The Mystery of the Landers House and Family at the California Nursery in Niles 2

This house at the California Nursery is referred to as the "Maybeck Cottage", the "Yellow House", the "Landers House", "Mrs. George Roeding, Sr. House, and the "President's Residence".

What we do know is that members of the Roeding family lived in this house at various times after they bought the nursery in 1917/1918. George C. Roeding and family were photographed outside of the house. George's widow, Elizabeth (Thorne) Roeding, lived there alternately with her brother and actor William Thorne, who turns up in photos at the nursery. Gretchen Roeding and her family lived here later. Gretchen's dad was George Roeding III (Sandy).

The Whole World Lies Before us Here

Semi-tropic California and Southern California Horticulturist,
Volumes 3-5, p.168

That quote is from 1881 and refers to the Eden, that was California.

In our state, we can grow so many plants. With some bit of water they will be happy. And that is the problem. Always has been. Always will be.

Looking for the immense fig tree in Warm Springs

From George Christian Roeding 1868-1928, A Tribute

This tidbit about fig trees from George Christian Roeding's biography caught my eye. "...there are individual specimen trees that have historic value by reasons of their immense size and heavy cropping. One of these, said to be over one hundred years old, is situated at Warm Springs, in Alameda county, with the trunk girth of seventeen feet, a glorious example of the longevity of the fig tree and a noble testimony to the vision and achievement of the Mission era of California in the founding of what has become the greatest fig producing section of the western world."


Seventeen feet! That's about three adults encircling the trunk with their arms.

Where is this tree today? Does it still exist? It would be about 200 years old now.

I asked our local tree expert, Nelson, and he suggested the fig tree at Rancho Higuera in Warm Springs.

And now I find out that Rancho Higuera literally means "Fig Ranch"! 

The "Belts and Suspenders" strategy of my least favorite weed

At the California Nursery Historical Park, our rose beds are awash with the "Devil Bulb". This crafty weed confounds us at every corner. Nothing seems to stop it. I call its strategy "Belts and Suspenders", because it profusely propagates by bulb and by seed. And it seems to grow year-round and to flower year-round and to make bulblets year-round.

This "Devil Bulb" has been in our garden for a very long time as you can see from the 1997 Mercury News article below. I asked 93+ year-old nurseryman, Bruce, if it was in the garden in his time and the answer was yes.

Is there any hope?

Visiting Nurseries in the San Francisco Bay area in 1948

Entertaining at the California Nursery Company
1948

“Ornamental Horticulture field trip, San Francisco Bay Area, 1948"

At 5:13 they are at the Japanese Garden, followed by the Conservatory of Flowers.
At 14:46 Japanese grower. Possibly the Domoto Nursery in Oakland? Hayward?
An interesting shot of a guy on a 12 foot ladder taking a picture of the camellia display.
At 15:54 the California Nursery during the bulb shows, complete with Dutch girls.

A Visit to California by Eastern Horticulturalists - 1870

"Brief Notes"? Are there long notes?

The summer after the Transcontinental Railroad reached the San Francisco Bay, these esteemed horticulturalists (and ladies) visited California: Marshal P. Wilder, Charles Downing, George Ellwanger and Patrick Barry.

The May 6, 1869 ceremony in Promontory, Utah celebrated the joining of East to West, ending in Sacramento. But travelers had to travel the rest of the way to San Francisco by boat from Sacramento.

Less celebrated was the first through train on the Western Pacific Road to the San Francisco Bay on September 6, 1869. The first train arrive in Alameda on that day and then two months later to Oakland. Niles station was not even a year old yet in June 1870.

These famous horticulturalists made the trip during the next growing season. They arrived on June 20 in San Francisco. Did they take the ferry from Sacramento? Or the train to Alameda then a ferry to SF?

They travelled all over the Bay Area visiting nurseries and orchards. They visited the counties of the San Francisco Bay (San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Alameda, Contra Costa, Napa, and Sonoma). They visited Sacramento and the Big Trees.

Alameda County Guides & Maps & Such

Roping cattle ca. 1839 in front of Mission Peak.
California: a history of Upper & Lower California
 ...Forbes, Alexander, 1778-1862 found here

Think of this as a library bookshelf on all things about life in Southern Alameda County, before it was Southern Alameda County. And after.

• California: a history of Upper & Lower California from their ...Forbes, Alexander, 1778-1862 published originally in 1839.

• Columbian Exposition Souvenir "Central Garden Spot of Alameda County" 1893
• Alameda County: The Eden of the Pacific : the Flower Garden of California, 1898
• Alameda County California 1904 - horrible scan!
• A color brochure/Map 1914 on David Rumsey: Alameda County, California. Sierra Art & Eng. Designed by J.J. Rhea, Oakland, Cal. Printed by Kelley-Davis Co., Oakland, Cal. (1914) 
• Farm Bureau Monthly, 1917-1921 - lots with J.C. Shinn
• Past and Present of Alameda County, volume 1 and volume 2
• Alameda County, Where Every Prospect Pleases, Where rail and water meet, 1922?
• History of Washington Township 1904
• Alameda County, its industries and environs. 1904
• Maps
• Alameda County 1914
• Alameda County, the ideal place for your California home, Henry Anderson Lafler, ~1915
• Alameda County farm bureau monthly (1917-1921)
• Alameda County, California, "where every prospect pleases"
• Alameda County Assessor's Maps 1901 look for more