HISTORY
The Stone House built in 1856 by East County icon John Marsh has attracted a remarkable network of agencies determined to preserve the historic treasure. A process is presently underway to formulate a General Plan for a future historic state park and the Stone House as its centerpiece. Photo courtesy of East Contra Costa Historical Society
East County Goes Way Back M
ore than 100 years ago, Native Americans called the East County area home. The Bay Miwok and Yokut Indians preceded Spanish explorer Pedro Fages, who in 1772 led the first European parties through the area. More than a century passed before European settlers arrived in the area to put down roots. Antioch
On Sept. 16, 1850, the first settlers arrived at the foot of what is now F Street in Antioch. The town was named after the ancient biblical city in Syria. The town incorporated in February of 1872 with a population of just 600. The year 1876 saw the introduction of a narrow-gauge railway between Antioch and the mining town of Stewartsville six miles to the south, at the site of today’s Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve. Antioch got its first school in 1851, provided by a ship owner who donated the gallery from his beached vessel to serve as a school building. Some of Antioch’s early businesses included brick kilns, coal mining, a copper smelter, several potteries and a distillery. By the early 1900s, Antioch was still only about 700 residents strong, but the population began to skyrocket in the 1920s with the construction of the Antioch Bridge and Fulton Shipyards. During World War II, 27 vessels were built in Antioch for the
14 Welcome!
U.S. Navy. By 1970, Antioch had grown to 28,500 residents. Built on inexpensive land, residential development further increased the citizenry to an estimated 47,000 by the mid 1980s. Today the population tops 100,000. Brentwood
One of the first pioneers to settle in the Brentwood area was a doctor named John Marsh, who built a stately mansion out of stone, which still stands today on Marsh Creek Road. Marsh was murdered in 1856 before he ever moved into the home. The name Brentwood is believed to have come from the Marsh family’s home town of Brentwood, England. Development of the city was hastened by the discovery of coal in the Mt. Diablo foothills. By 1874, the first structures were popping up on Oak Street. Fertile soils and the coming of the railroad in 1890 helped make the area the largest shipping point for grain between The Magazine of East County
New Orleans and San Francisco. The English land speculation company Balfour Guthrie installed a vast irrigation system that improved land values by allowing farmers to grow row crops and fruit trees, firmly establishing the town’s agricultural dynamism. Brentwood incorporated as a city in 1948. It remained a small agricultural community until the last decade of the century, when its proximity to the financial centers of the Bay Area and its relatively affordable housing triggered rapid growth. The population grew nearly five times from 1990 to today’s 50,000-plus, bringing more suburban lifestyles, as well as the related influx of goods and services, to the formerly rural area. The effort to preserve at least some of the agricultural heritage continues today. Oakley
The discovery of Native American artifacts in Big Break clearly establishes Oakley as a site of that earlier culture. The first Continued on page 16 2008-2009