historic Niles_ an overview

							                                    Girl Scouts of Northern California
                                 COYOTE HILLS AND CHABOT SERVICE UNITS




TOUR DE NILES
a historic walking and biking tour
        The history of old-town Niles can be divided into four phases:


The Mills
         In 1841, Don Jose de Jesus Vallejo built his first adobe flour mill on the banks of the Alameda
Creek; this later became the Rancho de Alameda, in 1842. By the 1850s and 60s, however, the Rancho
era was at an end, pressed into smaller and smaller importance and place by the growing nurseries and
railroads. Caught up in lawsuits over land ownership, Vallejo was forced to sell much of his land to pay
the court costs. One of the buyers, Captain William Sim, purchased part of the Vallejo ranch that would
later become the area's first orchard, and is currently owned by the Shinn House.


The Railroad
         1869 heralded the beginning of Niles' railroad era. The town grew up along the railroad tracks,
with shops and hotels on one side of main street, and the train depot on the other. The Central Pacific
cut straight through Niles, completing the railroad's first true "ocean to ocean" journey.
         The preservation and relocation of the Niles Southern Pacific Depot, originally built in 1904, was
sponsored by the Society of Model Railroad Engineers. As of 2009, the depot was moved again, back to
the downtown Niles area.


The Essanay Studio
        In 1912, the Essanay Studio cast and crew arrived in Niles by train. Owned by George K. Spoor
and Gilbert M. Anderson, Essanay quickly became the highlight of Niles town life between 1912 and
1916, at which point the studio relocated to Hollywood. During their stay, the studio produced and played
an average of one to two movies per week, though sometimes the number would jump as high as five.
These were predominantly fifteen minute cowboy shorts, such as Anderson's wildly popular Broncho Billy
series. The most famous individual short was probably The Tramp, which starred Charlie Chaplin and
incorporated satire and pathos into the storyline, as well as the traditional humor.


The Nurseries
       Though the Niles area has been home to nurseries since the mid 1800s, and flourished
throughout the early 1900s, George Roeding first began the preservation of historic Niles in 1930, when
he purchased the California Nursery and supervised the renovation of one of the original Vallejo adobes.

Niles Memorial Flagpole
         The Niles flag pole was first erected on September 29, 1918 in
honor of three local men who fought in World War I. The original pole,
eighty feet tall, was made of wood from the mast of a sailing ship.
Recently the Niles community gathered together and raised $20,000 for a
new flagpole. On June 12, 2004, the new fiberglass flag- pole was raised
and rededicated to all those who have served in wars.

       Continue about a mile down Niles Boulevard toward the Mission
Adobe Garden Center. It is located on the left side of the road, after you
leave Downtown Niles and continue through a short residential block.
California Nursery
                                                          The California Nursery Co. was originally started
                                                 in 1865 in San Jose, by a man named Johann Fels,
                                                 anglicized from the original German as John Rock. At its
                                                 conception, the nursery housed primarily staple crops,
                                                 like potatoes and beans, peas, cabbage, and berries. In
                                                 1884, he relocated the company to its present location in
                                                 Niles. There, Rock was able to grow prunes, peaches,
                                                 apricots, and cherries as well. At its height, the nursery
                                                 boasted 500 separate varieties of fruit, 700 varieties of
                                                 ornamental shrubs, and 273 types of roses.

                                                           In 1917, George C. Roeding, Sr. bought the
                                                 nursery--at which point the nursery was reduced from
                                                 700 to 486 acres--and operated it until 1928, when his
son George Roeding Jr. took over. The nursery became famous worldwide for its wide variety of exotic
plants and trees-grapes, figs, olives, persimmons, citrus, nectarines, and walnuts were grown at the
nursery, among many other things. During this time, the nursery became better known for its unique
breeds of fruit.

        Many of the trees are estimated to be over 100 years old. The nursery housed some rare trees
such as cork oak, blue cedar, and bushy blue gum trees. In fact, the nursery provided many of the plants
used in the garden exhibits at the San Francisco World's Fair on Treasure Island, as well as at Hearst
Castle. It was known as the Mission Adobe Garden Center until June 2009, when it closed.

         Continue into the nursery. Towards the back and to the left, the Vallejo Adobe stands in a gated
area; it may or may not be open for closer viewing.


Vallejo Adobe
         The Vallejo adobe was built in 1843 by
Francisco Palemus, under the direction of Jose
de Jesus Vallejo. Originally, the adobe boasted a
single door; the floors were simply packed dirt.
Vallejo's vaqueros lived in the adobe. In 1930, it
was purchased by George Roeding, Jr. as an
addition to the California Nursery. The adobe was
then used as a shed for holding nursery export
shipments, and later a public meeting house.
The Vallejo adobe is the third oldest structure in
Alameda county.


        Exit the Mission Adobe Garden Center
and return to Downtown Niles. The next stop is located on the right side of the street if you are coming
back from the nursery.




Niles Edison Theater
Silent Film Museum | 37417 Niles Blvd.
                                                         The Niles Edison theater was originally constructed
                                                 by George MacRae. Opened in 1913, this movie theater was
                                                 Washington Township's first movie theater. In 1914, the
                                                 theater was renamed the Bell Theater under manager
                                                 Johnny Barnard. Today, however, we know it by its original
                                                 name.

                                                        The Edison Theater is now home to the Niles
                                                 Essanay Silent Film Museum.


                                                 Wesley Hotel
Tyme for Tea | 37501 Niles Blvd.

        The Wesley Hotel was constructed in 1907 by John White and
Herman Sanwald. It was one of the three Niles hotels filled to capacity
when the Essanay crew first rode into town, and provided a popular
hangout for Essanay cast and crew members ever after. It is rumored
that Charlie Chaplin himself stayed briefly in the front corner room.


Niles Bank
Fremont Bank | 37611 Niles Blvd.



                                                     The Niles bank was established in 1906, but moved into
                                            a different building on July 1, 1911. In March of 1912, it was
                                            merged with the Bank of Alameda County. The Bank of Alameda
                                            County later moved to the brick building at 37611 Niles Blvd. It is
                                            now the property of Fremont Bank.

                                                    If you turn left onto 2nd. Street at the Niles Bank
                                            Building, at the next cross-street and to the left you will find the
                                            former Niles courthouse and jail.


Niles Courthouse and Jail
37702/37722 Second St.

         The first jail in Niles was situated in a barn at
the back of the constable's house. The jail was fairly
small, because it was merely a temporary holding
place before inmates were transferred to the
Hayward or Santa Rita jailhouses. In 1938, after
burning down three times, the jail was refurbished,
sporting walls newly reinforced with concrete and
railroad ties. Its total capacity was six prisoners, and
was used as a functional prison until 1951.

        Return to Niles Boulevard and continue in the same direction to get to Joe’s Corner.

Joe's Corner
37713 Niles Blvd.
                                                 Joe's Corner was originally the site of the Grand Hotel in
                                        1892. But in 1895, the hotel burned down, and it was turned into
                                        Preston's Saloon in 1889. By 1911, the building was called Silva's
                                        Corner, for its owner Joseph Silva. Joe Viveiros bought the place in
                                        1925, and turned it into Joe's Corner. It moved to its present location
                                        in 1930, and remained open until 2003. Joe's Corner was one of
                                        Niles' prominent drinking institutions, and smuggled in alcohol
                                        during the Prohibition. Joe's Corner opened briefly as a liquor-free
                                        establishment that served as a community center and sports bar. It
                                        closed in June 2009.




First Niles Post Office
The Glass Works |37819 Niles Blvd.
         Niles' first post office started in 1909, under
the direction Minnie Snyder Chalbers. She was the
daughter of William Snyder, the proprietor of the
Snyder General Store (37819 Niles Boulevard),
which had previously functioned jointly as the post
office during the 1880s. The building is currently
the Glass Works shop.




THANK YOU for embarking on the Tour de Niles!      We hope you found this packet a useful visual guide
for our PodCast tour. This packet is part of Mika Kennedy and Megan Ouyang’s Girl Scout Gold Award,
the highest honor one can achieve as a Senior Girl Scout. They represent Troops 32830 and 32028.

For more information and additional information, please visit us on the web at
http://www.coyotegillshs.org/bikeforgold or e-mail us at bikeforgold@gmail.com.