Lafayette: A Pictorial History
PREFACE...
This is only a glimpse…a brief look into the life and landscape of a community that has been home to tribes of Indians, Mexican grantees, Yankee farmers, village storekeepers and innkeepers, and today is home to more than 20,000 suburbanites.
During the dozen years the Lafayette historical Society and its predecessor, the Lafayette Historical Committee, have existed, members have spent countless hours searching for facts and artifacts for letters, diaries, pictures, drawings, maps, deeds and memories. Much has been done but more is left to be searched and researched before the entire story of La Fayette (an early spelling) can be completed.
We hope this booklet, which is presented as one of the Lafayette Historical Society’s contributions to our community, will spark a new interest in the hunt for these bits and pieces of our history.
Meanwhile, LaFayette ... a Pictorial History is intended to arouse your curiosity about what happened here in days gone by and to introduce you to those who found the delights of living in the "Sunshine Valley” years before we did.
We’re indebted to the many citizens who’ve helped us find pictures, verify dates, and supply missing bits of information in the presentation of this book. We’re particularly grateful to the following:
Table of Contents
Preface
Indian Country
Mexican Ranchos
American Speculators
Yankee Settlers
Early Days
The Farmers
Village Life
From Wagon Roads to City Highways
School Days
House of Worship
The Leisure Life
Historic Houses
The Changing Pace
The Town
The City
References
| Father William Abeloe, historian | Oliver Hamlin |
| Ronald Baker | Jim Lattannier |
| Betty Butt | Carlton and Territa Lowenberg |
| Angela Broadhead | Shirley Medau |
| Clarence Brown | Wayne Merryman |
| Ken Brown | Eleanor Starks Meyers |
| Capt. Alan Burton, County Sheriff’s Department | John Mustard, Tri-Valley News |
| City of Lafayette Staff | Jane Putnam, The Sun |
| Fern Powell Davis | Harry and Norma Radcliffe |
| Brother Dennis, historian | Alice McNeil Russi |
| East Bay Municipal Utility District | Homer and Christine Schreiber, Jr. |
| Genevieve Flood Gallagher | Louis L. Stein, Jr., historian |
| Thomas Gates, Contra Costa Central Library | Marian Steinbach |
| Bob Goddard, Lafayette Camera Shop | William Wakeman |
| Sybil Brown Wilkinson |
Our most sincere thanks go to all these friends of the Lafayette historical Society and to the many others who had a part in preparing this book.
Sandy Kimball
Lafayette, California
© 2010 by Lafayette Historical Society. All rights reserved.
All photographs on this site are protected by copyright and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of the Lafayette Historical Society.
