E-News

Published periodically by the Pinole Historical Society March 19, 2012

PinoleHistoricalSociety

PHS MEETINGS MOVED TO KAISER MEDICAL OFFICE BUUILDING

Police Commander Matthew Messierchronicled the history of law enforcementin Pinole at our Feb. 16 meeting. Read thePinole Patch story on the next page.

We had very positive comments frompeople who attended our February 16meeting in the Kaiser Medical OfficeBuilding’s conference room on PinoleValley Road. It’s a beautiful facility.Our remaining three meetings this year

will be held at Kaiser: May 17 (ourannual meeting with election of boardmembers and ratification of by-lawschanges), September 6, and November 1.They are all Thursdays.We hope to see you there.

PLEASE RENEW YOUR2012 PHS MEMBERSHIP

embership renewals have been trickling in over thelast few months. If you haven’t already renewed (newmembers are also welcome!), please fill out the form

on the last page of this newsletter and send us a check.Dues remain only $30 per person, are a very inexpensive

way to support all the PHS activities and programs — and areTAX DEDUCTIBLE.

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PHS VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIESan you assist the society with any of the following? Helping with any of these will be a much-appreciatedcontribution to the story of our city.

• Gathering oral histories on video and/ or audio• Writing articles for PHS Newsbriefs, our quarterly printed

newsletter• Volunteering at our quarterly membership programs.Please be an active member of the society.

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rom the days of chasing cattle rustlers,through the Prohibition-era gangsters to pre-sent challenges, Pinole Police Cmdr. Matthew

Messier sweeps through the history of law enforce-ment in Pinole. Hefollows leads, probesclues, and digs relent-lessly.

When he joined thedepartment in 2001,Messier realized thereexisted next to noth-ing in an organized,documented history ofthe police department.He began researchingand collecting photos,old uniforms and sto-ries of police exploits,reaching back tobefore Pinole cityhoodand continuing to the present.

“I made it a mission for me personally to try toacquire as much information and as much history asI could about the police department and lawenforcement in this city.” Messier told the PinoleHistorical Society on Thursday in a presentation thatlasted about 45 minutes. He shared anecdotes, arti-facts and legends.

He started in 1867, when Sheriff Harry Morse,“one of the most famous California lawmen in theOld West,” chased down “bandito” Narato Ponce.

Motivated by a $500 bounty applied by the stategovernor, Morse found the suspect at a ranch in pre-sent-day Pleasanton. During a gunfight, Morsewounded Ponce, but he escaped. Morse and other

constables tracked him from the Black Hills of thecounty, then cornered him in a Pinole adobe nearPinole Creek. As the suspect raised his gun to fire athim, Morse shot him dead.

“Back then, whenyou were in lawenforcement you werepaid by the arrest,”Messier said.

Between then andthe time that Pinoleincorporated as a cityin 1903, incidentswere not well-docu-mented, he said.Researching citycouncil minutes fromthe time, Messierfound reference to aproposal to provide a marshal with a

uniform, a gun and a badge.For years the marshals, which the county referred

to as constables, patrolled Pinole, Rodeo and Crock-ett. The first constable, John Collins, owned theKlondike Saloon at 612 Tennent Ave., and lived inthe upstairs of the building, Messier said.

Around that time, Pinole had 13 saloons to serveworkers from the powder works plant in what is nowHercules, the Union Oil refinery in Rodeo, and theC&H refinery in Crockett, Messier said.

In 1918, Arthur “Jerry” McDonald, the ex-fore-man of the Hercules powder plant, was appointed asconstable. The next year, the sale of alcohol becameillegal in the United States. Saloons turned into sodafountains. That era, along with the Great Depres-

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HISTORIC PINOLE: HISTORY OF LAW ENFORCEMENTsion, saw the rise of gang-sters, bootleggers, andbank robbers. One day ithit Pinole hard.

In 1929, McDonaldwas shot and killed duringa robbery at the Bank ofPinole in Rodeo by thenotorious Fleagle Gang.Jake and Ralph Fleagleand their accompliceswere widely known forbank robberies, includinga 1928 Colorado incidentin which they killed several people.

“These guys were badguys,” Messier said. “Alot of people don’t recallthe Fleagle Gang butthere’s a lot of Americanathat surrounds the FleagleGang. There’s Disneycharacters, the FleagleBeagles, that were mod-eled after the FleagleGang. There were songswritten during this timeabout the Fleagle Gang. They werefamous across the nation. They were thefirst really pro-active armed robbers. Theywere credited with 62 percent of armedrobberies in the western half of the UnitedStates for the period of 1919 to 1932.”

After McDonald’s death, Gene Sheaserved as the last constable for Pinoleuntil his retirement. He was succeeded byHugh Young, whom Messier called the“father” of the modern Pinole PoliceDepartment. A former patrol officer forContra Costa County, Young took over forShea in 1943. He worked alone, on amotorcycle, and subsequently entered theGuinness Book of World Records forwriting the most traffic citations, Messier said.Young became the city's first police chief.

With the political, social and racial upheaval inthe country during the1960s and ’70s, the cityentered a time when police chiefs served shorttenures.

In 1974, officer John Sellers became the secondPinole officer to die on duty. He was shot and killedinside Antlers Tavern by a drunken 67-year-old man

with a pistol. In 1975,gang fights and a rioterupted in Old Town dur-ing the Fiesta del Pinole.The event has not beenheld since.

Only six years after thedeath of Sellers, the thirdlaw enforcement officer inthe city's history was mur-dered. Messier recountedthe the tragic death ofFloyd “Bernie” Swartzduring the manhunt of akiller at Pinole Creek. Hiswidow, Kim Swartz, waspregnant with theirdaughter, Amber, at thetime. In 1988, Amber waskidnapped from her frontyard on Savage Avenue.

Messier noted that thelongest tenure by a policechief is Ted Barnes, from1980 to 1999. He hasbeen succeeded by chiefsJim Rose, Paul Clancy,and John Hardester, the

current chief.For Messier, the present is still about

reaching into the past. The Fleagle Gangcomes to mind, as does the Tommy gunthey likely used to down McDonald.

“I actually had it, in my hands, foralmost a year, but they had to do a federalaudit for assault weapons and they took itfrom me,” Messier said. “So, I’m still try-ing to get it back, but they want it becausethey used it after it was recovered for theirSWAT team and there’s a lot of historythey have associated with it, too. We’rekind of fighting over this gun right now.”

Three Fleagle Gang members, includ-ing Ralph Fleagle, were caught and

hanged in Colorado. Later, Jake Fleagle was shotdead by deputies at a train station in Missouri. Legend claims the gang buried some of its loot inlocations that include spots in California.

“There’s still people that actively hunt for thismoney that they think is buried in the hills,” Messiersaid.

History marches on.— Reprinted with permission of Pinole Patch.

Officer Floyd Swartz

POLICE DEPARTMENT HISTORY PAGE ON CITY’S WEBSITEee the new Pinole Police History page on thecity’s website.

You will learn about Wild-West shootouts,cattle drives downtown, 1920s gangsters, World WarII sabotage, Fiesta Del Pinole riots, and other historical events you had no idea had occurred!

Learn about Pinole’s first lawmen, like saloon-owning Constable John Collins and rough-and-tumble Arthur McDonald, who was killed during a

shootout in 1929. See how the Pinole Police Department grew from one famous, ticket-writingmotorcycle cop to a professional, modern policeforce. Read about the three officers who paid theultimate sacrifice for this community when theytook on violent criminals.

The new Pinole Police History page is full ofgreat, colorful stories and fun pictures. You will feellike you’re walking through time.

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PHS INTERVIEWS ON CITY OF PINOLE WEBSITE

Miss one of our programs on Pinole Commu-nity TV?

Not a problem. The city’s website now has adedicated section devoted to PINOLE HISTORY on its “Videos Online” page.

You can view the numerous PHS programsright on your computer. Go to the city’s

website www.ci.pinole.ca.us/about/videos.htmland scroll down to PINOLE HISTORY.

You’ll find our interviews, Veterans Day pro-grams, George Vincent’s two walking tours of his-toric downtown Pinole, and the very fine PCTV-produced, 12-part series based on the HistoricWalking Tour brochure. It’s great TV!

BOOKS AVAILABLE FROM PINOLE HISTORICAL SOCIETYWe have an array of local history books for sale, incuding the new

El Sobrante book, published on January 11, 2012. There’s an order form on the next page for your convenience.

PHS BACK AT PINOLE FARMERS’ MARKET APRIL 14

For your generosityJim Payne became the first contributor to our video archives by giving us four reels offilm from the Fiesta del Pinole parades from the 1960s. We will digitize these reels (andreturn them to Jim) and establish an archive not only on DVD, but on a YouTube channeldedicated to Pinole videos.

If you have home movies of earlier days in Pinole, or of any early or recent events, we’dlove to digitize them for our our archives. The PHS accepts donations of many historicthings, so if you are cleaning out that file or closet, give us a chance before you recycle. E-mail info@pinolehistoricalsociety.org or call (510) 724-9507.

Kimbra St. Martin donated several 1950s photos of her family’s property in the Point Wilson area.

he Pinole Historical Society will be back atits booth at the Pinole Farmers’ Market onApril 14, continuing on alternate Saturdays

through December 22. Our schedule is:• April 14 and 28• May 12 and 26• June 9 and 23• July 7 and 21

• August 4 and 18• September 1, 15, and 29

• October 13 and 27

• November 10 and 24• December 8 and 22

We have all of the area history books (we justordered the El Cerrito book to complete our invento-ry), greeting cards, postcards, Fernandez Mansionmagnets, and Old School magnets.

One or more of these items will be on sale at eachfarmers’ market. They are great additions to yourhistory library and make wonderful gifts for friendsand relatives.

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SERVE ON THE PHS BOARD OF DIRECTORSs we approach our Annual MembershipMeeting on May 17, several Board of Direc-tors seats are available and need to be filled

by election of new directors and re-election of cur-rent directors. Terms are three years.

Any member in good standing may serve and maynominate himself/herself or be nominated by anoth-er member in good standing. Duties include atten-

dance at board and regular membership meetingsand a willingness to accept and fulfill assignments.

Please send a brief statement of your qualifica-tions and desire to serve to the Pinole HistoricalSociety, P. O. Box 285, Pinole, CA 94564, by April30. Nominations will also be accepted at the annualmeeting.

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PHS SEEKING FAMILY FILMS FOR HISTORICAL ARCHIVEot film?

The Pinole Historical Soci-ety is embarking on a major

project to archive the city’s history. Wewant to establish a permanent, digi-tized collection of Pinole’s history.

Do you have film of past HolyGhost parades, Pinole Valley HighSchool Homecoming parades, Memori-al Day or July 4 parades?

How about important athletic events,such as a high-school football, basket-ball, baseball, softball, or volleyballgame?

Perhaps you have film of an important event thattook place in Fernandez Park, or a ribbon cutting oran event that has a place in Pinole’s history—suchas the 1958 flood?

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 homemovies. That makes everyone who hastaken film a historian.

We want to collect, digitize, catalog, and preserve old movies onDVD (and whatever formats are tocome) to exhibit, educate, and enter-tain.

The PHS will share these videos ona film archive that we will establish,similar to the The Pioneers FilmArchive on YouTube created by theCalifornia Pioneers of Santa Clara(www.youtube.com/sccpioneers).

Film connects with the past in a unique way. It’simmersive, educational, and entertaining. It’s a wayto get young people interested in history.

Got film? Please contact us at info@pinolehistor-icalsociety.org. We’ll return your film; we just wantto borrow and digitize it.

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PinoleHistoricalSocietyP.O. Box 285, Pinole, CA 94564

www.PinoleHistoricalSociety.org info@PinoleHistoricalSociety.org(510) 724-9507

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

for current and future generations.

Name __________________________________ Phone ( ) _______________________

Address ________________________________ E-mail______________________________

City ___________________________ State ___ Zip _________

# of Pinole books @ $27 (book, sales tax, postage) ____# of Hercules books @ $27 (book, sales tax, postage) ____# of Richmond books @ $27 (book, sales tax, postage) ____# of El Sobrante books @ $27 (book, sales tax, postage) ____# of Crockett books @ $25 (book, sales tax, postage) ____# of Rodeo books @ $25 (book, sales tax, postage) ____# of Martinez books @ $25 (book, sales tax, postage) ____# of Port Costa books @ $25 (book, sales tax, postage) ____Total amount enclosed $________________

Please mail your check for the total amount due,payable to Pinole Historical Society, to:

PINOLE HISTORICAL SOCIETY, P.O. BOX 285, PINOLE, CA 94564

he Pinole Historical Society has ArcadiaPublishing books about our surroundingcommunities of Hercules, Richmond, ElSobrante, Crockett, Rodeo, Martinez, and

Port Costa. And, of course, we have plenty ofPinole books in stock.

You may purchase one or more of these booksfrom us at the Pinole Farmers’ Market—we’ll bethere every other Saturday through the end ofDecember.

The Pinole, Hercules, Richmond, and ElSobrante books retail for $24, including 8.75%sales tax. The Crockett, Rodeo, Martinez, and PortCosta books are $22, including 8.75% sales tax.

Or, 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.

The prices, including 8.75%sales tax and postage are:Pinole: $27Hercules: $27Richmond: $27El Sobrante: $27Crockett: $25Rodeo: $25Martinez: $25Port Costa: $25

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LOCAL HISTORY BOOKS AVAILABLE FROMTHE PINOLE HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Pinole Hercules El Sobrante Crockett RodeoRichmond

Martinez

Port Costa

PinoleHistoricalSociety2012 MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION

PLEASE PROVIDE THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION, AND SEND CASH OR YOUR CHECK, TO PINOLE HISTORICAL SOCIETY, P.O. BOX 285, PINOLE, CA 94564

NAME (each person): ___________________________________________________________________

ADDRESS: ______________________________________________________________________________

CITY/ZIP: _______________________________________________________________________________

PHONE: _________________________________________________________________________________

E-MAIL (please!): _______________________________________________________________________

CIRCLE ONE: Annual ($30) Life ($150) Business ($50) Sustaining $(500)

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

DATE PAID: __________________________________

MEMBERSHIPS ARE FOR THE 2012 CALENDAR YEAR (EXCEPT LIFETIME MEMBERSHIPS)

(PINOLE RESIDENCY NOT REQUIRED FOR MEMBERSHIP)

Annual memberships are only $30Please mail the membership application today!

PinoleHistoricalSocietyHelp us preserve Pinole’s history through:

• Exhibits at the Pinole Library• Pinole history programs in schools• Pinole Community TV programs

• Walking tours of downtown Pinole• Veterans’ Day event in Fernandez Park

• A proposed municipal museum