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Edited by Roni Gehlke
What ultimately became the Oakley we know today was first purchased in 1887 by James O'Hara from the government for $5 per acre. For nearly 20 years O'Hara had endured the ridicule of neighboring land owners who said that nothing could grow on the barren sand he had bought. They even questioned his sanity.
Undaunted, O'Hara organized the Almond Growers Association of Eastern Contra Costa in 1889 and cultivated the property that consisted mostly of chaparral, live oak and wild daisies. He cleared the land and planted 80 acres of almonds. Later he added 160 acres in nut and fruit trees. By 1912 he owned 7,000 productive acres and the taunts had long since ceased.
O'Hara, meanwhile, had begun etching his name in history by earning a reputation as one of the most progressive men in Contra Costa County. His tree crops added nearly $1 million to the county's property tax roster and created thousands of jobs. He deeded land to the Santa Fe railroad in exchange for a permanent rail depot in town. The deal was the foundation for Oakley's future, and in O'Hara's honor the original First Street was renamed O'Hara Avenue.
But Oakley might have remained a sandy pitstop along the Santa Fe had it not been for R.C. Marsh. It was Marsh who purchased part of O'Hara's land for $50 per acre that he subdivided and sold to newcomers. In a less than modest gesture, as Marsh plotted Oakley's downtown he ensured his immortality by choosing street names whose first initials spelled "Marsh" -- Main, Acme, Ruby, Star and Home. Those streets still exist today. Because of his actions, it is Marsh rather than O'Hara who is considered the "Father of Oakley."
By 1910, O'Hara added 16 acres on the east side of Oakley and Marsh had added a large edition known as "Nob Hill". That same year, Salvador Dal Porto and his family purchased the Oakley Hotel at Main and Second streets, remodeling and enlarging it to 32 rooms. The Dal Porto family lived at the hotel until 1918, when its operation was assumed by Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Brag. In 1924, the hotel fell victim to a disastrous fire that reduced much of Main Street to ashes.
But the Dal Porto family had great faith in Oakley. After the fire, they built a new hotel, post office and other stores along Main Street. The hotel reopened in 1926. Two of Dal Porto's sons opened a bar called Ben's Place, while another son opened a garage that later became a Ford dealership.
Sal Dal Porto died in 1932 and the estate sold the hotel to T.E. Sad. When Ben Dal Porto died in 1942, Ben's Place was sold to Eldo and Elmo Jenner and continued to operate for several years under the original name. In 1950, Eldo Jenner purchased the hotel as well.
The hotel continued to operate until 1973, when it was sold to Al and Jo Ann Grover. The Grovers had dreams of converting the hotel into a fine antique restaurant and hotel, but today the building houses several small businesses.
By 1915, Oakley had grown into a good size town with four churches, two halls for social and club entertainment, and a three-room schoolhouse. There was a 50-member Farmer's Club and a Ladies' Oakley Improvement Club with about 30 members. The post office now had a rural route serving 120 families.
The Miller-Cummings Company had an asparagus packing plant in Oakley, one of several fruit and vegetable wholesalers on the north side of the Sante Fe tracks. Tomatoes, celery, asparagus, wine grapes and almonds were shipped from Oakley by carloads to all parts of the country. Chinese laborers worked in the fields of the large farms, planting, cultivating and harvesting the crops.
G. Continente of Pittsburg bought 600 acres in Oakley and developed it into one of the largest vineyards in the county. He became known as a major grower, shipper and buyer of wine grapes, operating a packing shed along the railroad in Oakley.
Among Oakley's early leaders was Andrew Walker, who had purchased 400 acres of swamp land in 1873 near where Oakley is now located. He cleared the land and raised large crops of grain, alfalfa and hay. He sold 900 acres he had acquired in 1887 to B.F. Porter. He continued to run his 400-acre ranch until 1905, when he sold it to the California Canners' association. He died in 1906.
A.N. Norcross, another pioneer, settled in 1890 and helped Marsh lay out the original town of Oakley. He severed their business relationship soon after. Norcross later donated part of his property for and school and playgrounds, along with two lots for the Methodist Church. He was a lover of good horses and always owned the best.
Women were scarce in Oakley around 1915, so many of the working men from the fields would visit the prostitutes that reportedly prospered in the upstairs rooms of the Oakley Hotel. The hotel's downstairs was a reputed Chinese opium den. Several of the stores on Ruby Street were gambling joints, where stacks of $20 gold pieces were won and lost.
O'Hara Avenue, the town's main cross street, was little more than a sandy trail beyond Star Street. O'Hara had bale after bale of straw spread over the wheel tracks, but many automobiles had to be towed out of the O'Hara Avenue sand. Chaparral still covered the sandy hills, coming within a quarter mile of town.
The Bank of Oakley opened in 1917 and was entrusted with the life savings of many Oakley residents. Over the next 12 years the bank's cashier used deposits to speculate in the stock market. When the market crashed in 1929 the bank could not cover the losses. The cashier put a gun to his head, ending the shame he felt. The bank closed in 1930 and the town was without a bank for a long time.
Following World War II, the packing sheds began to disappear as farmers began turning to refrigerated trucks instead of the railroad to deliver their produce. Ultimately the sheds all closed and the railroad tore up its spur tracks.
In February 1932, a flood covered three square miles after a heavy rain caused Marsh Creek to burst its banks. The creek reached its highest level in 10 years. The flooded property was mostly farmland between Knighsen and Oakley. Acres of newly planted alfalfa were lost.
The 1940s were productive years for Oakley. R.L. Emerson Dairy and the San Joaquin Farms of Oakley were the county's top dairy producers. Baby lima beans were Oakley's top crop. In 1940 there were 263 students enrolled in the Oakley Union School District. The Oakley Library was running strong with Mrs. L.S. Burkhalter as the custodian. In 1943, a citizens' committee assembled to promote local improvements. A five-year program was adopted that called for better streets, natural gas, dial telephones, street signs and the formation of a sewer district. The Oakley Business Men's Association took over the committee's functions in 1948.
A Chamber of Commerce was organized in 1954, but it was ultimately closed. Its successor, the present Oakley Chamber of Commerce, was founded in 1984.
The Santa Fe railroad made headlines again in December 1957, when the streamliner Golden Gate Limited hit a stalled car on the tracks near Big Break Road. The driver of the car was not harmed, but eight train cars derailed and 16 passengers were injured.
In 1959, the population of Oakley was about 1,000 with about 5,000 people residing in the district. Oakley was still a rich farming area, with thriving vineyards, fruit and nut orchards yielding almonds, walnuts, apricots and olives. There were many large cattle ranches and dairies. There were numerous churches and a number of active fraternal and civic organizations. There was a county-run water district, sanitary, school and fire districts, and a library.
Between 1958 and 1988, the only shopping center in Oakley was on Highway 4 where Centromart now stands. In 1958, the anchor store way Daylite Market. The Market later changed its name to Centromart. It is still owned by the same company. The shopping center over the years was also home to Central Bank, a large drug store and clothing stores. It was a very popular center for its time, drawing people from Eastern Contra Costa, Solano and Sacramento countries.
Just as Oakley's pioneers once teased that the only thing capable of growing in the town was sand, locals today often joke that Oakley's most successful crop is two-by-fours. Oakley's current building boom began in earnest during the mid-1970s with a residential subdivision called Onley Ranch. This was followed by other developments, which included a self-help housing project located on Francisco Villa Way.
The housing market slumped until the mid-1980s as the county and land developers wrangled with environmental groups over the area's developement rights. But the boom resumed in the late 1980s when houses began to spring up like mushrooms.
In 1988, Oakley's population was estimated at 8,000. The county's general plan called for Oakley to double its size by the year 2000. Again the environmentalists tried to sue the county to preserve Oakley's agricultural roots, but landowners revolted, selling their property to the highest bidders.
Although some farmers sold their land to development, others tried to continue farming. But they met with frustration, accusing developers of allowing abandoned orchards to become infested with diseases and harmful insects. These spread to heathly orchards and ruined crops.
In January 1986, Oakley saw its first stop light on Highway 4 at Bridgehead Road. Before then there wasn't even a stop sign along the highway between Antioch and Brentwood.
In May 1986, the county approved construction of the Cypress Shopping Center and soon after Raley's opened its doors, ending Centromart's reign as the main shopping center in Oakley for almost 30 years.
That month also saw the first Oakley Wine and Jazz Festival, which became an annual tradition until it ceased in 1990. The show featured a day of Jazz music provided by local and national performers. The show also featured wine produced from Oakley grapes and a local winemaker, Cline Cellars.
The Oakley Almond Festival was born on September 15, 1990, when a one-day show was held at the newly opened O'Hara Park. Fittingly, the park named for one of the town's most celebrated founders, James O'Hara, was built atop a former almond orchard along the street that bears his name.
In November 1998, 101 years after Oakley's founding, voters approved by nearly 3-to-1 the town's incorporation into a full-fledged city. As Oakley looks back on an eventful century, it also looks ahead to another century filled with promise and prosperity for all who call this dynamic community home.
The information in this article was complied from many sources and local historians, including:
"The History of Contra Costa County," edited by F.J. Hulaniski.
"California's Contra Costa County: an Illustrated History," by George Emanuels.
"Oakley and Its Past," by Nadine Clark.
"The History of Contra Costa County," by Earl Hohlmayer.
Newspaper articles from the Brentwood News, Antioch Ledger-Dispatch, Contra Costa Times, Martinez Gazette and the Oakley Observer.
Special thank you to the East Contra Costa Historical Society for saving the photographs and memories of Oakley for future generations to enjoy.
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