Northside in Berkeley in Alameda County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

Founders' Rock

— Founding of the University of California —

Photographed by Douglass Halvorsen, July 24, 2025

1. Founders' Rock Marker

Inscription.
College of California

April 16, 1860

Inscribed May 9, 1896

Erected 1896 by UC Berkeley Class of 1896.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Education. A significant historical year for this entry is 1860.

Location. 37° 52.521′ N, 122° 15.419′ W. Marker is in Berkeley, California, in Alameda County. It is in Northside. It is on Hearst Ave, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: Hearst Ave, Berkeley CA 94720, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in California’s San Francisco Bay Area

and on the Coast Ranges.

It is also on the American Pacific Coast.

Globally, it is in North America,

on the Ring of Fire,

in the Pacific Rim,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain

and also Mexico’s Alta California.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Cloyne Court Hotel (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); "Annie's Oak" (about 600 feet away); Allenoke Manor (about 700 feet away); Observatory Hill (approx. 0.2 miles away); Gilman Hall (approx. 0.2 miles away); Daley’s Scenic Park Street Improvenents (approx. 0.2 miles away); John Galen Howard (approx. ¼ mile away); Jensen House (approx. ¼ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Berkeley.

More about this marker. The marker is embedded in a rocky outcrop facing Hearst Ave to the northwest.

Also see . . . Founders’ Rock. <blockquote>The University of California was founded in 1868, but

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its origins date back to 1860 when the College of California, a small, private institution then located in Oakland, purchased thirty acres of land for the “benefits of a country location.”

On 16 April 1860, the trustees of the College of California met at the location of Founders’ Rock to dedicate their new campus.

Among those present were the Reverends Samuel H. Willey, D. B. Cheney, Henry Durant, and Frederick Billings. Billings is credited with choosing the name Berkeley for the townsite surrounding the college, and popular tradition has him standing on the rock when the name Berkeley came to him.

In 1866, the California legislature established the College of Agriculture, Mining, and Mechanical Arts.

Two years later, with the passage of the Charter Act by the legislature, the new state college joined with the College of California, and the University of California was formed.

On Charter Day, 1896, the senior class commemorated the dedication of the campus by placing a memorial tablet on Founders’ Rock. (Submitted on September 6, 2025, by Douglass Halvorsen of Klamath Falls, Oregon.)

Photographed by Douglass Halvorsen, July 24, 2025

2. Founders' Rock Marker

Photographed by Douglass Halvorsen, July 24, 2025

3. Founders' Rock Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on December 30, 2025. It was originally submitted on September 6, 2025, by Douglass Halvorsen of Klamath Falls, Oregon. This page has been viewed 56 times since then and 34 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on September 6, 2025, by Douglass Halvorsen of Klamath Falls, Oregon. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.