SO WE CALL THEM. - Names That Bring Back Fond Reminiscences. - Oakland Tribune Oakland, California · Saturday, August 31, 1889

SO WE CALL THEM.

Names That Bring Back Fond Reminiscences.

NOMENCLATURE OF THE STREETS.

Futile Attempts to Make the People Use the Official Designations of the Highways.

The reminiscential romance that lingers about places named for persons is the romance of inconvenience when the places named are streets. In the nomenclature of public highways sentiment and convenience are in opposition. The poetic man, loving euphony and hating trade, wants to name the streets after heroes, ancient or modern, after trees or saints or stars, while Mr. Commerce, who may drive the delivery wagon in the mornings, wants streets named with numbers that he may lose no time in reaching his destination. Then the ambitious man who owns a corner lot in the Heaven tract in the suburbs wants the main avenue in the tract named after him. How the streets of Oakland were christened a higher authority with a better memory than man knows and is reticent. Way back in 1859, thirty years ago, the City Council declared Whitcher's map, then on file, the official map of the city. The names of streets designated on that brown piece of paper became by that declaration the official names. How the streets outside the territory that in 1859 constituted the city of Oakland ever gained names, Christian, Jewish, or Buddhist, let some one else tell and I shall hold my peace. 

A stray record occasionally gives a gleam of information, but so sparse are these records of official christening that plainly almost all the streets, except those named on Whitcher's map, and excepting also those in East Oakland, gained their designations by wont and use and not by ordinance, duly passed by that august body, the Council, signed by the President, attested by the Clerk and approved by his Honor, the Mayor.

When East Oakland was the town of Brooklyn, the streets bore good names of distinguished generals, of Presidents, of local residents. After the suburb became a part of the city of Oakland, the names were changed to the most rigid and formal titles - numbered streets in one direction, numbered avenues in the other direction. This act of regeneration was formally carried out on May 19, 1873, when Mack Webber was President of the Council and Henry Durant was Mayor. Mr. Durant died while in office, mourned by everyone, and Mack Webber became Mayor. Then he was elected Mayor and served a term. He is now in Fresno county, trying to regain a fortune lost in mining stocks.

Madison street used to be called Julia street. When the change was made the records do not show. At the time the change was made many citizens desired that Alice street also should have more imposing name, but the change was not made.

The original name of Madison square was Caroline square, and thus is the pretty plaza opposite George W. Grayson's mansion and iron fence designated in the olden time maps. The date of this change is also covered by the dust in which the old records are buried.

One of the most futile attempts to make people call a street by a name given by a legislative body was the change of the name of Twelfth street. Prior to the sixth day of January, 1879, this long street had three names - West Twelfth street, Twelfth street, and East Twelfth street. The City Council changed the names to the single name of Central avenue. Mayor W. R. Andrus vetoed the ordinance but the Council passed it over his veto. The people have never accepted the change, and Twelfth street it is called in the central and western parts of the city and East Twelfth street in the regions east of Lake Merritt. West Twelfth street has been lost in the deal.

Adeline street was so named at the request of James de Fremery, who owned, and still owns, property fronting on the street. Originally Adeline street was called Sailors' Lane, because in early days when the whaling vessels were lying in the estuary, the sailors lived in little shanties along the street. Soon after the new name was given one of the newspapers printed the name "Ad a line" and Mr. de Fremery immediately wrote to the engineer who was laying out the city to know if the misspelling occurred on the map. Of course it did not, and the compositor, as usual, was to blame for the error.

The streets between San Pablo avenue and Telegraph avenue are doubly named. The original names stick to them and the new numbers are also applied to them. Hence they are designated as Nineteenth or Frederick street, Twenty-eighth or Wallace street, etc. The ambiguity should be removed by ordinance of the Council permanently declaring the official designations to be the numbers. Nineteenth street was originally named Frederick street, because Frederick is the first name of Mr. Delger, who owns property thereabouts, though his place is shut in from view by fences. His choice plants have just been bought by W. J. Dingee, and may be seen by visitors. The next main street (Twentieth) was called Delger. A man, therefore, might get the full name of the millionaire by walking a block.

From John Hobart came the name Hobart street (Twenty-first.) Old John Hobart was rich, prominent, and prosperous. At one time he was Supervisor. Like many another rich man of early days he died possessed of none of this world's goods.

Charter street (Twenty-second) was the northern boundary line of the city. 

A grove comes next. Locust, Elm and Laurel streets are now called Twenty-third, Twenty-fourth and Twenty-fifth. Sycamore street comes in singularly between Twenty-fifth and Twenty-sixth streets.

Park street was the original name of Twenty-seventh street, and Wallace of Twenty-eighth street.

Almost all Temescal was owned by S. E. Alden, whose friends used to visit him and eat cherries. Mr. Alden died, then his widow died, and the estate came into the possession of the daughter, now Mrs. J. E. McElrath. Twenty-ninth street was first called Alden street. Thirtieth street was called Campbell.

An old nursery man named Nolan lived out where Thirty-third street is, and the street was named after him. He lost his property before it became of vast value.

Beyond Nolan's nursery was a big tract owned by the late A. C. Brown. One of his daughters, Frankie, is the girl who wanted to be a widow, and married the consumptive printer McKee, thinking he would die right away. He refused to die for many long months, but finally the was accommodating. His young widow has just gone East to marry Arthur Branscombe, the actor. Thirty-fourth street was Brown street, and the next street beyond (Thirty-fifth) was called Walton, after Jesse Walton, who married an elder sister of the playtul Frankie.

Logan was the original name of Thirty-sixth street.

The official name of the street in which the local trains of the Southern Pacific Company run through Oakland is Railroad avenue west of Market street. From Market street to the north arm of the estuary (needed by the city for sanitary purposes) the name is Seventh street. But nobody ever calls it Railroad avenue anywhere.

Moss avenue is named after J. Mora Moss. The beautiful house and grounds of the Moss estate are now occupied by Mrs. Philip Caduc and her beautiful daughters.

Evoy avenue and Weston avenue are named after old residents.

Fallon street is in existence only on the maps. It is named after the sturdy pioneer Malachi Fallon. On the map it is 300 feet east of and parallel to Oak street and runs from Fifth to Fourteenth streets.

Out in the Watts Tract avenue are Hannah, Ettie, Ellen and Louisa streets. They were named by the late John Morton Todd after the four daughters of G. W. Dam. Mr. Todd was bookkeeper for the firm of Dam & Gladding. But a few years ago he was killed by a train. He left a large estate, and his brother Waller B. Todd tried to get $30,000 by offering for probate a forged will. Several of the conspirators were sent to jail and the estate was given to the widow, Mrs. Minerva J. Todd and the only son. Mrs. Todd recently married Rev. George W. Sweeney, pastor of the Campbellite Church in Oakland.

A street in the suburbs is named after A. I. Gladding, who was once rich and prosperous, but died poor.

Knox place, alongside the Field Seminary, took its name from Israel W. Knox, who owns lands thereabouts. The building now occupied by Field Seminary was once the Knox House, a famous boarding place a few years ago, and several houses fronting on Knox place were cottages built for patrons of the boarding house.

Simpson avenue, an extension of Twenty-third street, was named for the late T. B. Simpson.

J. S. Emery's name is recorded on a street in the Emery tract. A street is also named far the late Dr. Geary, who named his place on Telegraph avenue Marathon Park. In his lifetime Dr. Geary kept two large dogs that ferociously attacked any one who entered the yard at night unless he lifted his hat. Dr. Geary had taught the dogs not to molest any one who performed this act of courtesy. Messengers were frequently sent to the doctor's house at nights, and they always were careful to doff their caps at the outer gates of Marathon Park. 

R. M. Apgar, who died from heart disease because he got angry at his landlady, owned some land in North Oakland and a street is named after him. In the Alpine tract the old Alden homestead, owned by Mrs. McElrath, four streets designated on the map. but not opened, are named Sutter, Shasta, Sonoma, and Plumas.

Ninth street was once known as Middle street. The name was changed by ordinance on April 24, 1876, when James Dods was President of the Council and E. H. Pardee was Mayor.

All this is introductory. 

A little street running into the western end of Eighth street was called Division street, At the last meeting of the City Council an ordinance was finally passed, changing the name to Eighth street.

Mayor John R. Glascock has approved the ordinance.

SO WE CALL THEM. 31 Aug 1889, Sat Oakland Tribune (Oakland, California) Newspapers.com