In 1980 the Mckinley family of Oakland was one of seven Oakland families that were approved for a construction loan of $45,000 to participate in the Owner-Built Housing Program of Oakland Neighborhood Housing Services (ONHS).
The homes are located on 73rd Avenue between International Blvd and Holly Street.
Building Training
SF Examiner
The families were trained in construction techniques and were supervised by professional construction personnel. They took classes at the Owner Builder Center in Berkeley. The highly technical and most finish work was subcontracted out.
SF Examiner
Each family was obligated to provide 40 hours of labor week on the construction of their home.
SF Examiner
The couples had to have incomes of between $21,000 and $31,000. They had to be Oakland residents for a year and be first-time homeowners.
Sf Examiner
Project Design
Architects at the University of California, Berkeley, contributed to the beginning design stages of the project and made the model used in the presentation to the City of Oakland.
Before “The Montclarion” newspaper rolled off the presses in 1944, there were two earlier editions. The Montclair Garden Club published a newsletter called the Montclair Clarion in the early 1930s and then the Montclarion.
Montclarion – Thanks to Chris Treadway
Montclair Clarion
In January of 1935, a small booklet of community news and poetry appeared in mailboxes in the Merriewood area. The Merriewood-Pinewood Improvement Club sponsored it.
The Montclair Clarion was distributed free of charge. It included poetry, stories, community activities, advertisements, and a recipe for Pumpkin Chiffon Pie.
The cover was a pen-and-ink sketch by Schuler of two pines, grass, and a view of the hills beyond. The sketch tool had slight variations, reflecting the seasons.
Montclarion 1992
Margery Lane Schuler, who lived at 5646 Merriewood Drive, was the editor. Schuler was also the advertising manager, copyreader, publisher, and art director.
In her first editorial, Schuler wrote that she hopes the Montclair Clarion will “have a great many people become more aware of the beauty of the district of the district and promote a desire for our living amongst the trees and nature, living close to God, thereby establishing us to live richer fuller lives.
” We want them to see our sunset, to breathe our pines; and everyone should hear our birds sing in the morning, they like it too, out here.”
Some news from the Clarion
Mrs. Emerson’s garden party with an entrance charge of 50 cents.
The Women’s club was booked solid.
Realtor Ione Jones had a pine lot available for $1,500.
Montclair Realty at 6466 Moraga announced the permit for the Hamilton Market.
New street sign at the blind corner of Merriewood and Sherwood Drives.
The cover of the April 1935 edition boasted a circulation of 1000, and by September 1935, the little book was less than ten pages.
Montclair Clarion Feb-Mar 1935 –Thanks Chris Treadway
In 1940, the first issue of the Monclairion, still a typed, mimeographed newsletter, appeared. Promising its readers, “a personal newssheet will keep you informed on the interesting and important events in your community.
July 13, 1940 –Thanks Chris Treadway
The area’s monthly news source was published by the Montclair Townsite Association, “of, by and for the people of Montclair from Piedmont to Skyline.” The yearly subscription price is $1.00.
Thanks, Chris Treadway
The editor, realtor Beatrice Pause of The Montclair Realty Co., had a staff of three nurserymen: Elmer Warren, local resident Damond Woodlee, whose forte was “scandal,” and her sister Pierette DeVincenzi.
Vol 2 No 54 July 1941
A popular and controversial column, “Well What Do You Know” by Yehudi, reported the goings-on of hill residents and merchants. “Yehudi” kept things stirred up by tattling on everyone, even himself.
“What local golf wizard took what local scribe’s pants at what club?” began a column in July 1940. “Little did he suspect this local scribe had shed his longies.” (and editors’ note read: Yehudi to be released from local klink Monday)
Vol 2 Oct 1941 Thanks, Chris Treadway
Five months after that first issue appeared, The Montclarion became a weekly, six to eight-page publication that included the “important events of the community” gossip, meetings, gardening and cooking tips, new neighbors, and help-wanted columns.
Four months later, the paper was delivered by carriers every Friday to 2,150 homes.
Advertisements on the letter-size news sheet reflected the hill area growth.
Charles Huenneke had taken over the Montclair Pharmacy at the corner of Moraga and La Salle.
Gil’s Market opened at 6120 La Salle.
Edward’s Cleaners and Hatters opened.
Thanks, Chris Treadway
The following year, four days after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, urged residents to enroll in civilian defense classes.
Vol. 3 No 1 Jan 1942 – Thanks Chris Treadway
But despite its popularity—2000 papers every week—the Montclarion died quietly sometime in 1942, a victim of wartime shortages and rising production costs.
For nearly two years, the Montclarion was nothing more than a copyrighted title.
The Montclarion
Fred and Micky Graeser bought the title for $100.00, rented printing equipment, and set up shop in their home on Sobrante Road. They sold the paper in 1977.
Montclarion
The first issue was on October 27, 1944, and started as a four-page semi-tabloid whose pages varied in size.
Over the years, The Montclarion moved their offices at least eight times.
Montclarion
Various Issues
Monntclarion June 1949 – Thanks to Chris Treadway
Montclarion March 1952 Thanks, Chris Treadway
MontclarionAugust 1953Montclarion Nov 17, 1955Montclarion May 1957Montclarion April 1957Montclarion 1962
The name Lockwood has been a part of Oakland for a long time. I am still looking into where the name came from. Lockwood was (is) considered a part of the Elmhurst District.
In 1875 the Lockwood School District reported the following:
Oakland Evening Tribune 1875
The Site
The site of Lockwood Gardens was once the extensive estate of William Cluff Jr., a wholesale grocer of some prominence in the early days.
Lockwood Gardens is located between 64th and 66th Avenues on the south side of East 14th Street on 2 1/2 acres of land that was occupied by a golf practice range and one house.
The proposed housing development that would become Lockwood Gardens was met with protest. The major complaints were as follows.
Oakland Tribune April 10, 1941
One of the provisions in the funding of government housing for the city was to carry out an “equilievant demolition” program. Under the provision for every new housing unit built, a substandard dwelling not within the project area must be demolished. The city had not met the requirements of the projects built in West Oakland. Lockwood was 372 housing units. Over 500 hundred homes would have to be demolished.
Oakland Tribune Mar 6, 1941
Newly constructed Lockwood Gardens public housing development in the Havenscourt district of Oakland,
The cost of building the projects was about $1,175,525. Lockwood was ready for occupancy in 1942.
The Early Years
Lockwood opened in August of 1942. Originally designed for low-income families regardless of employment, they were converted for the use of families in the defense industry only.
“this metropolitan area’s answer to Govenment housing officials prayers”
Oakland Tribune 1944
In 1944 Lockwood had a population of 1600, which included 372 family units and a total of 800 children. An all-volunteer Community Council. A very active Improvement Club to promote unity among the residents and expand social and sports programs for adults and children.
Oakland Tribune Feb 03, 1944
There were two newspapers and two orchestras that provided music for the semi-monthly adult dances and the weekly teen dances. There was a community victory garden.
OaklandTribune Feb 3, 1944
Organized girls’ and boys’ clubs and carried out a full program of social and sports activities under the direction of volunteers.
There was an auxiliary police force of 40 members who provided their own uniforms and served under Chief of Police James Rouse.
Oakland Tribune Feb 03, 1944
Race and Housing
In a letter to the editor of the Oakland Tribune, Mrs. Mollie Thorner wrote the following:
Editor: Only recently has our whole neighborhood become fully aware of the shocking policies at Lockwood Gardens Federal Housing Projects. (65th Avenue). The neighborhood surrounding Lockwood Gardens is a fine democratic community where all peoples, regardless of race, creed, or color, live side by side to enrich all. The policy of Lockwood Gardens, however, is No admittance to any minority groups. Please note that this is a Federal Housing Project for GI families of low income. All Americans are asked to fight on the battlefield, regardless of race, creed, or color. What do the good people of Oakland think of a policy where, if the GI lives to come home, he finds a Federal Project closed to him because of the color of his skin? These projects are partly paid for by the Federal. Government, but the policy is left in the hands of each city. And since one poison always breeds another, it has now been learned that hundreds of families live in Lockwood Gardens whose income is way above the maximum ser for Federal Housing tenants. We believe that the housing authorities shut their eyes to this to keep up the discrimination policy. We say with great pride that now that our community did at last found all these things out it will leave no stone unturned to have these policies changed. The citizens of all of Oakland have a duty in this.
Lockwood is also known as the “6-5 Vill” (Village) and is one-half of the “Vill.” The other half of the “Vill” is the recently torn down 69th San Antonio Villas housing project, where infamous drug kingpin Felix Mitchell is from. The 69th San Antonio Villas has since been remodeled into condominiums. Once an extremely unattractive housing project, the Oakland housing authority also remodeled Lockwood Gardens. However, unlike the 69th Vill, whose crime rate dropped after remodeling, these efforts have done little to thwart the crime that still plagues the 65th Vill.
The Oakland Housing Authority received five federal HOPE VI grants totaling $83 million, enabling it to revitalize four large public housing sites and four small scattered sites. OHA’s first HOPE grant was used to renovate one of OHA’s original “war housing” developments, the 372-unit Lockwood Gardens, constructed in 1943. This was in 1994, 1998, 1999 and 2000
Lockwood Gardens was rehabilitated in the early 2000s.
Ostrich farming was promoted as a sound investment over a century ago. The farms, well documented on postcards, and were tourist attractions.
Ostriches were brought to the United States in the early 1880s from Africa. In the wild, they lived in warm, dry climates. Southern California seemed to have conditions similar to their natural African environment. By the late 1890s, there were eight locations in Los Angeles, Orange, and San Deigo counties.
The popularity of feathers in women’s fashion made raising the birds an attractive investment.
Farm in Oakland
In the fall of 1907, San Francisco newspapers ran an ad campaign for stock investment in an ostrich farm in Oakland.
In July of 1908, W.H.” Harvey” Bentley of the Bentley Ostrich Farm in San Diego County announced the opening of a branch in the Elmhurst District (sometimes Fruitvale) of Oakland at East 14th and High Street.
Bentley Ostrich Farm East 14th (now International Blvd) and High Streets Oakland, California Photographer: Cheney Photo Advertising Company c 1913
It opened on August 30th of 1908. It featured birds named Mr. and Mrs “George Dewey” (Admiral at the battle of Manila Bay) and the other Spanish American War hero from the Cuba campaign, “Fighting Bob” Evans commander of the Great White Fleet.
Forty-six birds compromised the original herd.
Could this be George or Bob?
In 1910 it was announced that the addition of a factory to their local salesroom and yards. Which meant the hats were made in Oakland and not San Diego. For the years 1907 to 1911, ostrich plumage on women’s hats was at its peak and all the rage.
Bentley Ostrich Farm East 14th (now International Blvd) and High Streets Oakland, California Photographer: Cheney Photo Advertising Company c 1911
New Name
In January of 1912, the owner of the Bently Ostrich Farm, was killed in an auto accident near the San Diego farm.
Oakland Tribune Sep 21, 1913
His son sold the farm to a group of Oakland investors.
View of main entrance to the Golden State Ostrich Farm; Souvenir Publishing Co 1915
The name was changed to Golden State Ostrich Farm in 1913.
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The farm had spacious ground floor offices and salesroom. In the sales there was a magnificent display of plumes in all sizes, prices and colors.
Title: Salesroom and office [picture] : Golden State Ostrich Farm, East 14th and High streets 1910 Collection: Selections from the Collections of the Oakland History Room and the Maps Division of the Oakland Public Library Date of access: May 31 2020 10:32 Permalink: https://calisphere.org/item/ark:/13030/kt0p3022h1/
With the coming of World War I, as American and European women entered the workforce, utilitarian clothing replaced the flamboyant fashions of the early 1900s. Broader hats were pinned up with a broach or artificial flower.
Oakland Tribune 1909
Plucking is Painless”
Oakland Tribune May 01, 1952
The bird is shoved into a corner by several men. A hood is placed over the birds head. The plume is cut leaving about an inch of quill in the flesh. The quill would soon fall out.
Bankruptcy
Golden State Ostrich Farm in Oakland filed for bankruptcy in early 1915.
“Whole Ostrich for the Price of a Feather”
The press announcement said it was now cheaper to buy the entire ostrich than the amount once paid for the feathers to adorn a hat.
The ostrich farms in northern California had all but failed by 1915. The “industry” had a brief heyday, and in the end, defeat by war and a significant fashion change in hats.
