Shell Mound Park
Shell Mound Park opened, humbly enough, in 1876. with a 200-yard rifle range. Edward Wiard, the park owner, soon added a 500-yard range, and the shooting facilities quickly gained popularity. At the same time, Wiard was busy making improvements that would accommodate large excursions and picnics. The park land was bounded by the Northern Railroad tracks on the east, the bay shoreline on the west. and occupied approximately the middle third of the land between today’s Park Avenue and Powell Street-16 acres in all.
Back in 1859, when Wiard had bought the 115-acre property that would later become Shell Mound Park and the adjacent Oakland Trotting Park, the land was little more than a rough country estate. The previous owner of the property had erected a house and planted a garden; otherwise, the land was covered with grasses and shrubs, a grove of willow trees near the course of Temescal Creek. and one very large shellmound (between 32 and 40 feet high) and several smaller shellmounds. The shellmounds remained from the pre-European (native Indian) era. The house became one of the buildings on the Oakland Trotting Park property, while the largest of the shellmounds became a focal point of Shell Mound Park.
A View of the Countryside
Wiard, who was born in New Haven, Connecticut in 1815, had arrived in California in 1850. After nine years of mining in Mariposa County, he had come to Alameda County and soon purchased the 115 acres in today’s Emeryville for $7,000. By January of 1877, Wiard had laid out avenues within the park and was in the process of building an octagonal dance pavilion on top of the large shellmound. The pavilion was finished and available for dancing at the opening of the 1877 picnic season (in March), and a restaurant near the park entrance was completed as well.
The dance pavilion was something of a novelty for park goers: 90 feet in diameter, 40 feet from the floor to the peak of the roof. and situated well above ground level, the pavilion provided a picturesque view of Oakland. the Bay and the surrounding countryside. The fact that native artifacts and burials lay beneath the floor, when considered at all, only seemed to heighten the curiosity and attraction of dancing in the pavilion.
On May 1, the Oakland Guard chose Shell Mound Park for their annual picnic and target excursion. Other groups having their picnics at the park early in 1877 included the Thompson Rifles, the Miners’ Protective Association, the Lafayette guard, and the employees of the Palace Hotel in San Francisco. Promoting itself as a “pleasure resort” or “picnic grounds,” Shell Mound Park (sometimes spelled “Shellmound Park”) became quite popular with both Oakland and San Francisco associations for their group picnics.
Comforts and Attractions
From the beginning, transportation helped insure the success of the park. Beginning in late March. 1877, special trains ran from Oakland’s Long Wharf direct to Shell Mound Park. Visitors from San Francisco would ride a ferry to Oakland, board a train right on the wharf, and arrive soon enough at Shell Mound Station. These picnics or “excursions” were daylong events, and the ferry and train rides were incorporated as part of the day’s excitement.
While Shell Mound Park was not the only public resort of its time, it could accommodate large crowds with a variety of comforts and attractions, could be reached directly by train, and was conveniently situated cheek by jowl with the Oakland Trotting Park, another major attraction. In February of 1877, less than a year after Shell Mound Park had opened, the Oakland Tribune reported that 35 group picnics had already been scheduled there for the season (The season ran from the first Sunday in March until the end of September, later extended through October).
Captain Siebe
In 1879, Wiard leased the park to 33-year-old Ludwig Siebe, who proceeded to make many more improvements. A native of Germany who came to the United States when very young, Siebe had gone on to serve with the Northern army in the Civil War and had arrived in San Francisco in 1867.
By 1887, Capt. Siebe (as he was known), had added a 30-yard pistol range to the longer rifle ranges of 100 to 600 yards. All of the interstate shooting matches were held at Shell Mound Park at that time. He also built a second dance pavilion, 80 feet by 130 feet at ground level, as well as a bowling alley and dining room. A grandstand seating 3,000 people was constructed around a track that was used for races, athletic contests and exhibitions. Numerous smaller comforts and attractions—cold drink and fruit stands, skating rink, picture gallery, etc.—were also added. In the 1880’s, in a nod to the importance of the San Francisco patrons, Capt. Siebe established a branch office of the park at Fourth and Mission streets in San Francisco to reserve picnic dates for the San Francisco associations.
Capt. Siebe continued to lease the park after Wiard’s death in 1885 and the subsequent foreclosure sale of the park and racetrack properties in January, 1886. According to Wiard’s son, George E. Wiard, his father had lost the property due to an $81,000 mortgage and had died a broken and disappointed man. The sale was contested but became final on May 26, 1887. James Mee of San Francisco made the purchase of both properties together for $84,611.76. Meanwhile, the picnics went on as usual at Shell Mound Park, season after season. The Oakland Enquirer declared that the park’s Fourth of July picnic in 1890 was “the largest ever held on this side of the bay.”
Some of the groups holding their annual picnics at Shell Mound Park in the—1890 season were: the United Lodges of Orangemen, the Knights of Pythias of Berkeley, the Brick Layers’ Union of San Francisco, the Independent Rifles, and the California Sugar Refinery Mutual Aid Society. In 1891, an equally diverse group of organizations amused themselves at the park. Among them were the Swedish Society of San Francisco, the Caledonian clubs of San Francisco, the Catholic Ladies Aid Society of Oakland, the Placer County Reunion, the Garibaldi Guard and, to round things out, the Golden Gate Literary Society. Beer was frequently reported as having flowed abundantly at these picnics.
Emeryville Issues
In 1896, several issues kept Emeryville almost constantly in the news. The massive renovation of the Oakland Trotting Park, begun in June and completed in October, was a project of newsworthy proportions, in and of itself. Additionally, in the process of digging and regrading for the new racetrack and auxiliary structures, many native Indian artifacts and burials were unearthed. For a while, the newspapers daily reported the finds and fueled public interest (however sensational, unsavory and superficial) in the digging. Speculation abounded regarding the native use and development of the local shellmounds, including the shellmound on top of which the park’s octagonal dance pavilion had been built.
When the fanfare about the new track opening in October began to die down, the issue of Emeryville’s incorporation rose to the forefront. Although the frequently voiced issues concerned the existence of the “Butchertown” (Emeryville) slaughterhouses and betting at the racetrack, the “California Sabbath Association” launched a criticism of Shell Mound Park for allowing shooting matches, bicycle races, concerts, picnics, dances, etc. to occur on Sundays. Nonetheless, with fewer than 200 total votes, incorporation still won by a landslide in December, 1896. One other event, specific to Shell Mound Park, occurred in 1896. The Columbia Pistol and Rifle Club, which used the park’s shooting ranges regularly, requested that two new targets on the west end of the range be set aside for the exclusive use of the club. In addition, a high partition between those ranges and the others was erected, partly because ladies were soon to be admitted to the Columbia club’s membership (we don’t know if the partition was to prevent distraction of the ladies or of those gazing upon them). On October 12, 1896, the San Francisco Call reported that ladies had participated in the Columbia’s shoot of the previous day.
Something for Everyone
At the end of 1896, Capt. Siebe put money into sprucing up the park’s attractions for the next picnic season. Buildings and fences were painted, one of the dance pavilions was renovated, the track and grandstand (also called “the athletic park”) were reconditioned, and new trees, shrubs and other plants were put in.
A typical day at the park in the 1890’s may be glimpsed, in the detailed newspaper account of the Knights of the Red Branch picnic on September 13, 1896. The picnic began in earnest just after noon when the ferry and train brought the participants from San Francisco. Dancing in both pavilions began in the early afternoon. A bugle announced the beginning of activities on the park’s track: bicycle racing, foot races, sack races, hurdle races, weight throwing, long-jumping, etc.
As family affairs, the day’s program included something for everyone. On the track, there were races for boys under 12, girls under 12, married ladies, married men, and even a race for “fat ladies” (Let it be noted that races for “fat men” were frequently held as well). First-place prizes could be as much as $4; other prizes were cigars, tea and various goods. First-place prize in the married ladies’ race was five pounds of English breakfast tea. In the “fat ladies” race, first-place prize was a half-ton of Wellington coal, and the second-place winner received a half barrel of flour—quite useful, and, yes, substantial prizes.
Dance Pavilion Burns
During the night of February 26, 1901, just prior to the annual opening of the park, the rectangular dance pavilion at ground level burned down in a fire of unknown origin. Hose companies from Emeryville and Berkeley responded to the alarm, as well as two detachments from the Oakland Fire Department. The fire companies did not arrive in time to save the pavilion, despite laying 1600 feet of hose to reach the fire, as well as laying hose from the racetrack. However, they were able to prevent the fire from spreading to any other buildings in the park.
Captain Siebe immediately declared that the pavilion would be rebuilt, and the opening of the 1901 picnic season proceeded as planned on March 3. While the pavilion was being rebuilt, dancers crowded the octagonal pavilion on the crest of the mound and also used the banquet hall of the Shell Mound Hotel (near the park entrance) under special arrangement. The pavilion was rebuilt in time for the National Shooting Bund competition and festival in July of 1901, an event that brought sharpshooters from almost every state in the Union and was perhaps the largest national shooting competition to be held up to that time. The 1902 picnic season opened with a rebuilt pavilion and additional renovations to the park grounds.
1,300 Fed and Housed
When the 1906 earthquake hit on April 18, the Emeryville racetrack and Shell Mound Park-like many other parks. churches, meeting halls, etc.-opened their gates to the stream of earthquake refugees. Gradually, most of the outlying camps were consolidated into the more organized (and sanitary) camps established by the Oakland Relief Committee (ORC). On April 29, the Oakland Tribune noted that the camp at Shell Mound Park was being broken up due to unsanitary conditions. Remaining camp residents were moved to the City Camp at Adams Point (Military Camp No.) established by the ORC. Meanwhile, on May 1, 300 people were still being fed and housed, with reportedly good sanitation, at the Jockey Club camp (Emeryville racetrack). Nonetheless, plans were made to have that camp, too, removed to the City Camp for more efficient delivery of goods and services. As of May 22, 1906. delivery of refugee supplies to the racetrack was discontinued.
It wasn’t long before Shell Mound Park was back in regular operation. On June 2, 1906, the 28th annual reunion of the State of Maine was held at the park, complete with music, “exercises” and food. An indication of the times, however, may be gleaned from the engagement of the “Refugee Band of San Francisco” to play for the occasion. The next day, the Swedish Society of San Francisco and Oakland was scheduled to hold their family reunions and picnic at the park.
By 1912, Capt. Siebe had added a children’s playground surrounded by trimmed cypress trees. Ice cream, candy and photographic booths also made their appearance in the park. Moreover, the park management boasted “of having one of the finest merry-go-rounds in the West, having cost in excess of $5,000.” Within the bowling alley, a 25-yard shooting gallery was kept up for winter weather.
Shell Mound Park had been used, from the beginning, not just by fraternal, labor and civic societies, but also by military companies and political groups. From the Workingmen’s Party of California, an amalgamation of San Francisco’s disenchanted who rallied under the cry of “The Chinese Must Gol” in 1878. to the Irish Nationalists in 1896, to a number of militia and rifle guards, a variety of causes were represented over the decades at picnics and rallies at Shell Mound Park. With American entry into World War I, patriotic rallies were frequently the order of the day.
War Heroes’ Day
Under the sponsorship of the British California Dependents’ Association, a “War Heroes’ Day” was held at Shell Mound Park on May 30, 1918. Representatives of all the allied nations were present, and Lieut. J. C. Dagger, soldier orator of the British Army, gave a war talk entitled “Digging Kaiser Bill’s Grave.” Upstaging the event, as it were, was the participation of several grand opera stars (including Madame Lydia Sturtevant of the Italian Grand Opera Company) who sang several national anthems and other patriotic songs. A military drill was presented by the Oakland Boy Scouts drill team, an allegorical dance entitled “War Heroes of the Nations” was performed by 50 costumed dancers, and the Caledonian Kilties’ Band played several selections. The Caledonian Club of San Francisco, which had held its annual games at Shell Mound Park on May 30 for 35 years, graciously altered its date to allow for “War Heroes’ Day.”
Several organizations, including the Caledonian Club and the Butchers Association, had a long tradition of holding their annual picnics at Shell Mound Park. The Butchers’ groups would sometimes reserve both the park and the racetrack and manage to fill both. On the 1895 Butchers’ Day program, two tug-of-war contests were listed, both with $10 prizes: one between the Oakland and Butchertown (Emeryville) slaughterers, and the other between the Oakland and San Francisco journeymen butchers. At the 1899 outing by the butchers’ associations, a full days’ events were capped with a spectacular fireworks and electric light display at 9 o’clock in the evening.
The question of when Black-Americans and other ethnic minorities began to use Shell Mound Park for organization picnics—and if there ever was an admission barrier to ethnic minorities at the park—is still being researched. A notice appeared in Western Outlook on April 29, 1922 announcing an annual picnic by the Household of Ruth, the female Black-American (“colored”) chapter of the Odd Fellows. This chapter was formed in October, 1888 with 35 members. Lists of upcoming picnics reported in local newspapers indicated that Black Americans used the park for organizational gatherings at least since 1890.
No Luster Without Liquor
In February, 1911, an anti-gambling law took effect and horse racing came to an end at the Emeryville racetrack. On January; 16, 1920, Prohibition took effect. Four and a half years later, Shell Mound Park closed, its demise garnering little news interest at the time. According to several accounts, and most vocally by Capt. Siebe himself, the park had begun to lose money with Prohibition. A day in the park, with dancing, picnics, games and other amusements, apparently lost its luster without the flow of liquor.
Immediately following the park’s closure in October, 1924, the large shellmound was removed by steam shovel. University of California anthropologist W. E. Schenck stood nearby and compiled data on the contents. Most of the park’s equipment was reportedly moved across the bay to California Park in San Rafael. Capt. Siebe, manager of the park for several decades, died six months after the park closed. Although Shell Mound Park had initially opened with a “bang” as a humble but popular shooting range in 1876, it closed 48 years later with barely a whimper.
This story originally published in 1996 for the Emeryville Centennial Celebration and compiled into the ‘Early Emeryville Remembered’ historical essays book.
