The 19th Century

19th Century
Oakland Comes of Age Click on image to view full-size photo. Come back soon, as we will continue to add new photos.

Washington Street	Iffert Family Home	Dimond District	14th St. & 23rd Ave.	Melrose
The transcontinental railroad arrived in Oakland in 1869. To accommodate tired passengers, the area near the station at 7th Street and Broadway grew into Oakland's first shopping district. Washington Street just around the corner from the station, included both hotels and shopping. Oakland's fourth City Hall presides over the street in this 1888 photo.	The Iffert family home in 1890. Oakland had not yet reached present-day 98th Avenue when this photo was taken. The Iffert family poses proudly in front of their home on the street then known as Grand Avenue.	Oakland's Dimond District bears the name of Hugh Dimond whose home was once located in present-day Dimond Park. The Altenheim looms on the horizon in this1890 photo (see photo below) taken from "Prospect Hill" at the intersection of present-day Lincoln Avenue and MacArthur Boulevard.	Public transportation played an important role in the development of Oakland. In 1876 a single-horse-car track was the only mark of progress at 14th Street and Broadway. By 1900, twenty or more electric cars passed the same corner daily and "electric railroads" reached out in every direction from downtown Oakland with 150 miles of track and 10 miles of cable. A single trip, including transfer, cost five cents. The East 14th Street line, pictured here at 23rd Avenue, connected Oakland with the outlying "suburbs" of Melrose, Seminary Park and Elmhurst.	Named for its counterpart in Scotland, the town of Melrose was incorporated into the City of Oakland after the Great San Francisco Earthquake and Fire in 1906. Melrose boasts one of Oakland's five Carnegie Libraries.

East 12th St. & 13th Ave.	13th Ave. & East 13th St.	Altenheim	Downtown Elmhurst	California Cotton Mills
Looking toward downtown Oakland in the heart of the town of Brooklyn in 1909. Several of the buildings in this photo still stand, including the former home of Olander's Saloon, the second building on the left side of the street.East 12th Street was earlier known as Washington Street.	A look down Walker Street (13th Avenue) and beyond into the Alameda Estuary. Washington Street (East 12th Street ) ran along the shore in 1890 when this photo was taken. One can trace our present-day 13th Avenue to Park Boulevard and up along Sausal Creek. The stretch of Park along Sausal Creek was developed in the 1920. it bore no name in the 19th century as it reached the ancient stand of redwoods. According to the information on the back of the photo, Derby’s Lumber Wharf stood here, a vestige of the terminus of the redwood trail.	The Altenheim, whose name means retirement home in German, still serves the needs of Oakland's retired. This photo shows the original 19th-century building that burned; the present-day Colonial Revival-style building replaced this Queen Anne-style structure.	The village of Elmhurst grew along the rail line that connected Oakland with points south and west. Elmhurst became part of the city of Oakland after the 1906 earthquake.	The California Cotton Mills was organized in 1883 as the only cotton mill west of Chicago. The company employed about 700. The mill manufactured a large variety of goods including table cloths, comforters and canvas. The buildings in this photo were replaced in 1917 with one that still stands on the east side of the Nimitz Freeway (880) near the 23rd Avenue exit.

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