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Historical Markers and War Memorials in Contra Costa County, California
Adjacent to Contra Costa County, California
▶ Alameda County(409) ▶ Marin County(140) ▶ Sacramento County(275) ▶ San Francisco City and County(456) ▶ San Joaquin County(77) ▶ Solano County(94) ▶ Sonoma County(124)
Touch name on list to highlight map location. Touch blue arrow, or on map, to go there.
William Hook came to the California gold country in 1850 to sell mining equipment and build mining machinery. In 1853 Hook opened a general store at the corner of Ferry and Main Streets in Martinez. Over the years Hook brought up land in Contra . . . — — Map (db m93510) HM
In 1865, at the age of 17, James Rankin emigrated from a Scottish coal mining town after hearing of the "Black Gold" in Contra Costa. He worked with pick and shovel in the underground mines of Somersville.
In 1885, Rankin was elected sheriff and . . . — — Map (db m93506) HM
Coal miner, store and hotel owner, Justice of the Peace, mine manager and owner, rancher, County Sheriff, banker and community leader.
At seventeen, in 1865, James Rankin left his family and emigrated from Scotland, landing in New York City. . . . — — Map (db m93543) HM
Joe DiMaggio was born here 11/25/1914. The 8th of 9 children to parents Giuseppe and Rosalia. Later moved to San Francisco, but returned often to this neighborhood to visit family. The home burned down in 1948. — — Map (db m53000) HM
Ranch home of John Muir 1838- 1914, explorer, naturalist, author and foremost advocate of forest protection and of national parks. The John Muir Trail through the High Sierra, Muir Woods National Monument and Muir Glacier in Alaska are named for him. — — Map (db m51132) HM
1883-1896
Martinez Free Reading Room and Library
Housed in building
owned by Dr. John Strentzel
620 Main Street
1896-1941
Main & Estudillo
Land donated by Mrs. John Strentzel
and Louie Strentzel Muir
Building built at the cost of . . . — — Map (db m53872) HM
The City of Martinez has been the home of a train station along the waterfront for 125 years. The first station (approximately 200 yards to the east of this site) was erected in 1876 and closed in 2001 when this station was opened.
More than . . . — — Map (db m93542) HM
World War II
401,522 traveling servicemen and
women, escorts, and children given
rest and refreshment
served by 1,438 volunteer hostesses
Community supported • U.S.O. aided — — Map (db m53423) HM
Founded by Dr. Robert Semple in 1847, the Martinez-Benicia ferry was the first established and longest operating ferry service in the S.F. Bay Area. In 1850 Oliver Coffin took over the operation and with his brothers purchased a new ferryboat, the . . . — — Map (db m27645) HM
Dedicated April 23, 2000
Morgan House
Pony Express Route
Apr. 23, 1860 - Sep. 8, 1861
Home Station
Apr. 16, 1869 - Sep.8, 1861
By
James Stretesky
Supervisor Gayle B. Uilkema
Martinez Area Chamber of Commerce
Pony Express Trail . . . — — Map (db m24369) HM
When factory moved to San Francisco in 1915, became the San Filipo home. One of only two S.F. style row houses in Martinez.
Built 1889 — — Map (db m53077) HM
The family manufactured fishing nets for the local fishing community. Home later sold to the Di Maggios, a prominent fishing family.
Built 1904 — — Map (db m53079) HM
103 Berrellesa
Old Town Martinez
Home of Historic Interest
Pellegrini Home and Fish Company
Luigi Pellegrini was a successful turn of the century fish buyer. This building opens to Alhambra Creek for easy fish unloading and . . . — — Map (db m16212) HM
In this cemetery are laid to rest many of the early California pioneers, settlers and their families. One of the more famous is Joseph Reddeford Walker, XNGH - mountain man, guide and pathfinder. — — Map (db m93507) HM
Dedicated April 23, 2005
Martinez
By James Stretestky · Julian M. Frazer · Martinez Historical Society · Mayor Rob & Carole Schroder · Supervisor Gayle B. Uilkema · Vice Mayor Mark & Dianne Ross · Tesoro's Golden Eagle Refinery · . . . — — Map (db m19224) HM
Built in 1905 by Mrs. James Rankin
after fire destroyed two city blocks
Palm Garden Grill
W.C. Reed - Confectioner & Stationer
E. Pasch - Haberdasher
A.B. Wilson - Jeweler & Optician
Historic Marker No. V
Martinez Historical . . . — — Map (db m27647) HM
First located here April 28, 1876 by Central Pacific R.R. First passenger train passed through on September 25, 1877 with Leland Stanford aboard.
Historic Marker No. VI
Martinez Historical Society
July 4, 1991 — — Map (db m19225) HM
Designed Art Deco style
by the
Reid Brothers
Architects/San Francisco
Built by John McNamera
1922
Premier opening
July 2, 1926
Closed due to fire 1931
Reopened 1932
Closed 1961
Purchased by Contra Costa County 1998
Presently . . . — — Map (db m17208) HM
In the city, from 1879 to 1932, the 70 acre parcel of land extending in a triangle from what is now Bush Street to Pacheco Boulevard to Brown Street to Alhambra Creek was owned by The Christian Brothers Religious Teaching Order, Founded by Saint . . . — — Map (db m112828) HM
R.E. Claeys J.W. McClellan M. Pistochini J. Comazzi O.K. Smith G. Winkelman J. Sparacino
Robert B. Borland President A.J. Heald Cashier
P. Ferrarini Vice President
Bank of Italy 1927-1930
Bank of America 1930-1951
Historical . . . — — Map (db m40610) HM
In front of you lay the hull remains of the schooner Forester. The schooner, launched in Alameda in 1900, would take cargoes of lumber from northern forests of Oregon and Washington to points in the Pacific including China, India, and Australia. The . . . — — Map (db m91668) HM
Vicente Martínez was born in Santa Barbara on August 18, 1818, the second son of Don Ygnacio and Martina de Arellano Martínez who were married in the Presidio Chapel at Santa Barbara 1802. Don Ygnacio Martínez was a Spanish officer at San Diego and . . . — — Map (db m50827) HM
In 1849, Vicente Martinez built a two-story adobe ranch house on his portion of the Rancho Pinole. This land was inherited from his father, Don Ignacio Martinez, a Spanish officer who became Comandante of the San Francisco Presidio and later Alcade . . . — — Map (db m50821) HM
In 1857, Lot No. 1, a quarter section of Rancho Laguna De Los
Palos Colorados was bought by a squatter, Jesse Williams,
from Jose de Jesus Moraga. In 1906, the land was then
purchased by Manuel Lucas and 10 years later, 20 acres were
sold to . . . — — Map (db m136516) HM
Grandfather of the co-grantee of Rancho Laguna de los Palos Colorados, he founded San Francisco by establishing there the Mission and Royal Presidio of St. Francis in 1776. In 1777 he founded the Mission Santa Clara and the Pueblo of San Jose. . . . — — Map (db m91803) HM
Freight railroads serviced the Moraga Rancho from 1889 to 1957.
Passenger service to the Moraga Station began in 1913.
Commuters, high school and St. Mary's College students rode
the train in the early days, as well as picnickers going . . . — — Map (db m152671) HM
Named for Joaquin Moraga, who in 1835 was granted 13,000 acres from the Mexican government and established Rancho Laguna de Los Palos Colorados. A Moraga townsite was conceived by A.A. Grant and J.A. Williamson in 1894. James Irvine purchased a . . . — — Map (db m31102) HM
Built on land donated by the
Moraga Company to the
Willow Spring School District
in 1916.
The building served as a school
for the Moraga Valley from
1917 -1958. — — Map (db m145679) HM
The Orinda Garage and
Miss Graham's Riding
Academy were built
from 1923 - 25 by E.I. de
Laveaga in the Spanish
Mediterranean style.
His uncle ran the
automobile garage on
the corner of Avenida
de Orinda, which still
exists today. . . . — — Map (db m154903) HM
The Orinda Improvement
Association,
inaugurated on May 22,
1923, was the voice of
the citizens in the 1920s
and beyond. It brought
adequate phone service
and fire protection, and
consolidated the local
school districts.
Additional . . . — — Map (db m145030) HM
The first Orinda
firehouse was built in
1923 after several
homes burned down.
It looked like a garage
and accommodated
one truck which held
2 barrels of water. In
1935, the building was
remodeled in the
California Spanish
style, and a . . . — — Map (db m145155) HM
The Orinda Union
School was built here
in 1925. This was after
the first tunnel was
bored through the
Berkeley Hills, roads
were paved and the
village became more
easily accessible,
causing a gradual
increase in population.
It continued . . . — — Map (db m145021) HM
The Orinda Library
began as a branch of
the Contra Costa
Library in 1915 with a
small collection at the
Orinda Park School
(current site of Wagner
Ranch School). The 4 x
4 bookcase was moved
to the old Orinda Store,
Firehouse, and . . . — — Map (db m145031) HM
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
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
Jose Joaquin Moraga - member of the Juan Bautista de Anza
1776 expedition. Founder and first Commandante of the
Presidio of San Francisco - was the grandfather of
Don Joaquin Moraga who with his cousin Don Juan Bernal
was awarded this grant in . . . — — 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
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
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
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
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 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 Cañada (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
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
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
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
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
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