J. H. Medau Dairy 1
J.H. Medau Dairy was located in the hills back of Piedmont, known as Hays Canyon, and occupied much of what is present day Montclair.2 3 The pond in Montclair Park is said to date back to the days of the dairy.
John Heinrich "Henry" Medau (1831-1918) (sometimes listed as "Medall") was born in Holstein, Germany and emigrated to the United States in 1851 and became a naturalized citizens in 1857. He was a tobacconist by trade, and it is said he worked in that position in San Francisco before moving to the Oakland in approximately 1857-1860. He bought 457 or 476 acres what is now the entire business district of Montclair.
Medau offered to sell the land to the city for a park, for $210 per acre. He lived there until he sold his land to the Realty Syndicate in 1901 for $95,000; he lived out the rest of his life in a home on East 12th St. near 2nd Ave. 4
Medau Family date unknown; Oakland Library Collection 
Medau Property map 2
Links and References
- J. H. Medau Dairy Alameda County: The Eden of the Pacific
- Medau Property and Smith & Myers Property, UC Berkeley Earth Sciences & Map Library, 1915
- Map of Oakland and vicinity published by the Realty Union, 1912
- The Medau Ranch and Dairy A Bit of History blog
