Historical Nuggets 3: Oakland
In 1850, California was the 31st state admitted to the Union. The following year Oakland’s first post office opened. It was located in the Oakland House on Broadway, Oakland’s first hotel. Mail was addressed to “Contra Costa” until 1855, when the name Oakland was accepted by postal authorities. For earliest photo of Broadway, taken in 1857, go HERE.
On May 4, 1852 the town of 75 people known as Oakland was incorporated by the State legislature. The streets were set up in a grid with Broadway and Fourth Street at the center. At this time, large wharves were built along the Estuary and a shipping channel was dredged, making Oakland a terminal for commerce. Years later, as the western end of the Transcontinental Railroad, a huge wharf at the foot of Seventh Street made Oakland into one of the significant ports on the West Coast.
On Fifth and Broadway, in a rented room, the College School, precursor to the University of California, was established in 1853. That same year, Oakland’s first public school opened with 16 students and the Oakland Police Department was established.