I hope you enjoy this. I had written about Medau before, but the post was messed up when I changed my blog to a new host. I hope this post will get me back into the swing of things; I have had a lot on my plate these last few months. Dorothy
In 1857, J.H. Medau purchased approximately 500 acres in what was then Piedmont, or hills in the back of Piedmont. He bought the property as a ranch. Some of the land was priced at $30.00 an acre, and “the poorer land,” located in East Piedmont, sold for $10.00 an acre. Oakland Tribune 1916
The ranch was located in what is now the Montclair Business District, Montclair Park, and part of Piedmont.
When Medau first bought the land, it was covered with weeds, grass, flowers, and rattlesnakes—lots of rattlesnakes! He spent the next 36 years cultivating the land to be one of the finest of its kind at the time.
The Medau’s home was located in what is now Montclair Park. Beautiful gardens surrounded it and it was a stone’s throw from the pond, stocked with German Carp and Trout.
His herd consisted of forty-five cows. He also grew grain and hay on the ranch.
“famous Medau Ranch”
Oakland Tribune Oct 1916
He was a school trustee for Fruitvale and Hays Districts for over twenty years, and some of his children attended the Hays School.
May Day Festival
In 1879, Medau hosted a May Day Festival and invited the children from Fruit Vale School.
Scenic Park
In 1897, Medau offered to sell his land (476 acres) to the city of Oakland for a park.
The land is less than four miles from city hall. The county road to Contra Costa County passes through nearly the entire length of his land.
From Valley to Hillside
The lower part of the ranch comprises stretches of level and slightly rolling land; to the northward, the land extends up the sloping hillsides to the crest of the ridge, where the dividing line between Alameda and Contra Costa counties is located. The highest peak of the land is 1,300 feet above sea level.
The views from the highest point are unrivaled. A sweeping of the Contra Costa, San Joaquin, and Sacramento Valleys. Both Mount Diablo and Hamilton can be seen.
Many Natural Advantages
A mountain stream flows along the eastern border. Near the Meadau residence, a natural lake (the pond in Montclair Park) of an acre in extent is fed by springs from the adjacent hillside.
He said he would sell the 476 acres for $210 an acre.
For Sale
In 1901, Medau sold his ranch for $95,000 to the Reality Syndicate.
He retired to a new home he had built on East 12th near 2nd Avenue, where he lived for the rest of his life.
The Medau Family
John Heinrich “Henry” Medau (1831-1918) was born in Holstein, Germany, emigrated to the United States in 1851, and became a naturalized citizen in 1857.
When Medau was sixteen and still in Germany, he apprenticed to learn the trade of a tobacconist, and he did that for about three years. In 1851, he and his brothers set sail for the United States, first staying in New York and then heading to San Francisco. He first took any available jobs, then in 1853, he purchased a cigar store and worked it for several years with his brothers. He retained interest in the store until 1864.
In June 1860, he married Regina Raubinger (1860-1916), also born in Germany. They had the following children, all born at the ranch.
- Edward 1863-1918
- Pauline 1865-1930
- Matilda 1866-1954
- Adelphine 1868-1958
- Theodore A. 1870-1953
- Edith S. 1872-1962
- Henry 1874-1874
- Louisa 1875-1954
- Henry O. 1880-1970
Regina Raubinger came to San Francisco at 18, married Medau a year later, and moved across the bay to Oakland.
Medau passed away in 1918; his wife preceded him in 1916.
Henry Medau, the last remaining son, died in 1970.
From the Montclarion
In 1963, Henry Medau, one of Medau’s sons, was interviewed by the Montclairion. He loaned the above photo for use in the article. This is the same ad as the photo at the beginning of this post.
- Top- left – the family orchard
- Top- middle – cows grazing in hills.
- Top- right – a corner of the pond with cedars in the background
- Middle-left Medau family home, which faced Moraga Road.
- Middle- some of the dairy buildings
- Middle-right, another view of the Medau home.
- Bottom-left view of the yard around the home
- Bottom-middle the pond created by springs a view of “Indian hill.”
- Bottom-right Moraga Road is lined with eucalyptus.
More Info:
- Schoolhouse Dedicated – SF Examiner Oct 21, 1886
- Moore’s Dairy on Medau’s Ranch – Oakland Times July 12, 1893
- Medau’s Tract – Oakland Tribune November 22, 1897
- The Medau Tract Purchased – Oakland Enquirer July 9, 1901
- When Piedmont Was A Farm – Oakland Tribune April 1916
- Pioneer Women Called by Death – Oakland Tribune Oct 27, 1916
- Services for John Medau – Oakland Tribune Nov 17, 1918
- Pauline Medau Dies – Oakland Tribune Sep 11, 1930
- Theodore A. Medau Dies – Oakland Tribune Feb 11, 1953
- Matilda Medau Dies – Oakland Tribune Mar 6, 1954
- Louise Medau Dies – Solano Chronicle Apr 22, 1958
- Delphine Medau Dies – Oakland Tribune Nov 27, 1958
- California Biographical – J H Medau Pg. 560-565
July 16, 2024 at 7:29 am
Thank you Dorothy! Such a great read and bonus (!), the ad for Watson’s, where I spent a considerable amount of babysitting money on yardage.
July 16, 2024 at 2:25 pm
Thanks. I loved Watson’s!
July 16, 2024 at 9:46 pm
Amazingly wonderful history, Dorothy!
When my kids were attending Thornhill School and we’d go on walks in Montclair Park, I often wondered about that dairying family Medau.
Recently I learned that my 2nd great uncle and aunt, Stephen Gallagher and Mary Elizabeth Brenadenburg Gallagher, were pioneers of Fruit Vale in the 1870s. They build a house on what is today Humboldt Avenue across Peralta Creek from the Peralta Hacienda Historical Park. Their children attended Fruit Value School.
Does anyone have a roster of children who attended Fruit Vale School? Where was it, anyway, on School Street?
Amelia Marshall