Published quarterly by the Pinole Historical Society

PinoleHistorical

SocietyNewsbriefs

P.O. Box 285, Pinole, CA 94564www.PinoleHistoricalSociety.org info@PinoleHistoricalSociety.org

Winter 2013

In this issuePresident’s Message

— Page 3 —

County library system’s100th anniversary

— Page 7 —

Jailed in Pinole in 1900— Page 8 —

Historic Pinole:the Church of Baseball

— Page 12 —

50 years ago:events of 1963 chronicled

— Page 15 —

2013 quarterly meetings at Kaiser moved to Friday eveningsThis year’s quarterly membership meetings of the Pinole Historical Society will be held Fridayevenings in conference rooms 2A and 2B of theKaiser Permanante Medical Office Building.

Thursday evenings were no longer available, sowe thought we’d try Fridays and see how they workfor our members. As always, we will have an inter-esting program for you at each meeting.

The 2013 meeting schedule is: February 15 • May 17 • September 20 • November 15

February 15 program

A TALE OF TWO CITIESur Friday, February 15, membership meeting will be a jointprogram of the Pinole and Hercules historical societies.Pinole and Hercules have a shared history based on

geography and a heritage of mutual need and cooperation.Both were part of the 18,000-acre El Rancho Pinole land grant inthe early 1800s, and both grew into cities, Hercules in 1900 and

Continued on page 4

O

Hercules school bus, early 1900s (Photo from Hercules Historical Society).

PinoleHistoricalSocietyBoard of Directors: Marcia Kalapus, President; JeffRubin, Vice President; Mary Drazba, Treasurer; Jo AnnGannotti, Secretary; Shirley Ramos, George Vincent.Directors Emeritus: Dr. Joe Mariotti, Jack MeehanNewsletter Editor: Jeff Rubin

2

WHERE TO FIND NEWSBRIEFS

900 San Pablo Ave., Pinole, CA 94564

Pick up Newsbriefs at these locations:Abby’s Grill, A Center for Hearing Health (Dr. Joel

Ross), AccuTech Auto Care, A.D. Dern Insurance, TheAlley Cafe, Antlers Tavern, Bank of the West, Bay ParkRetirement Residence, The Bear Claw, Big O Tires,Blue Sky Sports, Cafe Soleil, China House, Cindy’sShear Cuts, Coldwell Banker Bartels Realtors®, Coldwell Banker (Joni Vasquez and Dave Vida), Crocketts Premier Auto Body, George A. Egan, CFP,Feriel El Ghaoui, D.D.S., Embers, Farmers Insurance(Madeline Crandall), Farmers Insurance (Carol White),Garden of Gems, Douglas Gordon, D.D.S., GroceryOutlet, Happy Sashimi, Hercules Fitness, Kaiser Permanente Medical Office Building, K&L Automotive(Rodeo), Kendall Financial Services, Ladies WorkoutExpress, Lakeridge Athletic Club, Masala Specialty GiftStore, Mechanics Bank (Pinole Valley office) Neto’sPizza, Old Time Realtors, Douglas Oliver, D.D.S., Oliver’s Hardware, Park Pharmacy, Attorney Donald E.Patterson, Peggy’s Perfections Bead and Boutique,Pinole Art Center, Pinole City Hall, Pinole Creek Cafe,Pinole Library, Pinole Paws, Pinole Police Department,Pinole Senior Center, Pinole Senior Village, Pinole Valley Community Church, Lawrence Radcliffe, D.D.S.,Realty World (Viktor Manrique), Ricky’s Corner, Ristorante Due Rose, Sam’s Dog House (Pinole and El Sobrante), State Farm Insurance (Mark Bucklewand Rick Chalk), Sunshine Floor Covering, TaqueriaSanchez, Tenax Law Group, 10th Inning BaseballCards, The New Deli, The Red Onion, The UPS Store,Tina’s Place, Top Floor Salon, Albert M. Tsang, D.D.S.,Waffle Stop, West Contra Costa Transit Authority, Windermere Rowland Realty, and Wilson & KratzerMortuaries.It’s also posted on the PHS website.FOR ADVERTISERS: 3,000 printed copies of PHS

Newsbriefs are distributed every quarter, generatingreadership among thousands of Pinole and WestCounty residents. Hundreds more receive the newslet-ter directly from the PHS via its database and website.If you’re interested in advertising, please contact Jeff Rubin at info@PinoleHistoricalSociety.org or call him at (510) 724-9507.

PHS CALENDARMEETINGS

ONGOING

February 13, March 13, April 10: Monthly Boardof Directors meeting. The public is invited to attendand speak on any of the items discussed at thesemeetings. Pinole Senior Center, 6:30 to 8 p.m.

February 15: Quarterly Membership meeting: Kaiser Permanente Medical Office Building, 1301Pinole Valley Road, Conference Rooms 2A and 2B,6:30 to 8 p.m.

Pinole Library history exhibits. Two exhibits at thelibrary, 2935 Pinole Valley Road. Library hours are: Monday (10 a.m. to 6 p.m.), Wednesday (2 to 8 p.m.),Friday and Saturday (12 to 5 p.m.).

PHS booth at Pinole Farmers’ Market. We willreturn to the farmers’ market in April.

NEW ADVERTISERSThe PHS thanks its advertisers for their supportand welcomes these new advertisers:• Cornerstone Capital Systems, George A. Egan, CFP• Massage by Michelle• Ore-Con Construction• Abby’s Grill• Elmery Bonus Odiamar,Transamerica Insurance

3

A Pinole Landmark

he Contra CostaCounty Board ofSupervisorsrecently

proclaimed 2013 “TheYear of the Library.”The Contra Costa

County Library System iscelebrating its 100thanniversary this year. IanRichards, Senior Commu-nity Library Manager forboth the El Sobrante andPinole libraries, hasannounced the ElSobrante Historical Society will host one offive system events onMarch 16, this one cele-brating the West ContraCosta-member libraries— Pinole, Hercules,Rodeo, San Pablo, Crock-ett, El Cerrito, Kensing-ton, and El Sobrante.

context of the book alive.There is nothing moresatisfying than holding abook and reading it whileenjoying a cup of hot tea,hot cocoa, or iced lemon-ade in a comfortablechair outdoors under ashade tree. I have spentmany hours in my offtime doing just that.I raised my children in

a sea of books, maga-zines, and many, manytrips to the library. Theirlives did not center onTV programs except Captain Kangaroo — amust!

T Outside readingenhances children’scuriosity and stimulatesthem to ask questionslike “Why?” “How come?”“How does that work?”etc. The Pinole Libraryuses themes and pro-vides books to coverthose subjects.Ian and Pinole Library

Children’s Librarian TimMadigan are greatresources and are look-ing for new ideas andprojects. Our children have such

structured classroomtime these days in orderto meet the “No ChildLeft Behind” require-ments that there is littletime to just learn newthings from books and toexplore all that a libraryhas to offer.Positive experiences in

a library teach childrento randomly pick booksoff the shelves and justsit on the floor and lookthrough them. As theyget older, we, as con-cerned citizens and parents, must encourage

Continued on page 4

Local historical soci-eties have been invitedto present brief historiesof the libraries in theircommunities. The PHShas accepted the invita-tion. The PHS will collabo-

rate with the PinoleLibrary throughout theyear on other projects.There will be other

displays and programsthroughout the year ateach of the countylibraries. Visit the systemwebsite at www.ccclib.orgfor details.Libraries today are in

constant competitionwith the new electronicreaders — Kindles, iPads,etc. This is all well andgood, but somehow weneed to keep the

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President’s MessageMarcia Kalapus, President, Pinole Historical Society

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL LIBRARY

Marcia Kalapus

2718 pinole valley road • pinole, california 94564510.758.8881 www.eathappysashimi.com

4

1918-201294 years

Serving Families

A Tale of Two Cities

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGEContinued from page 3

children to go to the library to look uptheir school assignments using realbooks.If children use only their computers

to research on-line, they miss anopportunity to learn how to browseother books and magazines andresources that might have more infor-mation. We must encourage an ongo-ing effort to teach children these func-

tions in order to prepare them to doresearch at the university level.I am hoping the community at

large—parents and others—will jointhe PHS in 2013 in helping the libraryput on these programs and be volun-teers along with us.Happy New Year.

Continued from front page

Pinole in 1903. The program will focus on the interaction and cul-

tural ties of the communities; the mutual need forwater, schools, and jobs will be highlighted, with

oral histories and a Powerpoint presentation. The program will be presented from 6:30 to

8 p.m. in conference rooms 2A and 2B of the KaiserMedical Office Building in Pinole. It’s free and opento the public. Refreshments will be served.

Find out more about Pinole’s history by usingyour smartphone to scan this QR code. It will

take you to the Pinole Historical Society website: www.PinoleHistoricalSociety.org

5

Joel Ross, M.D., F.A.C.S.Otolaryngologyhead and neck surgery

Johnna McMartinHearing Instrument Specialist

HA #3918

A Center for Hearing Health

1700 San Pablo Ave., Suite FPinole, CA 94564(510) 724-1095

HOW TO KEEP YOUR HEARING LOSS A SECRETCome in for a FREE PREVIEW of Secret Ear® hearing aidsby Starkey. These tiny hearing aids feature advancedwireless technology designed to:• Improve hearing in noisy situations• Eliminate feedback and whistling• Make TV listening more enjoyable• Enhance phone conversations

There’s no substitute for professional hearing care.Appointment times are limited, so call today!

(510) 724-1095

CUSTOM WIRELESS HEARING AID EVENTFebruary through April!

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We have postcards, greeting cards, and refrig-erator magnets—featuring photos from our book,Images of America: Pinole. You can order themat www.PinoleHistoricalSociety.org.To order on-line, print the order form and

mail it with your check to the Pinole HistoricalSociety, P.O. Box 285, Pinole, CA 94564.All of the photos in our book—and others in

our collection—are available for purchase in anysize you want. These items make great holidaygifts. For more information, contact us at (510)724-9507 or info@pinolehistoricalsociety.org.

PHS PRODUCTS FOR SALE

STILL GOING STRONG!• Daily deliveries by phone •

(510) 724-4241

PinoleHistoricalSociety2013 MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION

PLEASE PROVIDE THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION,AND SEND CASH OR YOUR CHECK, TO PINOLE HISTORICAL SOCIETY,

P.O. BOX 285, PINOLE, CA 94564

Business ($50)Sustaining ($500)

AMOUNT ENCLOSED:[ ] Cash $________[ ] Check $________

Date paid: ________________________

MEMBERSHIPS ARE FOR THE 2013 CALENDAR YEAR (EXCEPT LIFETIME MEMBERSHIPS)

(PINOLE RESIDENCY NOT REQUIRED FOR MEMBERSHIP)

Name __________________________________

Address ________________________________

City ___________________State __ Zip ______

Phone ( ) ______________________

E-mail__________________________________

CIRCLE ONE: Annual ($30)Life ($150)

The Pinole Historical Society promotes awarenessand appreciation of history through preservationand education, and chronicles the city’s heritage

for current and future generations.

6

PHS SEEKING FAMILY FILMS FOR HISTORICAL ARCHIVEot film?The Pinole Historical Society is embark-

ing on a major project to archive the city’shistory — family by family and event by

event. Our objective is to establish a permanent, digitized collection of Pinole’s history.Do you have film of past Holy Ghost parades,

Pinole Valley High School Homecoming parades,Memorial Day or July 4 parades?How about important athletic events, such as a

high-school football, basketball, baseball, softball, orvolleyball game?Perhaps you have film of

an important event that tookplace in Fernandez Park, or aribbon cutting or an eventthat has a place in Pinole’shistory—such as the 1958flood?We’re looking for any

video or film you have—VHS,

Beta, camcorder, DV tape, 8mm, Super 8mm,16mm, 35mm, motion picture. Nearly everyone has taken home movies. That

makes everyone who has taken film a historian.We want to collect, digitize, catalog, and preserve

old movies on DVD (and whatever formats are tocome) to exhibit, educate, and entertain.The PHS will share these videos on a film archive

that we will establish, similar to the The PioneersFilm Archive on YouTube created by the CaliforniaPioneers of Santa Clara (www.youtube.com/sccpioneers).

Film connects with thepast in a unique way. It’simmersive, educational, andentertaining for young peo-ple. It’s a way to get youngpeople interested in history.Got film? Please contact

us at info@pinolehistoricalsociety.org

The Pinole Historical Society is grateful for donations of

artifacts, photos, newspapers, memorabilia—anything of historical significance. Please contact us at

info@PinoleHistoricalSociety.orgor call (510) 724-9507.

GOT HISTORY?

G

7

PHS interviews on city of Pinole website

Miss one of our programs on Pinole Communi-ty TV?Not a problem. The city’s website now has a

dedicated section devoted to PINOLE HISTORY onits “Videos Online” page.You can view the numerous PHS programs right

on your computer. Go to www.ci.pinole.ca.us/about/videos.html and scroll down to PINOLEHISTORY. You’ll find our interviews, Veterans Dayprograms, both of George Vincent’s Walking Toursof Historic Downtown Pinole, and the very fine PCTV-produced, 12-part series based on the Historic Walking Tour brochure. It’s great TV!

PHS to participate in 100th anniversary of county libraryhe Pinole Histor-ical Society willbe among sever-al West County

historical societies par-ticipating in the 100thanniversary celebrationof the Contra CostaLibrary system Satur-day, March 16, from 1-3p.m. at the El SobranteLibrary.The participating his-

torical societies willpresent short programson the libraries in theircommunities. The PHSis preparing a Powerpoint program to go along withthe history of the Pinole Library.The Contra Costa County Library will be celebrat-

ing its 100th anniversary on July 21, 2013. In honorof this momentous occasion, the Contra CostaCounty Board of Supervisors has proclaimed 2013“The Year of the Library.”The Contra Costa County Library will commemo-

rate “100 Years of Bringing People and Ideas Togeth-er” with five regional events throughout the county,followed by various other displays and programs dur-ing the year. In 1912, a few Pinole and Hercules women met at

the “Idle Hours Theatre” (Pinole Skating Rink) to

offer suggestions forthe betterment of thetown. One idea was fora community readingroom.By 1913, the ladies

had formed a “librarymovement,” and thefirst meeting was heldat the Pinole OperaHouse. Mrs. Whitbeck,the county librarian,wanted to place abranch at Pinole.Because of lack ofmoney for a readingroom, Pinole’s first

library consisted of a cache of books in the smallcloakroom at the Opera House on Tennent Avenue.Books were checked out by Pinole’s first librarian,Mrs. Annette Brandt.The Pinole Opera House served as the branch

library from February of 1914 until 1917. Then, Mrs.Brandt’s husband built a small one-room, corrugatedsheet-metal building on their property on SchoolStreet. This served as the town library until 1926,when the new City Plaza fire house, jail, and librarywere built (see photo on page 9). Mrs. Brandt retiredfrom her position in 1946 after 32 years of volunteerservice.

Continued on page 11

T

Pinole Library prior to 1926 (space provided by Mrs.Annette Brandt in front of her home). Photo courtesy ofContra Costa Historical Society and Donald Bastin.

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8

JAILED IN PINOLE IN 1900

Back in the day By George R. Vincent

he location andoccupants ofPinole’s first jailhave been lost in

time and memory. A few pictures survive

of early Pinoleans exitingthe wooden structure in aplayful pose for the cam-era. But no records havebeen found to pinpointits location. This has allchanged with the recentdiscovery of a court casedating back to June of1900.This last year of the

19th century foundPinole as a boomtown of13 plus saloons, all doinga brisk business from theemployees at the Califor-nia Powder Works at Hercules who boardedand drank in Pinole. Saturday nights were

rowdy and drunks wereaplenty. Barbershops andsaloons stayed open until2 a.m. to accommodateranch hands from the valley and locals fromPinole and Hercules.Pinole law enforce-

ment consisted of onetown constable in chargeof Township #11, whichwas made up of Pinoleand Rodeo. Those dis-turbing the peace werethrown into the small jailto sober up and bereleased next day. Moreserious offenders werebrought to the county jailin Martinez.But what was the jail

like, and where was it intown? We know fromvery old-timers’ memo-ries that it was mademostly of wood, dilapi-

dated, and that drunkssometimes dug their waythrough the rotted floor-boards. It was not until 1926

when the first Pinole City

Hall was built downtownthat a small, but secure,jail cell was included forovernight revelers. It wasthen that Constable JerryMcDonald and his

T

People “sneaking” out of the old Pinole jail.

9

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famous nightstick sub-dued brawlers at thePinole Opera Housedances on TennentAvenue before beingescorted to Pinole’s new“bar hotel.”What made Pinole’s

first jail unique was thatit once housed thetown’s first female pris-oner whose incarcerationcaused a communityuproar and near-downtown riot.The drama unfolded

when Mrs. MaggieGomez, who ran a board-ing house in Pinole, wasaccused of the felonycrime of grand larcenydue to a burglary at herWillow Street residence.Boarder George Pfeif-

fer’s property, consistingof a rifle, shotgun, threesuits of clothes and $65in gold coins, was stolenfrom his room while hewas at work in Hercules.Mrs. Gomez professedher innocence, havingfour male boarders eachpaying $20 a month.Pinole’s constable at

the time was MichaelScanlan, a renown track-er of horse and cattlethieves and a no-non-sense Irish law enforcer.On a Saturday evening

at 6 p.m., Scanlan arrest-ed Mrs. Gomez at thecorner of Main and Tennent avenues as shewalked home from the

Southern Pacific TrainDepot. She and her 16-year-old daughter werereturning by train fromMartinez. Scanlan had no

warrant for her arrest and forcefully took her tolock-up (the old jail). Hedeclared that the weedswere so high around the

jail that he had to trampthem down to get herinside.The following is Mrs.

Gomez’s testimony fromthe later trial:“He said if I would not

mind him, he would treatme like a man. He puthis hand on my shoulder

Continued on page 10

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Pinole library, fire station and jail, April 1926. The jail was in the back.

10

JAILED IN PINOLE IN 1910

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Continued from page 9

and said I was his prison-er. He pushed me like aman, opened the jaildoor and wanted me togo in and I refused. Hetried to force me in. Peo-ple gathered around. Hewas stronger than I was.“He said, ‘Don’t you

know who I am? I am theconstable. I have the lawin my hands and can dowhat I please.’“The street was crowd-

ed with people. He keptme in jail 3-4 hours untilnight came and I wasshivering with cold andshame with all the peo-ple looking at me. It was9 p.m. when I got home.I was sick in bed twodays and under a doc-tor’s care.”

Scanlan had numerousconfrontations withprominent citizens argu-ing her cause, includingher husband and son.Finally, to avoid condi-tions building up to ariot, the stubborn

Scanlan released her toher husband and son.Scanlan eventually got

a warrant for her arrest.He added insult to injurywhen he performed whatwe today call a “stripsearch” while at herhome, still pressing thecase against her, an out-rageous act for the time.Mrs. Gomez sued

Scanlan for false arrestand imprisonment andemotional distress. In1903, an all-male juryawarded her $2,000 indamages, a tidy sum forthe time.The courtroom testi-

mony of Gomez vs. Scan-lan revealed invaluablehistorical information.The old Pinole jail was

located at the east endof Pear Street by PinoleCreek. The LehmannBrothers’ building in1900 (where Scanlan waswaiting) was a general

merchandise store beforebecoming the AntlersTavern.Mrs. Gomez’s husband

and daughter had died by1903. She would remarryone of her boarders,George Lumsden, andcontinue to operate herboarding house, nowknown as the LumsdenBoarding House.Boarder George Pfeiffer

who was robbed, wouldmarry young Lottie Raceof Pinole. Pfeiffer, a car-penter at Hercules bytrade, would remodel thehome on San PabloAvenue for his bride, nowoccupied by the PinoleCreek Cafe.Abraham Greenfield,

another single boarder,would open Pinole’slargest three-story mer-chandise store at the corner of TennentAvenue and Pear Street,across from St. Joseph’sChurch. He had beggedScanlan to release Mrs.Gomez from jail. Greenfield would have

Pinole’s first telephoneand number — Pinole 1.The old Greenfield build-ing still stands, withapartments above andbusinesses below, includ-ing the Alley Cafe.Mrs. Gomez won her

case against Scanlan. Butshe still had to facecharges against her forburglary.Do you think she was

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Mrs. Anna Smith wasappointed librarian from1946 until 1956. Mrs.Zoe LeFebvre becamelibrarian in 1957. Thelibrary then moved to asmaller building on SanPablo Avenue and then toa city building on PearStreet until 1974.

New libraryDue to the efforts of

the Pinole LibraryLeague, the new libraryopened its doors onOctober 23, 1974, toserve a growing popula-tion. The library waslocated on the site of the former Lee Bros. Grocery across fromPinole Valley HighSchool.The new library was

the showcase in architec-ture and innovation. Itboasted 45,000 volumesof books and could serveup to 30,000 people. Ithad the latest in multi-media and audio-visualequipment as well as alarge meeting room and areading room to accom-modate 120 readers. The head librarian was

Arnold Miller, with SallyJohnson the children'slibrarian and John Men-donca the young adultslibrarian. In addition, twolarge display cases wereprovided for local historydisplays.Murals and mosaicThe library used natur-

al lighting from large win-dows and skylights andwas carpeted in gold withthe brick and blue color

theme also continuedinside. The outsidemurals and 70-foot mosa-ic reflected Native Ameri-can themes and weredesigned by noted mural-ist Emmy Lou Packard.

Formal dedicationThe library was formal-

ly dedicated on Sunday,December 8, 1974, andattended by more than200 city and county offi-cials, members of thePinole Library League,and many citizens. Master of Ceremonies

was Pinole LibraryLeague chairman,Charles Smith, whotraced steps in fundingand locating the project.California State LibrarianEthel S. Crockett gavethe main address.Two plaques were

dedicated. One was presented by the PinoleLibrary League to the latebuilding architect, JohnHans Oswald. PinoleCouncilman JamesChakedis represented theCity of Pinole and dedi-cated a plaque commem-orating Pinole's three for-mer librarians, Mrs.Annette Brandt, Mrs.Anna Smith, and Mrs.Zoe LeFebvre. The threehad served sixty years.

Many booksMore than 1,400

books were checked outthe first day of operationcompared to 150 a dayin the old, pre-1974 PearStreet Library.

— By George Vincent

PHS to participate in 100th anniversary of county library

12

2401 SAN PABLO AVENUE, PINOLE, CA 94564

It happened back then

n 1892 a Baptistpastor heard thatsome Pinole youngmen preferred

baseball to hearinghim preach on a Sunday.The pastor had

expected them to be inattendance at church.So he called for theirbenching — not to thedugout, but to thepews.With Spring Training

camps set to open inFebruary, we thoughtthe following excerptfrom an article about various religious happeningswould be an appropriate kickoff to another gloriousseason of baseball. The article appeared in the July 11, 1892, edition

of the San Francisco Call newspaper, under theheadline “The Religious World”:

"Last Sunday afternoon when Pastor IT. A. Flskof the Baptist Church went to fill his appointment

at Pinole, he foundthat a number ofyoung men whomight be expected tobe in his audiencewere out at a baseballgame.

He at onceannounced that onnext Sunday he woulduse as his subject‘Three Strikes andOut,’ showing wherethe career thus begunby the young menwould end."

Editor’s note: This article is from the California Digital Newspaper Collection, Center for Bibliograph-ic Studies and Research, University of California,Riverside http://cdnc.ucr.edu/cdnc.

These articles about Pinole were featured onPinole Patch. We thank former Pinole Patch EditorRob Shea for preserving and promoting the historyof Pinole.

Historic Pinole: The Church of Baseball

Ruff’s baseball team, Pinole, 1920s.

I

13

Students fromPinole’s five elemen-tary schools —Collins, Ellerhorst,Shannon, Stewart,and St. Joseph) arebusy writing essaysfor the fifth annualPinole History EssayContest.Students will

write 250-wordessays on this topic:“What Makes aCommunity LikePinole so Special?”The contest will

run through the endof February, andawards will be givento students whowrIte the bestessays at eachschool in March.

Students compete in annualPHS essay contest

By Nilda RegoContra Costa Times Correspondent

REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION

here were laws against kidnap-ping Indians, but the ranchersof the 1850s didn’t pay muchattention to them. When certain

Contra Costa ranchers needed cheaplabor, a vaquero was sent to raid theIndian villages to the north.On June 10, 1850, Ramon

Berryessa came to Contra Costa Coun-ty with four Indians who had beenabducted from Clear Lake. Two wereadults and two were boys of about 11.On his way to Martinez, Berryessa

stopped at the Soto ranch in Pinole.He was welcomed and fed breakfast,as were his captives. By noon he wasback on the road. It was the last timethat any of his friends saw him alive.The next day, William Hendricks

spotted a saddle by the side of theroad, and near it was Berryessa’s body.He had been stabbed several times.A posse was organized to search for

the missing Indians. They were foundhiding in the tules across the Car-quinez Strait. The Indians were broughtto Martinez for trial.Dr. Samuel J. Tennent, who lived in

Pinole with his wife, Rafaela, was inMartinez that day. He felt sorry for thelittle boys and persuaded Judge Absa-lom Peak, who was presiding at thepreliminary hearing, to let him take theboys home to his ranch.Rafaela welcomed the 11-year-olds.

She insisted the two be baptized andgiven the Christian names of Diego andJose Maria.The trial of the adult Indians was not

held until September. By this time the

two had been lockedup for three months.The young boys, on theother hand, had beenenjoying their stay atthe Tennent ranch,which they found verymuch to their liking.It turned out that

young Jose Maria wasthe son of the Indian chief in the ClearLake area. He knew several Indiandialects. When the time came for thetrial, Jose Maria translated what thecaptive Indians said to a third Indian,who then translated for the judge.According to trial testimony,

Berryessa was changing saddles whenthe Indians saw their chance toescape. They grabbed him from behindand ordered the boys to get his sword.The two adult Indians then took turns stabbing Berryessa.As one of the Indians thrust the

knife into Berryessa’s body, he yelled,“Why should you ill treat me? I am aman.”The jury found the two guilty of

manslaughter. They were sentenced totwo weeks in jail, which they hadalready served, and fined $1, and weretold they could go home.The judge told Diego and Jose Maria

they could go back to Clear Lake, too.But the two decided they’d rather livewith the Tennents in Pinole. The judgegave Samuel J. Tennent custody.The story of Diego and Jose Maria

was written by the late Mary TennentCarleton in 1966 for the Contra CostaCounty Historical Society. She wasSamuel’s granddaughter, and hadheard the story from her father, JamesHugh Tennent.

INDIAN ABDUCTION LEADS TO DEATH

TNilda Rego

14

Name ______________________________

Address ____________________________

City __________________

State __ Zip ______

Phone ( ) _____________________

E-mail _____________________________

# of Pinole books @ $27 ______

# of Hercules books @ $27 ______

# of Richmond books @ $27 ______

# of El Sobrante books @ $27 ______

# of El Cerrito books @ $27 ______

# of Crockett books @ $25 ______

# of Rodeo books @ $25 ______

# of Martinez books @ $25 ______

# of Port Costa books @ $25 ______

TOTAL AMOUNT ENCLOSED $___________(includes sales tax and postage)

Please mail your check for the total amount due,

payable to Pinole Historical Society, to:PINOLE HISTORICAL SOCIETY

P.O. BOX 285PINOLE, CA 94564

Images ofAmerica

ORDER FORMFOR ALLBOOKS

LOCAL HISTORYBOOKS AVAILABLEFROM PHS

he Pinole Historical Societystocks Arcadia books aboutHercules, Richmond, El

Sobrante, El Cerrito, Crockett, Rodeo,Martinez, and Port Costa. And, ofcourse, we have plenty of Pinolebooks.You may purchase one or more of

these books from us at the PinoleFarmers’ Market—we’re there everyother Saturday from April throughDecember.Pinole, Hercules, Richmond, El

Sobrante, and El Cerrito books are$24, including 8.75% sales tax. Crockett, Rodeo, Martinez, and Port

Costa books are $22, including 8.75%sales tax.You may order one or more by mail

and we’ll ship them to you. Send yourorder to Pinole Historical Society,P.O. Box 285, Pinole, CA 94564.Mail prices, including sales tax and

postage are: Pinole, Hercules, Rich-mond, El Sobrante, and El Cerrito:$27; Crockett, Rodeo, Martinez, andPort Costa: $25

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CUSTOM-WRITTEN AND DESIGNED NEWSLETTERSFOR COMPANIES, NON-PROFITS AND ASSOCIATIONS

ESTABLISHED 1981

PHONE: 510/724-9507FAX: 510/741-8698E-MAIL: Jeff@TheNewsletterGuy.comWEB: www.TheNewsletterGuy.com

The NewsleTTer Guy®

JEFF RUBIN1517 Buckeye CourtPinole, CA 94564

Paula Harvey Christina IsleyJanine Smith Carol CarpenterSusan Burch Liz Tharpe

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50 years ago — 1963January 5: San Diego Chargers beat Boston

Patriots, 51-10, in American Football League (AFL)championship game.January 6: “Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom” with

Marlin Perkins debuts on NBC.January 7: First Class postage raised from 4 cents

to 5 cents.January 14: George C. Wallace sworn in as gover-

nor of Alabama. His address states, “Segregation now,segregation tomorrow, segregation forever!”January 17: Wilt Chamberlain, of the San Francis-

co Warriors, scores 67 points against the Los AngelesLakers.February 9: First flight of Boeing 727 jet.February 20: Willie Mays, of the San Francisco

Giants, signs a record $100,000 per-year contract.

February 25: Beatlesrelease their first single inthe United States, “PleasePlease Me.”March 31: Los Angeles

ends streetcar serviceafter 90 years.April 8: At the Acade-

my Awards, “Lawrence ofArabia” named Best Pic-ture. Anne Bancroft (“TheMiracle Worker”) and Gregory Peck (“To Kill a Mockingbird”) named Best Actress and Best Actor,respectively. April 9: Winston Churchill becomes first honorary

U.S. citizen.

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Life, accident, health insurance6425 Christie Ave., Suite 280Emeryville, CA 94608(510) 547-8190

Abby’s GrillGOURMET FILIPINO RESTAURANT

2320 San Pablo Avenue • Pinole • (510) 724-1522www.abbysgrillrestaurant.com

11a.m.-9 p.m. • Seven days a weekBreakfast Saturday and Sunday, 8:30-11 a.m.

20% off with purchase of $50 or more

Winston Churchill

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Best of the Bay – KRON-TV�����

4 Forks – West County Times

PEDRO CANJURA, Proprietor

10% OFF LUNCH OR DINNERWITH THIS COUPON

3-DAY GUEST PASSMust be at least 18 years old. First-time local visitors only.

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Start Date: Expire Date: Staff Initials:

SPECIAL OFFERS FROM OUR ADVERTISERSClip these coupons for great savings

Peggy’s PerfectionsBeads, Findings & Etc.

Handcrafted Gifts & Jewelry

510-724-40131889 San Pablo Ave • Pinole

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And, we always have a