The Home Place of Romance – Smith Reserve

 Smith Reserve was a subdivision in Montclair and is now called Piedmont Pines.  

Smith Reserve is located at the top of  Park Blvd with borders on Shepherd Canyon and Joaquin Miller Park and up to Skyline Blvd.

Smith Reserve Opens

The Realty Syndicate announced in May of 1926 that they were putting 300 acres in the hills behind Piedmont for sale. TF.M. Smith once owned the land.

Smith reserve is the most beautiful tract of land opened by the Syndicate Company” 

Oakland Tribune
Oakland Tribune May 23, 1926

Much of the beauty of Smith Reserve is due to the varied groupings of oaks, ecualyptus and pine trees which cover the entire tract. The different shades of green, together with the variety of sizes and shapes of these trees afford an almost endless variety of choice to people in search of unusualsettings for distinctive homes.”

Oakland Tribune

Huge Sales!

In July of 1926, two months after the subdivision was open, the Realty Syndicate reported nearly $250,000 in sales. They also said a bus transportation system would be implemented, connecting with both local and San Francisco electric lines. – Oakland Tribune, July 18, 1928.

“Scenic Beauty”

Oakland Tribune 1926
Oakland Tribune May 30, 1926
S.F. Examiner Sep 4, 1926
S.F. Examiner Oct 28, 1928

“The Princely Estate of F.M. “Borax” Smith”


Selected years ago by F.M. “Borax” Smith as a private estate when thousands of acres of the finest residentioal property in the East Bay were owned by him, Smith Reserve was set apart for eleborate development.”

Oakland Tribune
1912Map of Oakland and vicinity published by the Realty Union, compiled from optical and other data by T. J. Allan; T. R. Morcom

Smith built Arbor Villa on the site further down on Park Blvd.

Arbor Villa estate, as seen from across Park Boulevard 

Camp Dimond

In 1919, 25 acres of the Smith Reserve were sold to the Oakland-Piedmont Council of the Boy Scouts of America for a camp. It was called Camp Dimond and was in use from 1919-1948.

In 1948 the Oakland Public School district took over the land and built Joaquin Miller Elementary and Montera Junior High Schools.

Bus Service

In July of 1928, the Realty Syndicate inaugurated a regular bus service into Montclair Highlands and Smith Reserve from the terminal at Moraga Ave and Hampton Road ( now La Salle Ave.) The buses had a regular schedule but alternated their run. It would go to Smith Reserve first on one trip and go to Montclair Highlands first on the next trip.

S.F. Examiner Jul 28, 1928

In Smith Reserve

In September of 1928, they broke ground for two new Spanish-type homes ranging from $10,000 to $15,000 in building costs. Architect Hamilton Murdock completed plans for four additional homes with three more on the drawing board. They embraced various types of architecture. Two of the homes were of the modified Spanish hacienda type with balconies overlooking the Eastbay and the Golden Gate.

S F Examiner Apr 14, 1929

One of the homes started in 1928 was the residence of G.O. Thomas. This h me was Spanish in style and was to cost $20,000.

S.F. Examiner Apr 13, 1929

The Harry S. Stockman is a nine-room English-type home that cost $25,000 to build. The house has a panorama view of the hills, Eastbay, and landscaped grounds and is at 5640 Castle Drive at Mountain Gate.

Oakland Tribune Sep 1928
5640 Castle Drive Piedmont Pines Realtor.com
Oakland Tribune Sep 23, 1928

Panorama Home

This home is located on Ascot Court.

Oakland Tribune Oct 7, 1928

Hacienda Monterey

the brave days of dashing dons and senoritas live again at “Hacienda Monterey” in Smith Reseve.”

Oakland Tribune
Oakland Tribune May 29, 1929

Piedmont Pines

In the early 1930s, Smith Reserve was re-subdivided and renamed Piedmont Pines.

New Light Beacon

Oakland Tribune Jan 27, 1929

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The End

Hays School District

In March 1886, the Board of Supervisors created a new school district. That took from portions of the Piedmont, Peralta, and Fruitvale districts representing about 44 children. 

Hays Canyon Schoolhouse
Students pose with their teacher, in this photo and of the six children sitting down. Walter Wood is 2nd from the left, his brother Alfred Wood is 4th from the left, Harry W. Logan is seated on the far right, and his brother Maurice Logan (the painter) is standing on the far right. The Logans and the Woods lived at Lake Temescal.
c 1900-1910 Oakland History Room

The new district was called the Hays School District in honor of the late Colonel John Coffee Hays

The superintendent appointed the following residents of the area as trustees:

  • W.H. Mead
  • J.H. Medau
  • Mrs. Susan Hays

Land Donated

Hetty S. Henshaw gave the district the land for the school. The Montclair Firehouse was built on the spot in 1927, using the front part of the lot.

Hays school -
Oakland Tribune July 16, 1886

New School House Built

Requests for bids to build the school were made in July of 1886.

Oakland Tribune July 1886

The completed school was small at only 32×36 feet,  with just one classroom. It was Gothic in design with a graceful-looking bell tower. It had two entrances, one for the boys and the other for the girls, with each entry having a 6×6 vestibule. The sash bars of the windows are all horizontal, copying the style of European schools. 

Hays School House -
Oakland Tribune July 07, 1886

The construction cost about $2,500 and took about two months to build.

Oakland Tribune December 10, 1887

The architects were Goodrich & Newton.

Dedication

The dedication of the school was held in October 1886. It was attended by most of the families that lived in the area. Judge EM Gibson and W.H Mead made opening remarks. Some of the families in attendance:

The students from the school provided entertainment under the direction of their teacher Miss Lucy Law. The following students performed:

  • Clara Gibson
  • Gussie Gibson
  • Carrie Mead
  • Daisy Mead
  • Susie Mead
  • Mattie Mead
  • Edith Medau
  • Louise Medau
Oakland Tribune February 11, 1888
Oakland Tribune November 23, 1889

Graduation 1901

Hays School was the scene of brightness and beauty on Friday, June 14, 1901. Friends and family gathered to witness the closing exercises. The four graduates were:

  • Jessie Logan
  • Robert Shepherd
  • August Carson
  • Scott Monroe
Oakland Tribune June 1901

School Trustees

In 1904, Mr. S. Morrell and Mr. Johnson were appointed to fill the vacancies caused by George Hunt’s and G.W. Logan’s removal.

Attendance for the year ending 1911 for the Hays School was 11 students.

Oakland Tribune August 01, 1911

School Closes

The school was closed around 1913, and the building was demolished. It was probably due to the Oakland, Antioch, and Eastern Railway construction, later known as the Sacramento Northern.   For more on the Sacramento Northern, please go here. The East Bay Hills Project

Montclair Firehouse

The Montclair firehouse was built on the same site in 1927. The storybook-style building was designed by Eldred E. Edwards of the Oakland Public Works Department.

Storybook firehouse on Moraga Avenue in the
Montclair district of Oakland, California. 1934, ohrphoto.districts.031.
Oakland. Buildings Oakland Public Library, Oakland History Room.

Misc Articles

SF Call September 12, 1891
Oakland Tribune May 14, 1890
Oakland Tribune November 20, 1889

Controversy

SF Examiner July 12, 1891

The End

Shepherd Canyon …a bit of history

Have you ever wondered why it is called Shepherd Canyon?

Heart of Shepard (sic) Canyon

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

Oakland Tribune Feb 16, 1927

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.

View the map here: Georeferencer.com

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.

Oakland Tribune Nov 4, 1876

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.

Oakland Tribune Mar 10, 1875
LARGE LANDOWNERS OF 1876-BUSINESS DIRECTORY OF OAKLAND TOWNSHIP-OF ALAMEDA
TOWNSHIP-
SF Examiner Mar 25, 1878
1895 Directory

Hays School Graduation – 1901

William Shepherd died in San Jose in 1921

Oakland Tribune Jun 7, 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 Jun 15,1896
Oakland Tribune Sept 18, 1897

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

Oakland Tribune Jul 6,1953

Shepherd Canyon Freeway – Highway 77

California Highways and Public Works – March -April 1958

“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.”

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The End