Alameda County came into being March 25, 1853 by an act of the California legislature. The county seat was at New Haven (Alvarado).
On June 6, 1853, the County was divided into six townships: Oakland, Clinton, Eden, Washington, Murray and Contra Costa.
On December 12, 1853, it was redistricted into five townships: Oakland, Clinton, Eden, Washington, and Murray.
The township boundaries were changed again in 1856, when the township of Brooklyn was formed by joining the township of Clinton and the settlement of San Antonio. 1 [note: This is how it is described in the book linked below, but the 1853 boundary of Clinton township seems to already include San Antonio. Further research is required.]
On January 5, 1878, the County was again redistricted into the six townships shown on the 1878 map below, Oakland, Alameda, Brooklyn, Eden, Washington, and Murray. 2 Note that the western portion of the township of Brooklyn as shown on this map had become part of the City of Oakland in 1872.
1878 map 3
Note that all of these township boundaries were established by actions of the County, not the State, and also note that the township boundaries were generally larger than the incorporated towns created by State action. It is not clear when the County stopped utilizing townships as a true form of government.
Links and References
- History of Alameda County, California, including its geology, topography, soil, and productions M.W. Wood, publisher, 1883, page 206
- History of Alameda County, California, including its geology, topography, soil, and productions M.W. Wood, publisher, 1883, page 172
- Historical Atlas of Alameda County Thompson & West, 1878
- Alameda County on Wikipedia
