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Historical Markers and War Memorials in Contra Costa County, California
Martinez is the county seat for Contra Costa County
Adjacent to Contra Costa County, California
Alameda County(674) ► Marin County(249) ► Sacramento County(392) ► San Francisco City and County(722) ► San Joaquin County(146) ► Solano County(114) ► Sonoma County(163) ►
Touch name on this list to highlight map location. Touch blue arrow, or on map, to go there.
The vegetation around you is quite different from that observed
during the Anza Expedition of 1776. The pine forests across the
reservoir and on San Pablo Ridge were not here. Oak-bay
woodlands filled the ravines as they do now, but the open . . . — — Map (db m153306) HM
Bryant Station was the terminus of the California and Nevada Railroad, a narrow-gauge steam line which transported local harvests to the Emeryville docks. The railroad, formed in 1881, was originally planned to run passengers and freight to the . . . — — Map (db m24647) HM
Gerald Shmavonian's Buehler House
has been listed on the National Register
of historic places by the United States
Department of the Interior
The house was designed and built by
"the world's greatest architect of all time"
Frank Lloyd . . . — — Map (db m159586) HM
Just east of this monument is the last
remaining original post from the C&N
Railroad trestle structure. The C&N
was incorporated on March 25, 1884.
J.S. Emery was listed as the railroad's
president, for which present day
Emeryville is named. . . . — — Map (db m144979) HM
A nearby plaque
commemorates the
passage in 1860-1861
of Pony Express riders
from Sacramento to
the San Francisco
terminus. They usually
rode river steamers,
but 20 times the Pony
Express took an
overland route as the
steamers did not . . . — — Map (db m142217) HM
Orinda's Theatre
District, historically
known as the
Crossroads, was
developed in the early
20th century after
homes were built
around the established
ranches. More families,
such as the Bryants,
settled or built summer
homes here. It is . . . — — Map (db m136738) HM
The de Laveaga train station, built in the 1880s, is the last remaining station of the narrow gauge California and Nevada Railroad line that linked Emeryville to Orinda. Passengers often traveled to Orinda on weekends for picnics and vacations in . . . — — Map (db m221975) HM
Did you know that Orinda once had a railroad?
This building is the only remaining station of the California & Nevada
Railroad. The C&N, a narrow gauge line constructed in 1890, ran 23
miles between Emeryville and Orinda hauling farm . . . — — Map (db m123143) HM
Built in 1841, the Joaquin Moraga Adobe in Orinda is the oldest surviving building in Contra Costa County. It has been recognized as a California State Historic Landmark since 1954, and was designated as an Orinda City Landmark in 1995.
The . . . — — Map (db m158344) HM
The Orinda Theatre
opened its doors in 1941
and is the city's most
prominent visual
landmark with its
signature dorsal fin
marquee. It is a
textbook example of
Streamlined Moderne
Architecture, a late type
of Art Deco design
inspired by . . . — — Map (db m154890) HM
Pony Express Trail
This plaque commemorates the passage in 1860 and 1861 of the Pony Express riders from Sacramento to San Francisco through what is now Orinda.
Sponsored by the City of Orinda's Historical Landmark Committee and the Pony . . . — — Map (db m29913) HM
In keeping with its
Spanish and Mexican
heritage, the first
church in Orinda was
Catholic, built by Marie
de Laveaga on their
estate in 1892. The
Santa Maria Chapel
held Services
intermittently until 1954,
when its 19 pews were
inadequate . . . — — Map (db m154893) HM
Ordinance Number 03-07
October 7, 2003
The junction of three Mexican land grants - Rancho Acalanes, Rancho El Sobrante and Rancho Laguna de los Palos Colorados - is located approximately 500 feet uphill from the end of Hillcrest Drive. . . . — — Map (db m91848) HM
Located on hiking trail one quarter mile south east
of this point is the intersecting corner of Ranchos
Acalanes, El Sobrante and Boca de la Canada del
Pinole.
Rancho Acalanes
3,329 acres granted to Candelario Valencia
by Governor Jose . . . — — Map (db m178377) HM
This historic view of the developing history of Orinda was dedicated on January 9, 1978 to commemorate this country’s bicentennial.
Special thanks to those who made this mural possible:
Orinda artist and illustrator, Lonie Bee
The . . . — — Map (db m222673) HM
San Pablo Creek, Orinda’s biggest creek, flow from the Glorietta neighborhood, through both side of downtown Orinda, all the way to Wagner Ranch Nature Area, and into the San Pablo Reservoir. The City of Orinda has many other creeks, as you . . . — — Map (db m222683) HM
As far back as the late 1800s, parties were often held at local schoolhouses and parks, as well as private homes and hotels. The tradition of having festivities at the old Orinda School Playground, now the Orinda Community Park, continues today with . . . — — Map (db m222680) HM
Marker One:
Historic Landmark
Designated by the
City of Orinda
on December 13, 1988
Ordinance Number 88-13
Marker Two:
Federal Works Agency
Public Works Administration
John M. . . . — — Map (db m222688) HM
In the mid 1800s, squatters would occupy land and building structures without legal rights. Such was the case with the Conklin Hotel, built circa 1858, in anticipation of people arriving along the newly constructed Telegraph Road nearby. Known as . . . — — Map (db m222697) HM
Orinda’s Village District was the first hub of the town. It was developed in the late 19th century when homes were built on the surrounding ranches by the de Laveagas, Miners, Sullivans, and Wagners. Public buildings first appeared here in the early . . . — — Map (db m222699) HM
This monument marks the site of Pinole's birthplace and the center of its activities until the early 20th Century. The beginning of Pinole was built on the waterfront and around the mouth of Pinole Creek during the latter half of the 19th Century. . . . — — Map (db m94258) HM
One of a fleet of ships owned by Bernardo Fernandez and used to transport grain around the bay. Sank - Early 1900s. Uncovered and Raised - May 15, 1976. — — Map (db m94257) HM
Gone are the days when steelworkers in the rolling mill toiled in extreme heat, catching red-hot steel rods equipped only with a pair of tongs, cotton gloves and leather shin guards. Today’s steelworker is a pace setter in manufacturing innovation, . . . — — Map (db m37432) HM
The First National Bank Building was designed by E.L. Norberg and built by G.H. Fields & Co. in 1921.
In January 1927, the bank was purchased by Liberty Bank of San Francisco, which then merged with Bank of America Los Angeles later the same day. . . . — — Map (db m37488) HM
In 1860, at the confluence of the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers, settlers founded the village of Black Diamond. Named for the coal that was mined in the Mount Diablo foothills, the village of Black Diamond flourished as a shipping port for coal . . . — — Map (db m91846) HM
Early Pittsburg, then called New York Landing and Black Diamond, was largely an Italian commercial fishing and canning village.
Many of the Italian-American and other families from Pittsburg are descendants from that era.
This boat is a . . . — — Map (db m146534) HM
Since opening its doors on May 4, 1920, this theatre has been a cornerstone to the New York Landing Historic District in Old Town Pittsburg. Like many Bay Area theaters of the 1920's, the California Theatre was designed by A.W. Cornelius in a . . . — — Map (db m146532) HM
Plaque One:
Coach Camitz led the Mallards to a record of 34 and 2, won three East Bay championships, 4 bowl games, recorded 27 shutouts, and outscored opponents 1,037 to 83. From 1962 to 1964 seasons the Mallards had a string of 16 shutouts . . . — — Map (db m217077) HM
In Remembrance of the Injustice Caused by
the Federal Relocation of Italians in
America During World War II
From February 24, 1942 to October 12, 1942, nearly 1600 Italian residents of Pittsburg, California, having been declared . . . — — Map (db m37444) HM
Built in 1923, this brick building was the home of the Coast Counties Gas and Electric Company which provided utilities to the City of Pittsburgh. The company closed its office in the 1950s and the building became a newspaper publishing and . . . — — Map (db m37423) HM
This pioneer cemetery was the Protestant burial ground for those who died during the 19th century boom of the Mt. Diablo Coal Mining District. It is located midway between Nortonville and Somersville townsites.
Many of those buried here died in . . . — — Map (db m197754) HM
The original house of worship for St. Peter Martyr of Verona Catholic Church was located at Cutter and West 2nd Streets, some 250 feet from this spot. Dominican friars traveled from nearby towns to minister to local Catholics, mostly . . . — — Map (db m217086) HM
Over 900 people attended a champagne gala to
celebrate the opening of the first theatre in the
young city of Pleasant Hill. The first movie shown
that night of February 21, 1967 was "Dr. Zhivago".
Originally built for Century Theatres, the . . . — — Map (db m114353) HM
Plaque One:
Dedicated to those from Contra Costa County who served their country in the World War, and to the memory of these who “Gave the last full measure of devotion”
1914 – 1918
Simeon M. Anderson • Adolph C. Bauer, Jr. • Peter . . . — — Map (db m217766) WM
Beginnings
Initially built from Avon to San Ramon to serve the agricultural
interests of San Ramon and Diablo Valley the line was later
extended south to the community of Radum, now known as
Pleasanton. The line was approximately 30 miles . . . — — Map (db m153747) HM
Patrick Rodgers left Ireland for America C. 1843 at the age of 10, without his family. In 1855, he arrived in California for the Gold Rush. In 1868, he and his wife, Mary Ann, bought this 149-acre site to grow wheat. The Rodgers, along with eight . . . — — Map (db m99625) HM
This one room school house was built by the Tassajara School District in 1889 and served the entire area until 1946 at which time the district was merged with the Danville Union School District. The black walnut trees were planted and cared for by . . . — — Map (db m200575) HM
This warehouse was built in 1886 by G.W. McNear, as the first fireproof building in Contra Costa County. It was built for the storage of wheat, hay and potatoes. From 1881 to 1882 one-hundred and three ships of wheat were loaded in Port Costa. It . . . — — Map (db m94253) HM
Port Costa's old timers are quite certain that the rumor of the Burlington Hotel being a bordello is untrue. Their reasoning is that the respected owners and their families lived nearby, therefore it could not have been a bordello.
However, the . . . — — Map (db m57971) HM
Dedicated
October 20, 1984
Mayor Thomas J. Corcoran
City of Richmond, California
History of the Indian Statue
The first Indian statue was commissioned and dedicated at this site in 1909 by the Women's Westside Improvement Club. . . . — — Map (db m94712) HM
The S.S. Red Oak Victory is an example of the enormous scale of work completed by ordinary men and women to help the war effort. Constructed in eight-seven days, the S.S. Red Oak Victory was one of ten Victory ships commissioned by the United . . . — — Map (db m94840) HM
You are standing in Shipyard No. 3, which represents one of the many industrial complexes which operated to support America in World War II. Over 90,000 skilled and unskilled workers from across the country relocated to Richmond, California to find . . . — — Map (db m94832) HM
Whirley cranes were an essential part of Richmond Shipyard's manufacturing capabilities during World War II. Named for the turret's ability to rotate (whirl) 360 degrees, the cranes could handle massive amounts of steel - lifting and moving large . . . — — Map (db m94830) HM
Alvarado Park (Grand Canyon Park) was established
in 1909 and soon became a popular destination for
visitors from throughout the Bay Area. From the mid-1930s to 1943 Richmond installed the park's rock and
concrete walls, barbecue pits, and stone . . . — — Map (db m146005) HM
A Popular Gathering Place for 200 Years
Alvarado Park has long been a popular spot to gather.
Native Americans lived here and ground acorns on the
site. Later, Spanish settlers came to picnic at what they
called Arroyo Cańada (stream . . . — — Map (db m146445) HM
In 1902 the Bank of Richmond occupied the main floor. The upstairs offices housed the early phone exchange. Richmond's first paper, 'The Point Richmond Record' was published by Lyman Naugle in the basement. In 1910 the building was remodeled and the . . . — — Map (db m94710) HM
San Francisco Bay is known for more than its great beauty. Its large estuary, where sea water mixes with huge river flows, is also a major port.
Richmond's deep natural waterfront lent itself to early industrial development. Augustin Macdonald . . . — — Map (db m94738) HM
For decades, Macdonald Avenue has been the vibrant heartof Richmond; a place where you'd catch the latest movie, get
your first job or visit with neighbors on the sidewalk. As the
nation prepared for World War II, Richmond's elite and . . . — — Map (db m152693) HM
This tablet is dedicated
to the memory of personnel of
the City of Richmond
who died in the service
of their country in
World War II.
John J. Kenny · Councilman
William J. Finnegan · Engineer
James F. Fitzgibbons · Street Dept. . . . — — Map (db m144412) WM
Only expansive brown mudflats, backed by rolling hills ablaze with orange poppies in the spring, were found here at Brickyard Cove until the Santa Fe Railway came to Ferry Point in the early 1900s, three brick manufacturing companies arrived. The . . . — — Map (db m94739) HM
This plaque commemorates the original site of Contra Costa College
at the former Kaiser Shipyards, Port of Richmond,
Richmond, California.
Presented by the Contra Costa College Foundation
on the occasion of the celebration of
30 Years of . . . — — Map (db m152984) HM
"They were from all over the country... all these people came to work here in Richmond at the shipyards...The shipyards, the cannery, there was a lot of industry here...They had three yards, and they were sending out ships every day... and I . . . — — Map (db m94755) HM
Constructed in 1873-74, East Brothers Light Station is the older of only two remaining light stations of San Francisco Bay that have remained substantially unchanged. The original 5th order classical (Fresnel) lens was replaced with the present . . . — — Map (db m164491) HM
What is this?
This little boat is called an El Toro. The design was
developed in 1940 by several amateur boat builders so
that anyone who was the least bit handy could cut the
boat out of 2 pieces of plywood and put it together. . . . — — Map (db m188807) HM
Before bridges spanned the Bay, ferries and trains once linked
San Francisco with the rest of the nation. At that time, the Bay
Area boasted the world's largest ferry system.
Here, at Ferry Point ship and rail met in 1900 when Santa Fe
tunneled . . . — — Map (db m152761) HM
Often referred to as Nicholl City Hall, John
Nicholl located his offices upstairs, leasing
the ground floor to the city for $50 a month from 1909
to 1915. The building, was purchased in 1922 by the Point
Masonic Lodge, and remained under its . . . — — Map (db m152760) HM
On this site a school was founded in 1944 to serve
Richmond students. The school was named after
Harry Leander Ells, who served on the Stege
School Board and served the 22nd District of the
State Assembly in 1903-1905 representing Contra
Costa . . . — — Map (db m144416) HM
Before the coming of Europeans, the land we now call California
supported hundreds of tribal groups. The East Bay had about 25
independent tribal groups with well-defined territories. The people
of these tribes spake dialects of three distinct . . . — — Map (db m146034) HM
Presented
by the
N.S.G.W. No. 217
and
N.D.G.W. No. 147
of Richmond
In memory of those who served the United States in time of war — — Map (db m144414) WM
During the World War II Home Front effort, the Richmond Shipyards were an immense facility
covering 880 acres. Constructed for the Henry J. Kaiser Company in 1941 and 1942, these shipyards
became the largest in the world. New methods of ship . . . — — Map (db m146451) HM
The area where you are now standing was alive with activity during World War II, when it was known as Kaiser Shipyard #2. It was one of four shipyards carved from Richmond's coastline to serve the war effort. The Rosie the Riveter Memorial . . . — — Map (db m94433) HM WM
Pt. Pinole is the last site of the Giant Powder Company, the first company in America to produce dynamite. Following devastating explosions at their San Francisco and Berkeley sites, the business moved to this isolated location in 1892. . . . — — Map (db m143396) HM
The SS Red Oak Victory is the last remaining ship of the 747 vessels built at the Kaiser Shipyards in Richmond, Ca, during World War II. Commissioned by the U.S. Navy as the USS Red Oak Victory (AK-235), on December 5, 1944, she served as an . . . — — Map (db m131188) HM
160 Washington Avenue
site of
The Critchett Hotel
Built in 1900 - 25 rooms
Often called "Mechanics Hotel"
This was a first class hotel with a splendid dining hall built and owned by Frank Critchett. The land was donated by John Nicholl to . . . — — Map (db m50483) HM
Four panels, in two sets of two, describe the pre- and post-war history and uses of the Ford Assembly Building:
1930-1939 Ford Model A
"Quality means doing it right when no one is looking." -- Henry Ford
The Ford . . . — — Map (db m94768) HM
"The war shed light on America's promise. It created an explosion that accelerated change all the way into the 1960s." -- Betty Reid Suskin
With World War II officially ended, Richmond filled with celebration in September, 1945. Years . . . — — Map (db m94765) HM
This building was built in 1903 at 139 West Richmond Avenue by J.Q. Black who supplied the area with coal, wood, hay, and grain. Robert Dornan Sr. bought the building in 1909 and added the service of moving goods.
In 1911 he bought a truck and . . . — — Map (db m49804) HM
"All these ships were being built (in Richmond) and it provided a lot of employment... But looking back, it was really a boon to their economy. The stores were just really bustling...it was full of people..." -- Stella Faria, shipyard office . . . — — Map (db m94753) HM
" I think that during World War II...there was a tremendous amount of patriotism. I think that was the important thing. It was a real job and you did something for the war effort. -- Maggie Gee, Army pilot
People moved to Richmond from . . . — — Map (db m94740) HM
"We didn't think
the streets were paved with gold or anything,
but we thought in California we could mix and mingle and get along."
Wilbur Wheat
The Southern Pacific Railroad Depot – Richmond's historic gateway -
greeted . . . — — Map (db m153482) HM
In 1968, Richmond was shocked when its premiere furniture store,
Travalini's, was burned to the ground near here. The arson was fueled by larger tensions: Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination, civil rights protests, and closer to home, the . . . — — Map (db m153913) HM
In 1775 and 1776, Lt. Colonel Juan Bautista de Anza, Father
Pedro Font, along with 240 settlers, soldiers, and others traveled
1,800 miles from Sonora, Mexico to Monterey, California. Anza
and Font, with a small group passed through by horseback . . . — — Map (db m145988) HM
The Willie Mays
Junior Giants Fields
are dedicated with affection and appreciation
on this day of May 21st in the year 2022
Willie Howard Mays Jr., nicknamed "The Say Hey Kid"
is a former New York and San Francisco Giants
"Hall of . . . — — Map (db m211935) HM
Established July 7, 1908, for the purpose of improving the quality of life in Point Richmond, the Women's Westside Improvement Club is responsible for the original Indian statue fountain, a reading room that became the Westside Branch Library, this . . . — — Map (db m94711) HM
Mass has been offered in Point Richmond since 1900. Our Lady of Mercy became a parish in the summer of 1902, and Father Martin P. Scanlan was the first pastor. The contract for both the church and rectory was awarded to architect Etienne A. Garin in . . . — — Map (db m226280) HM
In Memory of Vernon Lefty Gomez, born Nov. 26, 1908, in Rodeo. New York Yankees pitching great from 1930-1942. Set World Series record with 6 victories and no defeats leading team to 7 pennants and 6 World Series Championships. Inducted into the . . . — — Map (db m18033) HM
Lt. Colonel Juan Bautista de Anza by Decree of Carlo III of Spain led an expedition near this site — the mission being to colonize the San Francisco Bay Area
In the center of the marker is a circular motif, designed by Doris Birkland . . . — — Map (db m24728) HM
In 1928, San Pablo Ave. (U.S. 40) became part of America's 3,384 mi.
'Lincoln' Transcontinental Highway.
Marker rededicated April 10, 1988. — — Map (db m153013) HM
Born in San Francisco in 1918, Byron Athan joined the Army in 1941, and retired in 1964, as a Lieutenant Colonel. He served during WWII in the Pacific Theater and at the Pentagon. Byron enrolled in law school at the University of San Francisco prior . . . — — Map (db m202056) HM
At Forest Home Farms, much of the food was home grown. The Boones grew vegetables for their own use and raised cattle on a leased ranch in Livermore which they brought to the meat house, in front of you, for processing. This structure was . . . — — Map (db m202114) HM
Clement moved from France to California at age six. His parents, Pierre and Gracieuse Elissondo, purchased the Glass House in 1932.
Clement served his new country in World War II. He served in the 3rd Battalion of the 3rd Armored Division of the . . . — — Map (db m202057) HM
History of the San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District
The San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District is a product of many
years of development, as our beautiful valley has grown from a rural
farming area to a vibrant community with a . . . — — Map (db m155605) HM
Take a walk down the path and imagine what life might have been like here 200 years ago. Oak Creek would have provided fresh water and an abundance of plant material and wildlife for food and shelter. Houses would have been built with willow . . . — — Map (db m202104) HM
Welcome!
Forest Home Farms was one of many ranches in the San Ramon Valley in the early 1900s. Originally part of a Mexican land grant, the property was farmed, built upon, and subdivided over the years. In 1899, 163 acres were purchased by . . . — — Map (db m202115) HM
Man power or animal power – that was the choice for most farmers up until the 1930s to till, sow and reap their crops. Gas engines existed from the early 19th century but were only able to do stationary farm and household chores like grinding grain, . . . — — Map (db m202111) HM
Getting a drink of water in the early 20th century was not as easy as it is today. You couldn’t just turn on a tap. You had to use a windmill to extract groundwater which was then fed into a holding tank. The water flowed by gravity to a cast iron . . . — — Map (db m202059) HM
In 1906, the Meese family opened a 10-acre group picnic site, Ramona Park, on their ranch
next to the Southern Pacific Railroad line, thus opening the first "park” in the San Ramon
Valley. Ramona Park's location west of the Iron Horse . . . — — Map (db m156284) HM
San Ramon's Pioneers
American pioneers first came to San Ramon in 1850 when Leo and Mary Jane Norris
purchased 4,450 acres of land from Jose Amador's Rancho San Ramon. Other early
landowners were William and Mary Lynch, James and . . . — — Map (db m155606) HM
This school opened in November 1867. The all wood structure had two rooms with 13 foot ceilings and a bell tower. After it closed in 1949 it became a residence. The school was razed in 1960. — — Map (db m202116) HM
There was always work to be done on the ranch. Each year the Boones ran a walnut processing operation which included washing, hulling, and drying for local walnut farmers. Travis Boone owned one of the few hay harvesters in the valley. At the end . . . — — Map (db m202113) HM
Minnie Boone purchased Forest Home Farms in 1899. The Boone House was built in 1900 and is a Dutch Colonial style home with 5375 square feet and 22 rooms. The older north wing of the home is Gothic style and pre-dates the Boone’s ownership to the . . . — — Map (db m202102) HM
A farm is a complicated endeavor to run. Equipment must be maintained, repaired and stored; crops must be planted, harvested, and kept dry until needed; and farm animals must be fed and sheltered. Specialized buildings are needed, serving many . . . — — Map (db m202106) HM
David and Eliza Glass began their journey west from Iowa in 1850, during the height of the Gold Rush. They arrived in Placerville and after a short time moved on, settling in Alamo. Their son, Clement Rolla Glass, later wrote about their journey: . . . — — Map (db m202053) HM
