Vallejo's Beer Gardens

Got time to enjoy a nice cool beer on a hot summer day in one of Vallejo's shady beer gardens? One hundred years ago a popular Vallejo gathering spot was Germania Park, shown here in 1895. The park was located on Georgia Street, near present day Wallace and Solano Avenues. The adjacent Cyclodrome was a popular outdoor sports facility. Germania Park was operated by Larry Monreal until about 1915. Another fashionable Vallejo beer garden around the turn of the 20th century was Weniger's Gardens, located on Benicia Road.

USS Daniel Boone

The nuclear submarine USS Daniel Boone (SSBN 629) was launched on this date in 1963 at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard. The ship was the ninth nuclear powered vessel built at Mare Island and the fourth “boomer,” or ballistic missile submarine built there. Altogether Mare Island built seventeen nuclear subs between 1957 and 1970.

USS Daniel Boone was named after the legendary American frontier pioneer and backwoodsman (1734-1820). The sub was one of the Navy's “41 for Freedom,” - Polaris missile-equipped submarines all named after significant figures in U.S. History. Daniel Boone was sponsored by Mrs. Margaret Wakelin, wife of Assistant Secretary of the Navy James H. Wakelin, who delivered the keynote address at the launching. USS Daniel Boone served the U.S. Navy until she was decommissioned in 1994.

1940: Fats Waller Plays in Vallejo

Seventy years ago this week, on June 14, 1940, famed jazz pianist Fats Waller played at the Veteran’s Memorial Hall in Vallejo. “Local dance and music fans,” announced the Vallejo Times-Herald, “will have an opportunity this evening to see and hear one of the country’s out- standing entertaining stars when “Fats” Waller brings his famous orchestra to the Memorial Hall under the auspices of Samoset Tribe of Red Men. The essence of spontaneity in humor, he has an individual style not heard from any other entertainer as he leads his popular dance band.... Dancing will start at 9 o’clock and continues until 1 a.m.”

The Vallejo newspaper promoted the show in almost every edition during the week preceding the dance: “A songwriter of no mean ability, “Fats” is a virtuoso of the piano, organ, violin and a master of ceremonies extra- ordinary. He began his musical career in the choir of the Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem, where he also played the organ and his father preached. Over parental objection he accepted an offer to sing and play at Leroy Wilkins’ cabaret where he remained until 1924, doubling occasionally as a theatre organist and making piano rolls for the Q-R-S Company. He next took to the vaudeville stage and started writing music for the show “Keep Shufflin’.” Since then his climb to stardom has been unhalted and today he ranks with Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw and other swing masters. His appearance here will be a rare treat for dancers and spectators alike.”

Another article described Waller and listed a few of his many well-known compositions: “Just a big, good-natured boy making a living out of fun, with a smile that won’t come off, is “Fats” Waller, the composer, pianist and vocal entertainer who brings his famous orchestra to Memorial Hall next Friday evening…. As a composer he is known for “Ain’t Misbehavin’,” “My Fate Is In Your Hands,” “I’ve Got A Feelin’ I’m Fallin’,” “If It Ain’t Love,” “Keepin’ Out Of Mischief Now,” and “Crazy ‘Bout My Baby.” He has also written a number of musical reviews, such as “Connie’s Hot Chocolates,” and “Keep Shufflin’.” Waller is recognized as the most outstanding rhythmic pianist in the popular field today.”

Waller, who died in 1943, was just one of the many famous Swing and Big Band era musicians to play in Vallejo during the 1930s and 40s.

Carquinez Bridge Opening - May 21, 1927

May 21, 2010 marks the 83rd anniversary of the opening of the Carquinez Bridge. The bridge spanned the Carquinez Straits between Vallejo and Crockett and completed the first direct highway link between San Francisco and Sacramento. The bridge had been the brainchild of Aven J. Hanford and Oscar H. Klatt, operators of the Rodeo-Vallejo Ferry Company. The growth of automobile traffic had caused a ten-fold increase in the number of vehicles using Hanford and Klatt’s auto ferries in the five years from 1918 to 1923. The need for a bridge across the Straits became obvious and the two partners formed the American Toll Bridge Company to undertake the project.

Ground was broken in 1923 and construction took four years. The new bridge was described at the time as a “majestic masterpiece of engineering” and was heralded as the world’s largest highway bridge. When it was finally completed in 1927, the total length of the new bridge was 4,482 feet and the main support towers stood 325 feet above the water. 14,000 tons of steel were used in the project and five steel workers lost their lives during construction.

On March 19, 1927, the final section of the span moved slowly up the Carquinez Strait on barges. Massive counterweights were suspended from the already completed portions of the bridge and were slowly filled with sand. As the counterweights eventually increased to 750 tons each, the span was slowly hoisted on cables into position. This spectacular engineering feat was completed in less than an hour.

Two months after the final span was lifted into place, the Carquinez Bridge officially opened. Thousands of people attended the ceremony on May 21, 1927. The governors of four states - California, Oregon, Washington, and Nevada - were on hand for the dedication. The great celebration was nearly eclipsed by other momentous news, shouted by newsboys hawking their afternoon papers on the bridge. American pilot Charles Lindbergh had reached Paris, completing the first solo trans-Atlantic airplane flight.

Following WWII, California’s population continued to boom. The nation’s interstate highway system expanded in response to America’s increasing dependence on the automobile. In 1958, a second bridge was built across the Carquinez Straits, parallel to the 1927 span. After the war the toll for crossing the original bridge had been eliminated, but when the new eastbound span opened on November 25, 1958, tolls were reintroduced at 25 cents per car.

In 2003 a new westbound span opened and the original 1927 bridge was demolished. Several pieces of the original 1927 bridge were identified as historical artifacts and are now housed at the Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum.

A Haunted Shipwreck?

When the Vallejo steamer Sunol sank in March 1897 after colliding with the sailing vessel Olympic, she carried a valuable cargo of lead and silver bars from the Selby Smelting Company. But when divers set about salvaging the wreck, they had a ghostly encounter that nearly ended the operation. On April 13, 1897 the Vallejo Evening Chronicle reported the mysterious story:

“There are spooks about the sunken wreckage of the steamer Sunol, according to the wild tale related by Diver Dolph, who has been working most energetically at recovering the treasure that fell out of the Sunol when she was sunk by the big bark Olympic. Dolph has given satisfaction in his work for a diver especially, but he balked at the spooks Saturday afternoon and refused to work any more.

“Captain A. E. Pryor, who heads the wrecking party and is generally addressed as the superintendent of the prospecting party that located a silver mine in the bay, was greatly astonished to see Diver Dolph rise to the surface hurriedly late on Saturday, tear off his diving costume and swear that imps were holding a high revel around the lead and silver bars sixty-five feet down in the depths of the bay, and that an infernal band was playing “A Life on the Ocean Wave” to amuse the imps.

“Pryor looked at Dolph, whom he knew to be a level headed and sober man, but whom he did not know to be superstitious. Divers see queer things in the depths and imagination can make them appear to be still more strange. Dolph was closely questioned as to what caused his fear. He finally said that that while clearing away some wreckage he came across a dark-colored box of hard wood about a foot and a half square and several inches deep. As he threw it aside to pick up some lead and silver bars he said he heard well-known music and then he saw fantastic figures hovering around the wooden box. Without waiting to investigate, Dolph left the depths and came to the surface. As he told the tale the seamen who were working on the schooner became interested at first, and finally began to show as much superstitious fear as the diver.

"Pryor tried to think out an explanation to the mystery, and suddenly remembered that there was a large music-box on the steamer. He came to the conclusion that it had remained water-tight, and that Dolph, throwing it aside, had set the machinery into motion, and that the music Dolph heard was the result. Pryor had saw that it was useless to dispute with the men as to Dolph’s ability to hear the music, and, as they had all worked so faithfully, he decided to give them a holiday and strive to have them regain their spirits by listening to real music, so he secured seats for the whole party of fifteen and took them to the Orpheum Saturday night. Dolph and the rest of the men were hard at work yesterday, and nothing further was heard of spooks or spook music.”

The Ferry Sunol

Among the many beautiful ship models on exhibit at the Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum is a model of the ferry boat Sunol. The model was donated to the Museum in 1989 by Mr. Peter Stauffer of Lausanne, Switzerland.

The Sunol was a stern-wheeler built in 1890 in San Francisco and operated by the Aden Brothers Ferry Co. Sunol made regular daily trips between Vallejo and San Francisco but her running time of 3 hours and 45 minutes made her impractical as a commuter ferry. In March of 1897 the Sunol was sunk in a collision with the sailing ship Olympic. Fortunately no lives were lost. This is how the Vallejo Evening Chronicle reported the story:

“The steamer Sunol was wrecked at 4:15 o’clock Wednesday afternoon in a collision with the sailing vessel Olympic, and turned over in the water. The accident occurred near Alcatraz, soon after the vessel had left her moorings at San Francisco on her 4 o’clock trip to Vallejo. No lives were lost, but during the collision the greatest excitement prevailed.

           

“The Olympic caught the Sunol almost amidships on the port side, while going at a speed of about three knots. The impact of the steamer on the vessel’s bow, and the resistance of the water created by the moving of the ship, kept the steamer up a sufficient length of time to permit every passenger to escape in safety to the deck of the Olympic.

“Naturally during the collision great consternation prevailed, but it is reported that the crew of the Sunol acted gallantly throughout the whole scene. They assisted in the transfer of women and children to the Olympic, and wisely examined every stateroom and the decks to see that no one was injured or hemmed in, preventing their escape. Captain Dye was the last man to leave the steamer.

The Cause.

“There seems to be many opinions regarding the cause of the collision, and who is at fault, but probably the nearest to being correct is the statement that it was of a misunderstanding of Captain Dye of the Sunol, who thought that the Olympia was at anchor. As the steamer was proceeding up the bay Captain Dye saw the bark Alden Besse being towed in by the tug Reliance. The Alden Besse was off the seawall at the time, and though the Olympic was ahead, she had no tow, and Captain Dye made a disastrous mistake in believing the bark to be at anchor.

“The Olympic was sailing in without a pilot or a tugboat, as Captain Gibbs considered he was able to manage his vessel without assistance. The Olympic was moving slowly through the water with her sails all clewed up but not furled. There was a good breeze blowing, and the unfurled sails caught considerable wind. As the Olympic is a very heavy vessel, it had a considerable impetus, and moved slowly but with great force.

“When Captain Dye of the Sunol realized that the Olympic was bearing down on him he signaled to back but the order came too late.

“When the crash came, all that the crew of the Olympic could do was to help the passengers on the Sunol to a place of safety on the decks of their own vessel. The passengers swarmed over her bow and the helpless were given every aid, so that all forty-five were safely transferred to the Olympic.

Minds Relieved.

“When the news came to town of the accident, R. J. R. Aden was besieged with inquiries by anxious ones, particularly those who had relatives on board, and naturally having so many passengers on board it was thought surely that there must have been some lost. The news at first was indefinite, but a half hour later the first dispatch was received another came, stating positively no lives were lost. This was a great relief, very much so to Mr. Aden who said for his company; “we can restore the boat, but not lives,’ and Mr. Aden was relieved in mind and his face was brightened with smiles when he got the good news that there were no lives lost. As for the loss of the boat and its freight, of course it was considerable yet he looked on it philosophically.

The Losses.

“Estimates as to the loss occasioned by the collision ranged from $25,000 to $150,000, but it is no doubt nearer the first figure. The boat is values at $20,000. According to the reports received to-day, her hull and machinery will be saved, as she is now on the Berkeley mud flats, and can be raised. The sum of $5,000 is an outside figure to make her good as new.

“The freight that she carried is a total, loss and it is likely the shippers are the injured ones.

“Two valuable brood mares belonging to B.C. Holly were a part of the cargo. One of the animals was lost and the other is probably injured.

“K. Casper had from $300 to $400 worth of piping and fittings for his electric station on board. They were from the firm of Keogh & Co. and are a total loss. Mr. Casper had ordered one of the dynamos to be shipped in the afternoon, but for some reason it had not been placed on board.

“Roney’s Express was also a sufferer, for all the business of the Express is done on the Sunol.

“The heaviest loss will fall on the Selby Smelting Works. For these works the Sunol had 1,500 bars of lead valued at from $6,000 to $10,000, also a few bars of gold bullion which were locked in the safe. Unless the safe went overboard, which is not likely, this is safe.

“The decks of the Sunol were filled with freight of all kinds, all of which of course fell overboard.

The Humorous Side.

“The Call says that: “In the safe there was $25,000 in specie for the Mare Island Navy Yard. In the big iron tank on the forward deck in which the bullion and crude ore for the Selby Smelting Company was carried, there was about $40,000 worth of raw material and the general merchandise would probably amount to $5000 worth more. The steamer was valued at $25,000. So somebody will be “out and injured.”

“The crew lost everything they had except the clothes they stood in, and as all the passengers had been on shopping expedition they lost all their purchases, and consider they were lucky to escape with their lives.

A Swift Kick.

“In another place the Call says; “As each male passenger was helped aboard he was given a swift kick by the crew of the bark, because they had shoved women and children aside in their hurry to reach safety.”

The Crew and Passengers

“The crew of the Sunol numbered sixteen all told. The officers were: Captain S. Dye, Mate Charles Ostrowski, Chief Engineer Ed. Mahoney and Second Engineer J . F. Wallace.

“Among the passengers were : Wm. J. Moore, T. Lynch, Mrs. F. Cooper and two children, Harry LeClaire J. Johnson, William Fahr, John Ingle, Michael Byrne, Edward Harris, Mrs. F. P. Worshaw and child, Mrs. W. E. Lane, Emil Stoltenburg, of Oakland, O. B. Rowell of Butte, Mont., R. J. Lennox, Misses Josie, Mary and Madeline Tinelli, and H. F. Stahl.

Will Be Raised

“R. J. R. Aden went to the city this morning to consult in regard to raising and repairing the Sunol. The steamer is now on the Berkeley mud flats, and in such a position that no difficulty is anticipated in raising her.

Volunteered Assistance.

“Captain Hatch with the steamer Monticello left San Francisco in the wake of the Sunol and witnessed the collision. He steamed around the vessel twice and offered assistance, but in the excitement and the difficulties of working to advantage, his proffered assistance could not be accepted.

“There were about 140 passengers on the Monticello, and among them there was considerable excitement. Captain Hatch remained fully half an hour at the scene of the wreck before continuing on his course.

The Grace Barton.

“The Piper, Aden, Goodal Company have engaged one of the Red Stack tugs, so that their freight and passenger business will go on as usual. In a day or two they will put their streamer, the Grace Barton on the run.”

Vallejo's Big Band Era

The decades of the 1920s, 30s, and 40s were the heyday of the Big Bands. Most of the big name national bands played in Vallejo at the Casa de Vallejo, Veterans Memorial Hall, and the Dream Bowl. Vallejo’s own local bands were also popular favorites at dances and concerts. The Ken Harris Orchestra is shown here playing at the Veterans Memorial Hall in 1935. Other popular local bandleaders included Roy Graff, Jimmy Emerson, Hal Hay, Keith Kimball, Gene Gelling and Lou Boss.