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!