Alameda County
Biographies
Capt. Thos. William Badger
Captain Thos. W. Badger, the subject of this sketch, is a well known, enterprising citizen, and a pioneer of the State. He is a native of Virginia, and was born in the year 1828. Until his fifteenth year he was brought up on a plantation, when he went to sea, and followed a seafaring life until he came to San Francisco, on the 5th day of August 1849, via Cape Horn. In San Francisco the Captain engaged in the shipping business, and had many vessels employed in the China, Australian, Mexican and coast trade, all of which he sold when he returned from the trade and opened his public park in Brooklyn, in 1872. He was also employed as Marine Surveyor for one of the principal insurance companies.
In December, 1856, the Captain was married in San Francisco; and, in September 1857, he went with his wife on a trip to the east, taking passage on the ill-fated steamer Central America, from Aspinwall. The steamer experienced very rough weather on the passage to New York, and the sea having put her fires out, she was at the mercy of t he waves and wrecked. She had on board 600 passengers, 400 of whom were drowned. The captain and chief officers were among the lost, and Captain Badger took in hands the management of the wreck, which he kept afloat until relief came in the form of a Norwegian bark, which took on board the survivors. She would have gone down in twelve hours after her engines struck, but by his skill and management succeeded in keeping her afloat thirty-six hours. Four hours after relief came she sunk. To his efforts was attributed the saving of nearly 200 valuable human lives. On his arrival in New York he was presented with a silver trumpet, by a committee of citizens, as a token of their appreciation of his humane services, a memento which he will preserve until the day of his death. This trumpet bears the following inscription;
“Presented to Capt. Thos. W. Badger, by the Central America Fund Committee, in token of their high appreciation of his conduct on board the steamer Central America, at the time of the loss of that ill-fated vessel. PELETIA PERIT, President; Lloyd Aspinwall, Secretary. New York, May 17th, 1858.”
By this sad disaster Captain Badger lost $20,000 in gold coin, which he had with him at the time.
Under the administration of Governor Haight he held the position of Pilot commissioner for the Port of San Francisco, which position was renewed to him by the present Governor, and which he holds at present.
In 1861 Captain Badger purchased his beautiful place in Brooklyn, and removed to this side of the Bay. Here he resided for several years; cultivating and ornamenting the ten acres of lawn, which he has since converted into a public garden. In the beginning of 1872 he commenced building his great pavilion, and preparing his grounds for the reception of the public, and in April of the same year, after an expenditure of from $40,000 to $50,000, he threw Badger’s Grand Central Park open to the public. The result was an almost immediate success. The great dancing hall is in dimensions 200 by 85 feet, and substantially and conveniently fitted up with seats, galley, etc. The park comprises about ten acres of highly ornamented ground, being planted with rate trees and laid out in lawns and walks, Since the first opening, the proprietor, every winter, has made expensive additions of various kinds, and now the park comprised, besides the pavilion, a large restaurant, dining room, ten-pin alley, museum, amphitheatre for games, menagerie, flower-garden, sailing-pond, etc., etc. The locality furnished beautiful scenic advantages, and is always worthy of a visit. He has lately purchased another block of land adjoining his park on the west, and also owns the property on the north. It is his determination to keep on improving and beautifying until his grounds are absolute perfection and peerless. The leading Societies of the State now regularly choose this park for their annual celebrations, and it is engaged generally several months in advance. It is the proprietor’s intention to fit up the pavilion of evening parties, and probably by next winter it will be the scene of nightly gaiety and festivity. Most people doubted the wisdom of Capt. Badger’s enterprise when he first entered upon it; and no doubt it would have caused many less determined men to falter; but he has gone on steadily and his faith and perseverance have made his efforts eminently successful.
Centennial Yearbook of Alameda County, California - Oakland, Calif., 1876 Pages 556-558
Transcribed by Peggy Allen, April 22, 2006
John W. Kottinger
This gentleman is a native of Austria, and came to California in 1849. If not the actual founder of Pleasanton, he is the next thing to it. He was the first settler after the grantee of the land, and was the first to start business there. He is an educated gentleman, and has always been highly respected as a citizen. At his house the first election for Murray Township took place after the organization of the county. He built his house there in the Summer of 1851, but became a settler in the Spring of 1850. His son Frank was born in 1852, the first child born in the place. Mr. K. is 56 years of age.
Centennial Yearbook of Alameda County, California - Oakland, Calif., 1876 Page 558
Transcribed by Peggy Allen, April 22, 2006