Fremont was settled by the Ohlones

over 1000 years ago. In 1797, the
Spanish built a mission in what is
now Fremont.

Rancho Era 1836-1848
Mexico won independence from Spain & began to reward soldiers
and prominent citizens with huge grants of land known as ranchos.
Vallejo was appointed administrator of the secularized Mission
San Jose in 1836 with orders to distribute the Mission property.

The peaceful, pastoral life of the ranchos began to change with
the arrival of American settlers. The Brooklyn brought a group of
Mormons to San Francisco in 1846. Some of them stayed and
became prominent settlers in the East Bay. Colonel
John C. Fremont came through, foraging and recruiting as
he pursued the Mexican forces. He liked Mission San Jose
so much he tried to buy it.

Pioneer Era 1848-1860
These American pioneers planted thousands of acres of grain and
vegetables & changed the economy from peaceful pastoral to
intensive agricultural. They took over the old Mission and
rancho landings, built wharves and warehouses, and shipped
their produce to San Francisco. John Horner farmed thousands
of acres and was recognized as California's first farmer. The
East Bay became the leading agricultural area in California.
Elias Beard, Henry Smith, and others opened stores, lodging
quarters, restaurants, and saloons in the old adobe buildings.
A post office was established here in 1850 before California
became a state.

 
Era Of Towns 1860-1945

Eight towns developed in Washington Township. Mission San Jose was
the center that led to the founding of the others. The railroads
brought great changes to our area in the 1870s. The little hamlet of
Vallejo Mills became a railroad junction that developed into the
town of Niles. Decoto Land Company laid out the town of Decoto. The
town of Newark was started by the South Pacific Coast Railroad.
Newark became famous for the Carter rail cars manufactured there.

Orchards and vineyards replaced miles of grain fields. Disease wiped
out most vineyards about 1900, and Prohibition devastated the wine
industry. The water table dropped, crops had to be irrigated & a
water shortage developed. Electricity was brought in to power
industries, farms, and homes. Automobiles replaced buggies & wagons.
World War I interrupted life for many but was followed by a building
boom in the Twenties. Pearl Harbor changed everything for everybody.
Many young men and women scattered around the world to fight the war.
People of all ages worked in defense industries or on the farms.

Post War Era 1945-1996
Dairies, apricot orchards, and fields covered the land around the eight
communities with a combined population of 25,000. The towns of Niles,
Mission San Jose, Centerville, Irvington,

This condensed history was compiled by Phil Holmes