Below is the transcription of the original article, with links to other oaklandwiki.org pages, if they exist, as well as external links via footnotes. Do scroll to the end to see these businesses visualized on an 1868 map of Oakland, created by William F. Boardman, one of the business owners listed, as well as some advertisements from an 1869 city directory, created by B. F. Stilwell. I have a hunch that the author of the article below used this Directory of the township and city of Oakland: together with the townships of Brooklyn and Alameda, for the year 1869, or one very like it to create the list below. I have corrected a few spelling, geography and printing errors in the newspaper text, using multiple sources to be sure. Do note the density of businesses in the map, at bottom; they were all along Broadway. Why were there gaps between them? My theory is that farms or ranches interrupted the business sections. - MF

Ye Olden Oakland Days

(Contributed by Oakland Pioneers - No. 74)

Early Day Business Houses

The following is a list of the principal business houses in Oakland in the year 1868. It is of interest now as indicating the large proportion of the business then done between Seventh street and the waterfront. The business center had already moved upward several blocks from its location in the early 60's, which was then around Broadway and Third Street.

D. Ghirardelli, southwest corner Broadway and Third street, groceries.
W. T. Hurll 1 2, northeast corner Broadway and Second street, saloon.
Burnham, Standeford & Co., 3 planing mill, northwest corner First and Washington streets.
Sextus Shearer 4 5, attorney, southwest corner Broadway and Eighth street.
J. L. Wetmore 6 7, builder, west side Clay, near Tenth street.
Smith & Starr, cigars 8, northwest corner Broadway and Seventh street.
William Van Voorhies 9 10, attorney, Odd Fellows' building, west side Broadway, above Eighth street.
B. E. Farwell 11 12 13, busses from wharf to Temescal (now Alden).
Julius Zabel 14 15, meat market, southwest corner Broadway and Fourth street.
A. K. Kipps 16 17, photo gallery, southwest corner Broadway and Ninth street.
William K. Rowell 18 19, real estate, Broadway block, west side Broadway below Twelfth street.
Venus Flour Mills, 20 Star & Miles, south side Third street between Broadway and Franklin street.
C. Rode 21 22 23, gunsmith, east side Broadway, between Tenth and Eleventh streets.
Martin Ryan, blacksmith, northeast corner Seventh and Washington streets.
C. E. Zwisler Broadway block, dry goods.
George H. Smith, cigars, Wilcox block, south west corner Broadway and Ninth street.
Mack Webber, druggist, northwest corner Eleventh and Broadway.
Dan Stewart, shoes. Broadway between Eighth and Ninth streets.
C. B. Rutherford, painter, east side Broadway between Ninth and Tenth streets.
Fashion Stables, Holland, McCleverty & Noblett, east side Broadway, above Seventh street.
Jere Tyrrel, stationery, Wilcox block.
Oakland Flour Mills, Pendleton & Co., east side Broadway at Telegraph avenue.
Robert Turney, druggist, west side Broadway, near Seventh street.
Eureka Hotel, H. H. Meyer, Seventh and Washington streets, Southwest corner.
E. P. Sanford, druggist, west side Broadway, above Eighth street.
John Rackliffe, grocer, northwest corner Broadway and Eighth street.
Railroad Exchange, Oakland Pt, J. Frese.
Dr. P. W. Fonda, Point Station, West Oakland.
Shattuck & Hillegass, livery stable, west side Broadway, between Seventh and Eighth streets.
Louis Rerat, west side Broadway, near depot, jewelry, etc.
W. W. McKenzie, undertaker, south side Eighth street, between Broadway and Franklin.
Sheehan & Finnigan, painters, east side Broadway above Twelfth street.
Pat. Hayes, saloon. southeast corner Broadway and Fourth street.
Joseph Becht, saloon, southeast corner Broadway and Eleventh street.
J. W. Myrick, marble works, Broadway between Ninth and Tenth streets. [This is contradicted elsewhere; "south line of Seventh St. between Broadway and Washington Sts." - MF]
Dan W. Pratt, painter, Harris building, northeast corner Broadway and Eleventh street.
Washington Hotel, east side Broadway at Second street.
Louis Gnarini, Broadway between Sixth and Seventh streets. [Barnum Restaurant. Note last name spelling correction. - MF]
Belle Vue Nursery, S. Nolan, Telegraph road.
Mueller & Reimers, watchmakers, Broadway, near Ninth street.
Oakland Cotton Mfg. Co., Clinton, (East Oakland).
A. Lefevre, dentist, northwest corner Broadway and Eighth street.
J. Loebenstein, Broadway, between Fifth and Sixth streets, clothing.
Edward J. Kelley, real estate, east side Broadway, near Seventh street.
James Lentell, harness, etc., east side Broadway, above Eleventh street.
S. Langstadter, drygoods, Broadway block.
Goodrich & Read, hardware, West side Broadway, above Twelfth Street.
U. Hemphill, bakery, west side Broadway, between Third and Fourth streets.
Kaiser & Craib, east side Broadway, between Tenth and Eleventh streets, furniture.
W. B. Ingersoll, photographer, southwest Broadway and Twelfth street.
J. Hutchinson, nursery, Ninth and Broadway.
William Hoskins, notary, southeast corner Seventh and Washington streets.
Mrs. R. Heyman, tin ware, west side Broadway, between Third and Fourth streets.
A. J. Coffee, real estate, Odd Fellows' building.
Mechanics Exchange Hotel, B. Boghiscich, Seventh, between Broadway and Washington street.
S. G. Crawford, music store, Broadway block, southwest Twelfth street.
Robert Dalziel, plumber, Broadway, between Seventh and Eighth streets.
James Dalziel, tinsmith, etc., Boardman's building, Broadway and Twelfth street.
J. S. G. Gordon, bakery, ice, etc., southeast corner Broadway and Twelfth street.
J. Green, vegetables, Broadway, between Eighth and Ninth streets.
Gardiner & Hunt, real estate, Broadway between Eighth and Ninth streets.
E. Fitzgerald, shoe store, Delger block, west side Broadway, between Sixth and Seventh streets.
Humbert & Bassett, grocery, etc., Broadway between Third and fourth streets.
W. B. Hardy, bookstore, west side Broadway below Seventh street.
William F. Boardman, surveyor, northwest corner, Twelfth and Broadway.
L. G. Bruguiere, coal yard, east side Broadway, below Twelfth street.
Bradley & Seymour, groceries, Broadway block.
Bankhead & Co., auctioneers, west side Broadway, between Fifth and Sixth streets.
S. E. Abels, stationery, etc., west side Broadway, between Fifth and Sixth streets.
Caine & Brown, hardware, southeast corner Broadway and Ninth street.
E. D. Block, west side Broadway, between Sixth and Seventh streets, dry goods.
Miles Doody, painter, northeast corner Broadway and Twelfth street.
H. W. Barnes & Co., west side Broadway between First and Second streets, sash and doors.
Olney & Co., real estate, Broadway between Seventh and Eighth streets.
Northey & McGrath, Brooklyn (East Oakland).
Oakland Daily News, north side Ninth street, west of Broadway.
Oakland Nurseries, W. F. Kelsey, west side Telegraph avenue at Twenty-fourth street.
Of these, the only store which still survives is the Hardy bookstore.

Early Day Business Houses No. 74 Ye Olden Oakland Days TO BLOG

Early Day Business Houses No. 74 Ye Olden Oakland Days TO BLOG Sun, Feb 19, 1922 – Page 20 · Oakland Tribune (Oakland, California) · Newspapers.com

Additional Info

Below are maps and other additional information about the newspaper content, above.

W. F. Boardman's 1868 map of Oakland, with businesses displayed, zoomed out - download to view at full resolution

the same 1869 map, zoomed into the area of 1st to 12th streets, along Broadway, where most of the businesses were clustered  - download to view at full resolution

WILCOX BLOCK  WESTSIDE BROADWAY COR 4TH ST. OAKLAND 1869

BROADWAY FROM RAILROAD STATION 1869 OAKLAND

Domingo Ghirardelli's grocery, 1869 directory

William T. Hurll's grocery, 1869 directory

Oakland Planing Mill, Burnham, Standeford & Co. in the 1869 directory

Sextus Shearer, attorney, 1869 directory

Smith & Starr cigars, 1869 directory

William Van Voorhies, attorney 1869 directory

B. E. Farwell Pioneer Line of Omnibusses - ON THE TELEGRAPH ROAD. Omnibusses will connect with every train arriving and departing from the city. They will stop at the FEMALE COLLEGE OF THE PACIFIC, and at all places on the line of the route. 1869 directory

Julius Zabel meat market 1869 directory

A. K. Kipps art and photographic gallery 1869 directory

Venus Mills flour mill 1869 directory

Links and References

  1. William T. Hurll in the 1880 census

  2. "HURLL WM. T., grocer, cor Broadway and 3d sts, res n s 3d, bet Broadway and Washington sts." in the 1869 directory

  3. Oakland Planing Mill, Burnham, Standeford & Co. in the 1869 directory

  4. Sextus Shearer in the 1870 census

  5. "SHEARER SEXTUS, attorney-at-law and Police Judge, office City Hall, res n e cor 12th and Grove sts." in the 1869 directory
  6. Jesse Lamereaux Wetmore, 20 October 1821 – 1 January 1902, including family tree at familysearch.org

  7. "WETMORE J. L. & CO. (J. L. and E. L. Wetmore) real estate and house agents and collectors, 956 Broadway" Bishop's Oakland directory 1880

  8. "OAKLAND CIGAR MANUFACTORY!  SMITH & STARR, WHOLESALE AND RETAIL DEALERS IN FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC CIGARS, Corner Broadway and Seventh street, Oakland." 1869 directory

  9. "WM. VAN VOORHIES, ATTORNEY AND COUNSELLOR AT LAW. Office in the Odd Fellows' Building, second floor, west side of Broadway, between Eighth and Ninth streets, Oakland." 1869 directory

  10. Wm Vanvoorhies in the 1870 census

  11. "B. E. Farwell, PIONEER LINE OF OMNIBUSSES, From Broadway Wharf, and Broadway Depot, to Temescal on the Telegraph Road. Omnibusses will connect with every train arriving and departing from the city. They will stop at the FEMALE COLLEGE OF THE PACIFIC, and at all places on the line of the route. STABLE AT BROADWAY WHARF." 1869 directory

  12. B. E. Farwell in the 1880 census

  13. Benjamin E. Farwell in Mountain View Cemetery at findagrave.com

  14. Julius Zabel in the 1869 directory

  15. Julius Zabel in Mountain View Cemetery at findagrave.com

  16. Alfred Kemble Kipps in the Pioneer Photographers of the Far West: A Biographical Dictionary, 1840-1865 page 352
  17. A. K. Kipps in the 1869 directory
  18. "Rowell W. K., real estate, Broadway Block, res e s Telegraph Road, n of Bay Place." 1869 directory

  19. William Kimball Rowell, 9 November 1829 – 2 November 1886, including family tree at familysearch.org

  20. Venus Mills flour mill entry in 1869 directory, owned by E. Miles and M. Starr

  21. C. Rode in 1869 directory

  22. Christian G. Rode (married to Maria M. E Reimers) 8 October 1837 – 13 July 1904, including family tree at familysearch.org

  23. Christian G. Rode in Mountain View Cemetery at findagrave.com

Add tags