Shepherd Canyon …a bit of history

Have you ever wondered why it is called Shepherd Canyon?

It is named after the Shepherd Family, who owned about 200 acres and lived there from 1875 to the early 1900s.

You can view the location of Shepherd’s land in a Map of the City of Oakland, Berkeley, Oakland & Brooklyn Townships, and Alameda dated 1889, Published by E.P. Vandercook & Co. Real estate agents.

William J Shepherd (1844-1921) emigrated from England in about 1865 with his parents, Thomas and Ellen Shepherd, brothers John and Thomas, and sisters Mary Ann and Elizabeth.

In 1878 William married Mary Rogers (1842-1907). They had six children, William, James, Mary, Ellen, Louise, and Robert. They attended the Hays Canyon School.

Hays School Graduation – 1901

William Shepherd died in San Jose in 1921

Shepherd Pass Road –

A few articles discuss building a road that would run through the Canyon to connect to Skyline using County Road 2457 (now Shepherd Canyon Road.)

Oakland Tribune Daily Knave 1953. Settling a moot point in Oakland nomenclature from William’s nephew.

Shepherd Canyon Freeway – Highway 77

“Cal Trans bought up land in Shepherd Canyon with the plan of building highway 77. It was to be an extension of Park Blvd. and would run up the canyon and connect highway 13 with Contra Costa county (much as highway 24 does just two miles north). Fortunately, community activists argued against the plan, and the area was preserved. In 1972, assembly member Ken Meade officially protected the area with AB561. After the downfall of the freeway plan, the Shepherd Canyon Corridor Plan was shaped by volunteers, and now guides the preservation of the canyon.”

Our Oakland Blog

More Info:

• Montclair Railroad Trail – Oakland Local Wiki
• Friends of the Montclair Railroad Trail – website
• Unbuilt Highway 77 – Our Oakland Blog

The End