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Ardenwood, a railroad runs through it
It is a bit ironic that each Labor Day, the Society for the Preservation of Carter Railroad Resources (SPCRR) and East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD) holds a rail fair at Ardenwood. Although he understood the importance of using railroads, George Washington Patterson was not a railroad fan. When the South Pacific Coast Railroad pressed George for passage through his farmlands, Patterson adamantly refused, posting guards to block construction. He believed a rail line through his property would impede movement of farm machinery and could be a fire hazard.
Love intervened when Patterson traveled to Sacramento to marry Clara Hawley Patterson in 1877. Railroad agents took advantage of his absence to bribe guards posted to halt any intrusion. They made quick work of laying track through the Patterson property and, in the end, the railroad prevailed. Remnants of this battle remain as the small station of "Arden" at the entrance gates of Ardenwood Historic Farm and narrow gauge track on the property.
Washington Township, as the area was known when Alameda County formed from portions of Contra Costa and Santa Clara Counties in 1853, was pastoral. Patterson, who arrived in 1849 to try his luck in the gold fields found something better in this fertile land... farming. He began working for others in 1850 and started to accumulate his own landholdings in 1856, eventually becoming a major landowner with nearly 6,000 acres. Railroad tracks crisscrossed the landscape and were important transportation for farm goods to markets. It was impossible to ignore the pervasive presence of the "iron horse" throughout the region.
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Revisit the roots of Labor Day
AP Photo
John Henry, the legendary "steel drivin" folk hero of the late 1800s symbolized the value of hard labor and the vital role of human beings even during times of rapid technological change. Although the industrial revolution was on the horizon in the United States and labor requirements were changing, a good, hard worker, symbolized by John Henry was and continues to be a valuable asset to all economic endeavors. Unions, although subject to corruptive influences, continue to offer working people protection from exploitation.
John Henry said to his Captain,
"A man ain't nothin' but a man,
And before I'll let your steam drill beat me down,
Die with the hammer in my hand,
Die with the hammer in my hand."
On Monday, September 6, 2010, the nation will enjoy a federal holiday, allowing millions to take time off work. Labor Day is a chance to take advantage of a three-day weekend, enjoy a last minute vacation and wear summer white before Fall arrives. But as we spend the day roasting hot dogs on the barbeque or floating in the pool, it is also a time to contemplate the meaning of Labor Day. Is it just another holiday, another day off?
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It's a Date!
Upcoming Events
August 18 - September 10
Ken Ludwig's "Leading Ladies" $
Douglas Morrison Theatre
September 1
Laughing for the Health of it
Union City Branch Library
September 1
Food Stamps Eligibility Screening
Union City Branch Library
September 1
Volunteer Opportunity
Sulphur Creek Nature Center
September 2
Closing Reception
Hayward Area Historical Society Museum
September 3
Friday Gaming
Newark Branch Library
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