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.