Vicente Peralta Compound 1859

Description:
Detail of a U.S. Coastal Survey map showing Temescal Creek; Vicente Peralta's adobes; Telegraph Road coming in from the south (bottom) and veering off to the northeast just north of the creek (what later became Claremont Avenue); and the willow grove east of Vicente's compound, in what was then unincorporated Alameda County in the area to the immediate north of the city of Oakland, Calif.

Date of Document:
1859

Document Author:
U.S. Coastal Survey

Geographic Location:
Vicente Way and 55th Street, Oakland, Calif.

Context:
Flowing down from the Oakland hills through the flatland communities of Rockridge, Temescal, and Emeryville to San Francisco Bay, Temescal Creek forms one of the largest watersheds in Oakland. Three main tributaries feed the creek: Harwood Creek in Claremont Canyon; the Thornhill branch running from the Montclair district; and Tunnel Branch roughly following Highway 24 west of the Caldecott Tunnel. Today, virtually the entire creek, from Lake Temescal to the bay, is confined to an underground culvert. In many places, the upper reaches of Temescal Creek s tributaries and smaller branches are still visible, although their banks and creek beds often have been altered.