March 2004 - Society for California Archaeology

42
Articles
contributions to the Blues.
Yet the streets remained unpaved, housing was haphazard,
and there was no water or sewage system. A Housing and
Sanitation Survey on Russell City published in 1940
describes the streets as “unleveled and full of ditches. During
rainy seasons many sections of Russell City are not accessible
to auto traffic because of the deep, soft mud and water filled
holes” (Dierup and Firestone 1940: 3). The same survey
expresses the shelter situation as, “Some of these people
were able to obtain lumber and materials, but most of them
built temporary shelters that have long since become
permanent” (Dierup and Firestone 1940: 5). Indeed, exresident
Les Johnigan’s remembers living in a converted
chicken shack. Reverend Green recalls that families without
electricity relied on kerosene lamps while Sam Nava
recollects that he had never seen a clear ice cube until he left
Russell City. Additionally, Mary Tolefree Johnigan shares that
when their cesspool would overflow and contaminate their
well water they would have to tote potable water in from out
of town. Health hazards posed by such living situations were
serious. At least one death in 1949 was attributed to dysentery
due to contaminated well water (de Roos 1951: 18).
The 1950s and Russell City’s New Status as a Blight
Between the years 1951 and 1957, Russell City attempted
several times to bring sewer lines into the town. They
approached Hayward, the neighboring Oro Loma Sanitary
District, Alameda County, and even the state about the
possibility. In each case, Russell City was denied. City
Manager of Hayward John Ficklin explained, “Hayward
neither wishes to annex Russell City from an aesthetic point
of view nor is it able to extend all municipal services to the
area because the assessed valuation is not sufficient to return
any portion of such an expense” (de Roos 1951: 18). Instead,
the Oro Loma Sanitary District and Alameda County
suggested that Russell City apply for federal funds earmarked
for urban renewal (Monto 1957). To that end, Alameda
County officially designated Russell City a blighted area.
In March 1958, Alameda began considering rebuilding
Russell City as an industrial park. At that time a study was
conducted “concerning the type of industrial activity that
would be suitable for the area” (Joachim 1958). Citizens
petitioned the county to zone the area for residential use to
no avail. In August 1958, the prospect of relocating the
residents was publicly discussed. Also at this time, Hayward
accepted bids to build two industrial parks just east of Russell
City, near the Hayward Airport and Clawiter Road (Daily
Review 1958).
In response to Hayward’s advancement, several citizens
formed a committee to discuss incorporation in August 1959.
This group tried three times to incorporate that year: twice
with neighboring Mt. Eden and once on their own. All three
efforts failed. The committee’s efforts suffered from lack of
consistent legal representation and an inability to generate
and file proper petitions with the county.
The Last Days of Russell City, 1960-1968
Alameda County granted Hayward responsibility for
Russell City’s redevelopment in March 1961 (Ward 1961). In
July 1961 a 17 member Russell City Redevelopment
Committee was formed. The Redevelopment Committee
went on to oversee the purchase or condemnation of Russell
City homes and the relocation of its 1,107 residents, 13
businesses and seven churches (Oakland Tribune 1963). Most
residents were moved to homes in Hayward, North, East and
Central Oakland, Freemont, Newark, Union City, Castro
Valley, San Leandro, and Livermore (Oakland Tribune 1964).
Formal demolition of the remains of Russell City began in
October 1965, when the Redevelopment Agency began
bulldozing structures (Daily Review 1965).
Throughout the last days of Russell City, a series of arson
attacks plagued the town. By December 1966 over 100
structures had been burned, including some of the
neighborhood’s well-known landmarks such as the Russell
City Hotel and the Country Club blues bar (Oakland Tribune
1966). No one was injured during these attacks and no
arsonists were ever caught. Almost all of the buildings
destroyed by the fires were already empty.
In 1968, Alameda County accepted a $2.45 million dollar
bid for the land from Cabot, Cabot and Forbes (Oakland
Tribune 1968). Other businesses soon followed and the area
became added to Hayward’s city limits. Today, the 200-acre
area that was Russell City is still an industrial park. The last
vestige of Russell City, the Russell City School, was turned
into an adult continuation school after the residents relocated.
It, too, was destroyed in 1983, replaced by industrial
construction.
Recommendations and Conclusions
The purpose of compiling this history is twofold: to
establish Russell City in the annals of history and to
encourage future investigations into its past. Russell City
physically does not exist but its stories, traditions, and
material culture do and should be documented accordingly.
The maps created in association with this research should
guide any archaeological testing in the area and the oral
history accounts provided should be used as background for
additional interviews.
References Cited
Arts; A Hayward Arts Council Publication. Winter/Spring 1994.
“The Birth of West Coast Blues: Remembering Russell
City.” Vol. 8, Number 1.
SCA Newsletter 38(1)