouring of the pages of the collection. The “Woody Minor” is a collection of newspaper articles that were authored by Woody Minor, an Alameda resident employed by the Alameda Times Star. Mr. Minor is still living, and he is on my list of those to interview in either Phase II or III of this multiple phased project of documenting the history of Bay Farm Island. My time was well spent at the Alameda Library because I discovered so many interesting factoids.


BAY FARM SCHOOL:




One of the many things Benedict advocated for was the first school on Bay Farm Island. Interestingly, the Bay Farm Island community petitioned the local school board to finance a teacher for a school that was built and financed by the Bay Farm Island community. The schoolhouse was eventually abandoned and later dismantled. Bay Farm Island was referred to as a backdrop of Alameda development, an area that was frequented by hunters, which interestingly infuriated Bay Farm Island residents

OLD MAP - BAY FARM ISLAND BOTTOM RIGHT:


Another interesting factoid I discovered in the “Woody Minor” collection was that in the 1860’s, the bridge connecting the Island of Alameda with Bay Farm Island was dismantled requiring residents to ride a boat to Alameda. The bridge that was dismantled was named after two prominent Alameda figures of the time - Chipman and Augenbaugh – both of whom have namesakes in present-day Alameda. I plan to do further research to determine why the bridge was dismantled and when it was replaced. However, In my research has determined that many aspects of Bay Farm Island were neglected – especially the roads.

This journey just keeps getting more and more exciting! It’s like an onion with layers being peeled back a little at a time. I can’t believe I’m going to say this, “I love my homework!”

THE ARC COLONY:


I'll leave you with this article about the Arc Colony and guarantee that there are some extremely interesting photos to come - some which you will not believe.

The Heart of the Investigation; Distractions, The Narrative, Historical Significance, & The Decision

The Heart of the Investigation

Distractions:
When I first sat down to do this assignment, I had to actually force myself not to launch the Internet or Picasa. It is so easy for me to start browsing the Internet and get enthralled in the many interesting websites about history - whether specific to Alameda or more general information about California. I love history! And I just love perusing websites about California’s history, watching documentaries about Californian history, or reading books about the subject. I can and have gotten lost for hours. I must admit that it was extremely difficult to control myself and stay focused on this and all past assignments in this course. Focusing take will power, something I do not have much of. Picasa is also very distracting to me because I have so many awesome photos of both primary and secondary sources that I obtained at the library. I have photos of some really old maps of Alameda and even photos of homes built on stilts over the water. I have spent so many hours reviewing those photos, and every time I find something new. I love it! But at this point in the course, it is essential that I get focused!
Will Power:
I had to dig deep into myself to muster up the will power to complete this assignment. I had to do everything in my power to keep focused. I knew it was time to begin to answer the question of where this journey is taking me. I knew I had to be as specific as possible – which was difficult! I knew this assignment was requiring me to give my readers the information needed to want to follow along on this journey with me. I knew I was challenged to give my readers some direction on where I’m going with this topic and give specifics about what my readers can expect in the remaining assignments. But it was difficult! I want to do it all. I don’t want to be specific. Waaaa, waaaa, waaa!

The Narrative:
At first I found it difficult to provide a strong narrative background; I found it difficult to determine the “one” idea about the story I want to tell. At the onset of the course, I began with the idea of telling the story of the history of Bay Farm Island – which is very general and vague. In my mind’s eye, I saw the story as one that would provide a brief history of the early days on the island when it was in habited by the farmers, the linkages to the “main island” of Alameda in regards to family, commerce, land development, etc. I then saw the story moving toward the housing developments on Bay Farm and identifying what was on the land in past that now provides homes for so many residents. I also was initially interested in the waterways on the island. I wanted to determine if the lagoon existed before the housing developments and if so where exactly it was because so many of the present day homes are built on or around a few lagoons here on Bay Farm Island – including my own home. Attempting to build the narrative and focus it down to “one” topic made me realize how much there is to explore and how much I am interested in all of it!

Historical Significance:
This assignment challenged me to explain why Bay Farm Island is historically significant and what was happening during I chose to explore. The assignment was challenging me to provide the bigger picture. The more I thought about the bigger picture, the more it made me realize how much there is to research and how much I am interested in all of it! The assignment also challenged me to determine what my local story about Bay Farm Island reveals about larger historical truths on the Island of Alameda and in California. Wow! At this point, this is where my focus began to change. When challenged with connecting the history of Bay Farm Island to the larger picture including the Island of Alameda and then connecting that history with the even larger picture including the State of California, I found what makes me tick.

A Decision Is Made:
Finally, I made a decision – I want to do it all and I’m not going to fight it. However, I’m going to be realistic about my journey. I have revised my plan. My new plan is to tackle this as the large, massive project that I want to complete. But I will tackle the project in phases. Phase I will be the work completed in this course, as it will lay the groundwork for the next phases. I envision Phase I to incorporate just what I’ve discovered so far by going to the archives and getting the background story on housing, immigration, railways, commerce, farming, etc. I envision Phase II to be completed at the completion of this course as it will build upon the groundwork laid by this course and explore the specifics of the housing developments on Bay Farm Island. Phase III will also be completed at the completion of this course as it will continue to build upon the ground work laid by this course, the work completed in Phase II outside of this course, and will explore the families that first purchased within the housing developments on Bay Farm Island. Phase IV will most likely be the final phase and will explore the current-day homeowners and business owners that now occupy the island.

By George, I think I’ve got it! Phase I – here we go.

Primary Sources

This assignment was to identify primary sources regarding the research topic. As I shared in previous posts, I visited the Alameda Free Library and found a plethora of resources - both primary and secondary.

There were so many primary sources available that it was difficult for me to choose which to post. I chose to post these brief descriptions of the island that were located at the bottom of a large, birds-eye view map of the island. The descriptions discuss topics such as transportation and various other topics that prospective residents would find interesting. A photo of the entire map is posted at the bottom of the photos.














In Alameda; Geographical History, Merlin shares that, "Chipman toyed with the idea of calling Alameda either Peralta, Leandro City, or Elizabethtown. The reference to Peralta is a reference to the Peralta Land granted by the Spanish government. Interestingly, the Town of Alameda did not encompass all parts of the main island. At this point in the island's history, parts of the main island were named Encinal.



This 1867 advertisement for property on the island of Alameda boasts the island's close proximity to San Francisco, which is referred to as being positioned to take it's rightful place as the first city in assuming her position as one of the first cities on the American Continent. References to this fact also were also made about the prospective increase in value of the property as the last chance for men of moderate means to acquire the property.

Bibliography - Ongoing

Alameda Museum
Alameda Free Library
Wikipedia
http://homes.point2.com/Neighborhood/US/California/Alameda-County/Alameda/Bay-Farm-Island-Real-Estate-Agent.aspx
http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=54574
http://www.baycrossings.org/Archives/2001/05_June/harbor_bay_honco.htm
http://www.baycrossings.org/Archives/2001/05_June/harbor_bay_honco.htm
http://www.archive.org/details/Californ1958
http://italianfarmersofalameda.wordpress.com/
http://www.rattobros.com/
Merlin, Imelda. 1997. Alameda; A Georgraphical History:

Alameda Free Library - Reflections on my visit

My visit to the Alameda Free Library was so exciting! I felt like a total nerd because I was enjoying it so. As I was conducting the historical research, I texted both my sister and my coworker telling them how excited I was about the historical information available at our local library.

When I arrived, I was courteously directed to the Research Desk upstairs, and the Librarian took me over to a locked – yes I said locked – cabinet with old maps of Alameda. The drawer was full of maps dating back to the early 19th century. I believe the oldest was dated 1847.

I was afraid to ask if I could photograph the maps because of the ill treatment I received at the Alameda Museum. However, the Librarian graciously agreed to allow me to take AS MANY PHOTOS as I deemed necessary. That was it; I was in my element. A camera in hand and historical artifacts to be photographed – specifically historical information about Alameda - life was good on Saturday! It still amazes me how incredibly enjoyable it was for me to spend hours in the Alameda Free Library.

Three photos I was able to take of the archives at the Alameda Museum

Below are the three photos I was able capture from the archives they allowed me to to sneak a peek at when I visited the Alameda Museum:

1. This photo is of the first home ever built in Alameda:


2. The second photo is of a house in the Ark Colony which I will share more about later:


3. I have no idea what the third photo is of:


It was hard work taking photos of archives at the Alameda Museum. When I pulled out my camera, they acted as though I was a spy!

More on the Visit to the Alameda Museum

I have to admit that at least one good thing came of my visit to The Alameda Museum - they referred me to the ALAMEDA FREE LIBRARY!

A Visit to Alameda Museum 4/17/10

A Visit to Alameda Museum 4/17/10

I hate the Alameda Museum! I know that may sound awful, but it is next to impossible to visit that establishment. Every time I attempt to visit, it's closed. In preparation of today's visit, I phoned ahead and verified that they were in fact open. I arrived at 3:45 and closing time was 4:00 p.m., and when they say 4:00, they really mean it - lights out - doors locked! The first thing the staff said to me as I walked through the door was, "We close in a few minutes." They were mean to me! It was obvious that they didn't want to help me. They kept saying, "We're open tomorrow. You should come back tomorrow." However, I managed to get a peek at some historical data and photos. When I pulled out my camera, they reacted as though I pulled out an illegal object. They were very reluctant to allow me to photo graph articles, photos in or of books, just about every one of my requests made them uncomfortable.

At a few minutes to 4:00 p.m., the ladies grabbed their purses and keys and escorted me to the door.

I hate that place! I think they're up to something in that place :)

1933 The Ratto Farms Left Bay Farm Island - http://www.rattobros.com/tribute_video/ray_tribute_wmv.html

Additional research on the topic produced the Ratto Family Farm website with an awesome historical video clip about the family's farming history on Bay Farm Island dating back to his Grandfather Giovanni's arrival from Italy in 1798 website.

The video provided another piece of helpful information stating that in 1933 The Ratto Farms left Bay Farm Island.

Now the task is to locate information about who purchased the Ratto Family Farm land and when the housing developments of current day Harbor Bay Island began.

The video can be accessed through this link:
http://www.rattobros.com/tribute_video/ray_tribute_wmv.html

California Climate - Promotional film for Alameda County - Emphasizing Excellent Weather

My internet research produced an interesting 1958 film on what was referred to as the Metropolitan Oakland Area (MOA) which includes all of Alameda County discussing the benefits of the pleasant climate encouraging migration to the area. At this point, I'm not sure how it fits into the scheme of things...more to come.

http://alamedainfo.com/alameda_Island_City.htm

I am very fortunate that one of my fellow classmates is blogging on a subject very similar to mine! I was reviewing Joe's site and found a link to historical photos of Alameda. There are only a few of Bay Farm Iasland, so I thought I would start with this one that shows a connection between the "main island" and the "farm" as young people of today refer to the communities.

Internet Research...not a whole lot out there....

This week's assignment is to do internet research and find what electronic sources are available that pertain to our topic. I located a lot of current information - including this aeriel photo. However, my claim that "written history of Bay Farm Island is not available" was reinforced by the lack of information available. What I did find was...

I attempted, once again, to go to the Alameda Museum. I must share that the establishment keeps the oddest hours! Of the 20 + times I've attempted to visit, I've only been successful twice. This Sunday was another loss cause - lights were on but no one was home! If you're interested in the Museum that I rarely get to go inside, the website is http://www.alamedamuseum.org/museum/museumgallery/museumgallery.html

After some additional searching, I was able to locate some very brief information about Bay Farm Island on Wikipedia. If you're interested in that blurb, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bay_Farm_Island,_Alameda,_California.

Apparently, realtors Chuck and Nancy Bianch are self proclaimed "Bay Farm
Island Experts". According to the Harbor Bay Realty website, this is the
"go-to" couple if interested in purchasing property in the area. The
website boasts of Bay Farm Island's affluent neighborhoods, great schools,
it's very own golf course.

Bay Farm Island's claim to fame is that is it is the current home of the Oakland Raiders NFL football team and it's steep in aviation history with the the famed female aviator Amelia Earhart flying out of the nearby Oakland Airport. There is even an elementary school named after her.

Another website I found has very specific information about the demographics of the current residents. If you're interested go to http://www.city-data.com/neighborhood/Bay-Farm-Island-Alameda-CA.html. You will find income levels, education levels, even the time most residents leave for work.

Outside of this information, there is very little information available about Bay Farm Island.

History Italian Farmers on Bay Farm Island Blog - Joe Corrica

One of my fellow students, Joe Corica, has chosen the topic of the history of Italian Farmers on Bay Farm Island. Joe's family is of Italian decent and has deep roots on the Island City of Alameda. I'm really looking forward to learning more history from his blog. I'll post a link to his blog at a later date if you too are as interested as I.

Info from Uncle Lyle

I shared with my Aunt Eileen that I am developing the only written research on Bay Farm Island, and she shared the story with my Uncle Lyle. Much to my surprise, Aunt Eileen showed up at my house on Easter up with an old map of Bay Farm Island with both mine and my sister's homes circled. I plan to scan the map and post it to the blog very soon.

Things got even more exciting as our conversation progressed because she said that Uncle Lyle wants to challenge me to a duel to see who can gather the most information on the subject. I immediately said, "I accept the challenge." I'm so excited.

As we continued to talk, I shared with my Aunt Eileen that I plan to publish a book about Bay Farm Island. I shared that I have been interested in doing so for a few years, but I've been too busy pursuing my graduate degree. It was then that I came up with a great idea - Uncle Lyle and I can co-publish the book!

I realized I've said this before, but I'm so excited!

Written and/or photographic history of the island paradise where I live does not exist. My plan this quarter is to produce the foundational material for a much needed book chronicaling the argricultural history and the residential development in this island paradise.

The Only Written History of Bay Farm Island