_DEIR - Laserfiche WebLink

City of Pleasanton—Hidden Canyon Residences and Preserve Draft EIR Cultural Resources and Tribal Cultural Resources FirstCarbon Solutions 3.4-5 https://adecinnovations.sharepoint.com/sites/PublicationsSite/Shared Documents/Publications/Client (PN-JN)/2148/21480016/EIR/3 - Draft EIR/21480016 Sec03-04 Cultural-Tribal Cultural Resources.docx In March 25, 1853, Alameda County was created from the western and southern sections of Contra Costa County and a portion of what was originally Santa Clara County south of Alameda Creek. Soon after Alameda County was formed, it was subdivided into six townships, the largest of which was Murray Township, covering the Amador/Livermore valley, over one-third of the county’s area. Murray Township's isolation from San Francisco Bay delayed the development of agriculture in the area. The main transportation for agricultural products before the railroad was a series of landings along San Francisco Bay providing the East Bay with water access to outside markets. Consequently, although the ranches in what became Murray Township were subdivided in the 1850s, the American ranches in this area were still several thousand acres, and often the land was owned by non- residents and leased for grazing or cultivation of hay and grain. Between 1860 and 1890, wheat was by far California's most important grain crop. By the 1860s, wheat became the most important agricultural product in the western section of Murray Township. A number of important roads ran through the study area linking Mission San Jose (within the City of Fremont) through Mission Pass to Dougherty's/Dublin, Mission San Jose to Stockton via Livermore, Hayward's to Stockton and the gold fields beyond. Livermore's Pass, Patterson Pass, and Corral Hollow Pass (formerly known as Portezuela [pass] de Buenos Ayres [good winds] were important links to the gold fields, as well as to localized mining resources in the Corral Hollow area. The 1857 Higley Official Map of the County of Alameda California (1857) shows a road between Oakland and Stockton located south of present-day Interstate 580 (I-580). By at least 1878, this American Period road generally conforms to the I-580 alignment that separates Dublin from Pleasanton. The Lincoln Highway, the precursor to I-580, was constructed in 1913 as one of the first transcontinental auto routes. It became U.S. Highway 50 (US-50) in 1925 and in the 1970s it was replaced by I-580. The northeast boundary of the proposed project, Dublin Canyon Road conforms to alignment of former US-50 through the Hayward Pass. After the Central Pacific Railroad arrived in Murray Township in 1869, the economy changed over the next two decades from livestock ranching to the cultivation of grains, fruits and vegetables. The completion of the transcontinental railroad in 1869 opened a tremendous new market for California fruit and other agricultural products. In almost every area in the county served by adequate rail transportation, the large ranches were subdivided into smaller holdings for more specialized crops. A typical family farm of this era practicing mixed agriculture focused on wheat, barley and hay, in addition to producing garden vegetables and dairy products. The development of the canning industry, creating new methods of preserving and storing foods for delayed consumption, also stimulated the cultivation of fruit and vegetables in California. The cities of Dublin and Pleasanton are the focal points of activity within the general study area. Interstate 580 and Dublin Canyon Road function as the divisor separating the proposed project from the two cities. Local History Dublin The historic center of Dublin is about 0.9 mile northeast of the proposed project. The historic town or hamlet of Dublin in the Amador Valley functioned as an important central point between Castro