Welcome to Jingletown
Welcome to Jingletown! One of the many neighborhoods in the Sausal Creek watershed, the name "Jingletown" has a few possible origins. One theory is that it comes from the bells local farmers used to jingle to call their cattle home. Others say Jingletown comes from the sound of coins jingling in the pockets of Portuguese immigrants who were flaunting their newfound wealth after receiving a week's pay.
Arise High School Mural
Walking along the Peterson Art Street Wall in Jingletown, you'll find a mural that depicts two versions of Fruitvale: one showcasing the diverse wildlife and Sausal Creek pre-colonization, and the other highlighting the urban development of Fruitvale Village. Jingletown artist Jill McLennan, in collaboration with Arise High School's predominantly Hispanic student population, created the mural in 2009. The City of Oakland’s Cultural Funding Program provided the funding. This mural celebrates Fruitvale's neighborhood iconography and Latino/a culture, continuing the rich tradition of murals in Fruitvale and Jingletown.Creating murals has long been a vital platform for Chicano artists to organize and express social commentary. One of the first Chicano art groups in the U.S., the Mexican American Liberation Art Front (MALAF), originated in Jingletown in the 1960s, aiming to integrate art into the Chicano social revolution. Today there are still Latino/a artists in Jingletown and artists working with the Latino/a community to highlight the important community history. Allies of the Latino/a community like Jill McLellan work with students and other young artists to continue the rich mural and Latino/a art legacy in Jingletown.
Construction of 880 Freeway
The Nimitz Freeway (Interstate 880), named after WWII Navy Admiral Chester Nimitz, stretches from I-80 near the Bay Bridge in Oakland to US 101 in Santa Clara County, including California Route 17. The Nimitz — with its heavy truck traffic, frequent accidents, and challenging on- and off-ramps — has earned nicknames like “Killer Nimitz” and “Nasty Nimitz.” It also significantly pollutes West and East Oakland neighborhoods.Originally known as the Eastshore Freeway, the I-880 opened in 1949 and gained its current name in 1958. The freeway’s Cypress Structure — a double-decker section — tragically collapsed during the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake, killing 42 people. The City diverted traffic until a new segment bypassed West Oakland in 1997.The construction of the I-880 is fraught with controversy. At the time of construction, city planners hailed it as an important connector in the urbanization of East Bay. But how did they decide where to locate it? The story starts in the post-war 1940s when many of the waterfront industries slowed down, leading city planners to label places like West Oakland and Jingletown as "blighted." Using blight as the reasoning, they laid out I-880 to section off waterfront industry and interior residential neighborhoods.While the planners called this a policy of “urban renewal," we now understand that the construction of freeways like Nimitz was a tool for the segregation of communities of color. Along the West Oakland edge, the freeway destroyed the Old West Oakland Latino community, forcing Chicanos and Latinos to relocate to Fruitvale. And, in Fruitvale, the freeway cut right through the center of the California Cotton Mill — an important landmark for residents. While the final construction helped better connect Oakland to the greater Bay Area, it caused much disconnection and disruption in the affected neighborhoods, decreasing their sense of community and displacing marginalized individuals.
Pellitory
What resilient plants do you see growing through the cracks in this concrete landscape? If you spot one with tiny white flowers and long green leaves, you may be looking at Pellitory (Parietaria judaica). Originally from Europe, pellitory is a non-native species that usually grows on the sides of roads and in wall cracks. The Latin root of its scientific name even means "wall dweller"! This plant pollinates itself using the wind, dispersing highly allergenic pollen year-round, earning it the nickname “asthma weed” in Australia. Here in California, pellitory is harmful and invasive in urban creeks like Sausal. Be careful trying to pull out pellitory though, because it has spiky burrs and a gritty texture. All that said, it does have a use as a poultice to treat toothaches.
Three-cornered Garlic
If you are taking this tour in May or June, you may notice white, bell-shaped flowers blowing in the breeze. If you lean in close, you may even be able to catch a whiff of a garlic-y scent. If so, you just found yourself some three-cornered garlic (Allium triquetrum)! Native to the Mediterranean Basin, this flowering bulb belongs to the same family as onion and garlic, and the flowers and stems are even used by foragers as a garlic substitute. As the climate warms, ant colonies are rapidly spreading this non-native species in the West, transporting the seeds that then outcompete native plant species. In California, you can find three-cornered garlic on the sides of roads, in fields, and in urban greenspaces during the early spring after the rainy winter months.
City Pigeon
You can spot them in almost every city in California, perched on building ledges, bridges and overpasses — the ubiquitous wild/feral pigeon (Columba livia forma urbana). We did not always consider them as 'rats with wings,' though. City pigeons actually descend from rock doves, which we domesticated to deliver wartime messages. After the invention of faster, long-distance communication methods like the radio and telephone, we released these once-honored birds into cities to fend for themselves.Now, we think of these tenacious pigeons as pests because urbanized birds spread diseases and stain/soil public spaces. How determined are these birds? Take a look for yourself: many pigeons have made their homes inside the Sausal Creek culverts!
Western Gull
If you grew up within 100 miles of the coast, you are likely more than familiar with the Western Gull (Larus occidentalis). "Seagull" is a common term people use, but these birds are actually just called "gulls," belonging to various species of seabird. Gulls can be hard to distinguish; there are many species with similar appearances, which is probably why the common term emerged.This West Coast native is a marine gull that hangs out in the intertidal zone eating small fish and marine invertebrates like jellyfish, limpets and snails. They are also known to feed on sea mammal carcasses, roadkill and other smaller birds. Farther from the water, western gulls are more than happy to eat your lunch, before or after you’ve thrown it away. The presence of humans in the urban environment has altered thier behavior, making them less afraid of people and, therefore, more aggressive, especially when it comes to foraging for food.
Owens Brockway Glass Containers Factory
On the waterfront among the warehouses, the towering smoke stacks of the Owens Brockway Glass Container Factory stand out. This building is a reminder of the previous industrial era that dominated Oakland's waterfront. As San Francisco became a metropolis of trade in the early 1900s, heavy industry moved into Oakland, building up along the Oakland estuary-rail corridor.Built in 1937, the Owens Factory provided steady jobs for the Fruitvale and Jingletown community, making many glass containers from cleaning bottles to wine bottles. At the height of the factory in 1962, it had 1,800 employees; by 1993, it had only 600. Unfortunately, glass making was not always a safe job: over the decades, there were multiple accidental fires due to holes in the furnaces. After closing, in 1999, the factory demolished two furnace exhaust stacks. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) fined the factory owners for violating the Clean Air Act by not notifying the EPA and a regional air pollution agency of the demolition, which can release particulates that cause respiratory problems.Today, the factory stands empty and silent. As of 2024, the real estate giant Prologis owns it and has submitted plans for a redevelopment into a research and industrial complex.
White Elephant Sale
Standing on the corner of Lancaster and Glascock, you should be able to look across the street and glimpse a delightful white elephant in an orange square. The 96,000-square-foot warehouse that stands before you holds the White Elephant Sale, organized and presented by the Oakland Museum Women’s Board (OMWB). The legendary sale features an extensive array of quality used clothing, jewelry, books, tools, furniture, household goods, sporting equipment and more. Since its inception as a yard sale fundraiser in the 1960s, it has raised over $30 million for educational funding, acquisitions and capital improvements for the Oakland Museum of California. Many of the 114-member group carry on the tradition from their mothers, grandmothers and friends. Volunteers spend all year collecting, sorting and organizing the used goods for the annual sale in February. Check out their website to get involved or to shop!
Railroad crossing: Glascock and Lancaster
Right as the residential homes and apartments on Lancaster street end and the warehouses begin, with the mouth of Sausal Creek in view, you’ll see a railroad crossing sign. If you look down, you might be surprised to see railroad tracks embedded in the road itself. Jingletown operates a street-running railroad, meaning the rails have been embedded into the street, and trains run alongside traffic and pedestrians without any separation. Street-running trains generally travel at reduced speeds for safety reasons. Many street-running railroads are no longer operational, however, the Glascock Street segment is still in use, serving Cemex and Miller Mining Company. The noise of this railroad can drive the waterfront property values down; however, Jingletown residents have long since grown used to the sounds of trains passing in the night.
San Francisco Bay Trail
Where Lancaster Street meets the water, a sign presents the “San Francisco Bay Trail.” The San Francisco Bay Trail is a partially completed 500-mile biking/walking trail that connects all of the Bay Area's counties. Bordering the San Francisco Bay, this path aims to create a continuous shoreline for residents to appreciate and enjoy nature. Senator Bill Lockyer passed the idea of a continuous path into law in 1987 and directed the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) to develop a plan for this regional trail system, including a specific alignment for the Bay Trail. This particular area does not have a clear path yet; however, in the coming years, Jingletown residents can look forward to a trail that runs adjacent to the water under the Bay Trail Plan.
Rue de Merde
The Rue de Merde, roughly translating to "poop street," got its name from being a popular dog walking path on Peterson street. As a response to graffiti on the walls that line this popular neighborhood spot, artist Jill McLennan and Cynthia Elliot applied for the City of Oakland Neighborhood Beautification Grant. In 2009, with grant funding and monetary sponsorship from the Pro Arts Gallery, 16 artists and a group of Arise High School students designed the Peterson Street Art Wall. The murals and mosaics celebrate the cultural and environmental history of Fruitvale and Jingletown, varying from local dogs' portraits, to religious icons, to natural and urban scenes. In addition to the eye-catching murals, many species of native plants line the path, blooming in vibrant colors in the spring and contributing to the general air of celebration.
Fruitvale Railroad Bridge
Check out this large scaffolded "H" stretching across the Oakland Estuary. The United States Army Corps of Engineers built the Fruitvale Railroad Bridge in 1951 for Southern Pacific Railroad freight service to serve Alameda shippers and the Alameda Belt Line Railroad. To allow for Oakland Estuary boat navigation, all the bridges open, but this one is unique with the whole span moving vertically up like an elevator.However, you won’t see this one in motion: in 2000, Southern Pacific Railroad discontinued service and the the bridge now permanently sits 65 feet above the water. Today, more than anything the rail bridge serves as a year-round architectural gateway and a nesting site for Peregrine falcons between late-February to early-March.Behind it sits the Miller-Sweeny Bridge (originally the Fruitvale Avenue Bridge), a simpler drawbridge, built in 1973 for car traffic between Alameda and Fruitvale. How does the bridge know when to open over 1,500 times a year? An alternating four-person crew monitors bridge requests through Channel 9 on Marine Radio and boat horn signals.
Park Street Bridge
The Park Street bridge first opened in 1893, linking the cities of Oakland and Alameda. The Works Projects Administration (WPA) — a New Deal program — redesigned the bridge in the early 20th century. In 1935, the bridge reopened with a Grand Opening Celebration that included a public wedding of a man from Oakland and a woman from Alameda to show unity of the two cities. Spanning the Oakland Estuary, the Park Street bridge is a double-leaf bascule drawbridge — a bridge that is moveable and pivots upwards — that can rise up to 17 stories when fully opened. The bridge opens approximately 1,755 times per year.
Impacts of colonization
Less than 300 years ago, Sausal Creek flowed freely here, supporting a vibrant ecosystem. Grizzly bears hunted salmon and steelhead trout, elk roamed the land, and the Ohlone people carefully nurtured their surroundings. Imagine Jingletown covered in marsh, with plentiful wading birds, and shelllmounds dotting the shores, with a large willow groves. But in the early 1800s, the arrival of colonizers (Spanish missions and European settlers) brought dramatic changes. The growing population led to the logging of ancient redwoods, the burying and rerouting of the creek, and cattle damaging habitats and spreading invasive plants. These disruptions, along with European diseases, devastated the Ohlone people’s way of life, rapidly diminishing their population.
Peregrine Falcons
Keep an eye out for a yellow-beaked, white-bellied bird flying high in the sky here! In the springtime, peregrine falcons (Falco peregrinus) often nest atop the Fruitvale Train Bridge. This 175-foot human-made structure mimics the high cliff ledges that peregrines would naturally nest in outside of urban settings. The metal ledges provide cool shade for their nests, isolation from predators and launch pads for these raptors to hunt their prey. The peregrine falcon is the fastest bird in the world, with a staggering dive speed of 200 mph!Unfortunately, in the late 1940s, North American populations began to decline because of eggshell thinning from dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane (DDT) pesticide contamination. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) banned DDT in 1972; that action, combined with the reintroduction of captive-reared chicks enabled peregrine populations to dramatically recover.Peregrine falcons often mate for life and return to the same nest site year after year, allowing humans to set up webcams and track their behavior and chick growth. The Friends of Sausal Creek monitors this nest annually, and you can join their four-times-a-year bird count by reaching out to them. If you want to see peregrine falcons up close, check out the UC Berkeley Campanille webcam. Learn more by taking the PocketSights tour on the UC Berkeley campus.
California Poppy
You can find California poppies (Eschscholzia californica) all over the West Coast in sunny, dry areas in fields, on the sides of roads, and in gardens. Early Spanish explorers called the plant 'copa del ora,' which means 'cup of gold,' after the legend which said that the orange petals of the California filled the soil with gold. They officially became California’s state flower in 1903 and their easily recognizable bright orange petals were meant to represent our “Golden State,” especially during the Gold Rush era. Each night, and on cloudy days, its petals will close and reopen when the sun comes out.Indigenous groups used the plant for both food and medicine. They boiled or steamed the stockier, green parts of the plant (leaves and stem) to eat as vegetables. They used the petals for body and face painting, and were sweet enough to chew as gum. The root was useful as a pain reliever (especially for teeth pain), a cure for lice, and a sedative for babies.Butterflies that gather nectar at poppies include a wide variety of skippers and blues, while huge numbers of native bees and wasps avidly pollinate the golden flowers.
Fennel
Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) is a large flowering plant in the carrot family that can grow up to eight feet tall. It is native to the Mediterranean but you can find it in grasslands, coastal shrubs and creeks in the United States, like Sausal Creek.We consider it an invasive species because it is difficult to control and outcompetes native plants for resources, but it is ultimately a beneficial resource for many insects. That said, the Anise Swallowtail butterfly uses fennel for its nectar and as a host plant for its eggs and caterpillars to live on. A variety of other insects use fennel as a host plant, including the Black Swallowtail, Old World Swallowtail (or Baird’s Swallowtail), and Beet Webworm. The Monarch, Lorquin’s Admiral, Juniper Hairstreak and Great Copper butterflies also use fennel for nectar.Fennel's bulb, stalks, leaves and seeds are all edible; Middle Eastern curries and soups frequently include this plant. If you were to eat raw fennel, the plant has a notorious mild licorice flavor, but cooking it brings out a sweet flavor. It is a rich source of antioxidants, fiber, potassium, magnesium and vitamin C. This plant is recognizable from its bright green color, a cluster of yellow flowers, feather-like leaves and strong anise aroma. Many species of birds enjoy the seeds of this plant in the area, including finches; the plant even has uses to treat sick birds.
Mallard
The mallard glides across the water. The iridescent green head of the male glinting in the sunlight, perfectly contrasting the camouflaging brown feathers of his mate. You are likely very familiar with this waterfowl from its appearances in your local ponds, fountains, and marshes. You may even have spent a lazy afternoon watching a group of mallards, called a sord, dabble in the water for pond weeds, insects, and small fish, among other things. Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) are quite adaptive and exist on almost every continent, with habitats ranging from subtropic to the Arctic tundra. Because of their adaptability to different ecosystems and conditions, their population has been steadily increasing in many areas, and some places have begun to label them as invasive.
Bermuda Buttercup
The Bermuda buttercup (Oxalis pes-caprae), also known as sourgrass, is a pest plant with five yellow petals that is invasive to California and native to South Africa. This plant contains a high content of oxalic acid, which has a sour taste and is toxic in large quantities. It is a main ingredient in "water flower stew," a traditional South African dish. Despite lacking seeds, sourgrass is notorious for being extremely difficult to eradicate or control because of its many persistent bulbs. Though it does not benefit from pollinators, the flower provides large amounts of nectar for honey bees, butterflies and bumblebees when blooming.
Portuguese Immigrants
By the end of the 19th century, Portuguese immigrants became a dominant ethnic group in the East Bay. Why? Many Azorean, Madeiran and mainland-Portuguese immigrants came to California by way of Hawaii! Workers from the Atlantic archipelagos of Azore and Madeira of Portugal relocated to Hawaii because of their expertise growing sugar cane in subtropical climates. After the annexation of Hawaii around 1900, the passage fee to California was less expensive, enticing many such laborers to migrate from Hawaii in search of work opportunities. Typically, these residents worked in the canneries, packaging the fruit grown in nearby orchards. After the completion of the Central Pacific railroad stop in West Oakland in 1869, even more Azoreans migrated from the East Coast. You can see the influence of Portuguese immigrants all around Jingletown and California.
Noble False Widow
Similar to the Azorean Portuguese that migrated to Jingletown, the noble false widow (Steatoda nobilis) had a long journey to arrive here. The noble false widow originated in the Canary Islands and Madeira near the Atlantic Ocean and North Africa: 6,000 miles away. It is one of the world’s most invasive species because of how quickly it has spread across the globe. We commonly mistake this spider for the black widow, which is why we call it the "false" widow. Its body has a brown bulbous abdomen and reddish-orange legs but lacks the red pattern on the bottom of its abdomen like the true black widow. The false widow enjoys consuming vertebrates and invertebrates. To capture its prey, the spider attacks its target and wraps it in silk. Most bites from this spider are painless and have symptoms similar to a bee or wasp sting. But, its venom can result in neuromuscular paralysis or bacteria, which can result in death.
Storm Drain Murals
Have you ever wondered how rainwater drains from roads? Usually, we construct roads to slope down from the center line so water flows off to the sides and into storm drains. A storm drain carries that water into another body of water — in this case, Sausal Creek. There are 13,315 such storm drains in Oakland, with approximately 38 total drains just in the four-block-by-four-block radius of Jingletown Junction.Unfortunately, people throw trash, feces, chemicals like Round Up, car fluids and other toxins onto streets, where stormwater carries it into the drains, untreated. Many storm drains fill up with trash and debris from the street, causing street flooding and polluting the water further. Toxins enter the creek, head to the San Francisco Bay and into the Pacific Ocean. Water pollution in the ocean can begin in the upper watershed or here at the mouth of the creek. In every case, storm drains deliver the toxic water.In 2019, to draw attention to the connection between storm drains and our waterways, the Jingletown Arts, Business and Community Group led a Storm Drain Mural Project, with funding by the Keep Oakland Beautiful Project. Jingletown artist Jill McLennan designed the Estuary Fish mural and 50 eighth graders from Lazaer Charter Academy helped paint Northern Californian fresh and saltwater fish on the ground. A senior quilt maker and neighborhood volunteers painted an eye-catching quilt mural to emphasize another storm drain.If you want to get involved in helping keep storm drains free of debris to prevent flooding and pollution, check out the City of Oakland’s Adopt a Drain Program, in which you can volunteer to keep your local storm drain clean.
Project Kaisei Brigantine Sailboat
Do you see that vintage sailboat across the Alameda Strait? No, that's not a pirate ship! That's actually the Ocean Voyages Institute's "Project Kaisei Brigantine Sailboat." Since 1990, the Kaisei has traveled to over 15 countries, carrying its crews as they voyaged on international peace missions and performed ocean research. Since 2009, the Kaisei has raised awareness of the ocean trash problem through voyaging and documenting the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. This 620,000-square-mile plastic garbage patch lies between Asia and the U.S. and forms through the swirling of four major ocean currents. Ultimately, any single-use plastic litter in waterways like Sausal Creek ends up in the ocean and adds to the patch. Project Kaisei is imperative to global ocean pollution education and testing trash removal & repurposing techniques.
Oakland Waterfront Bay Trail
You’re standing on part of the Oakland Waterfront Trail, a segment of the larger San Francisco "Bay Trail." Once it has been fully built, the Bay Trail will circle the entire San Francisco Bay and San Pablo Bay with 500 miles of walking and cycling paths. As of 2024, 355 miles are complete and over 130 parks are accessible from the trail, totaling over 57,000 acres of open space.The Bay Trail is an example of a large-scale collaborative effort between cities to enhance public access to the San Francisco Bay. Planning for the trail began in 1987, when the California Senate passed Senate Bill 100 (Lockyer), establishing a plan to develop this regional trail system. This trail along the 19-mile Oakland waterfront was funded in 2002 by $43.5 of the $198 million voter-approved Measure DD bond (Oakland Trust for Clean Water and Safe Parks). These funds will also help connect six miles from Jack London Square to Martin Luther King Jr. Regional Shoreline further south. For more information, visit https://mtc.ca.gov/operations/regional-trails-parks/san-francisco-bay-trail
Dredging of the canal/Creation of Alameda Island
Did you know that Alameda is not a natural island? In front of you is the Tidal Canal, a human-made waterway for boats and ships traveling south from the Port of Oakland to San Leandro Bay. Before the canal existed, this land was a marsh that connected Fruitvale and Alameda between Park Street and High Street.The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers started planning for the canal in 1874. Oakland had become a bustling maritime center, but navigation to the inner harbor was still tricky due to shifting sandbars that grounded shipping vessels. Excavation began on the canal in February 1889, using a steam-powered train. That winter, Sausal Creek flooded in Fruitvale, filling the partially-dug canal, setting the project back nine months. Another setback took place in 1892 when work on the canal stopped due to economic reasons. During this construction shutdown, new sewer lines in Oakland and Alameda drained into the empty canal and people could smell the buildup of raw sewage from six blocks away!Work didn’t resume until seven years later in 1899. New technology — a hydraulic dredge — helped dig 20 feet deep, and builders used the excavated dirt to expand Oakland railyards. On August 7th, 1902, builders removed the final bit of land separating the east and west waterways and filled it with water, establishing the Tidal Canal you see today. Ongoing dredging projects have deepened the canal to 40 feet for easier ship navigation and canal maintenance.
T. Gary Rogers Rowing Center
The Ky Ebright Boathouse, which housed the UC Berekely ("Cal") rowing teams from 1925 - 2003, found a new lease on life when Cal transported its front about 700 feet and integrated it into the T. Gary Rogers Rowing Center. This modern facility, opened in 2004, now serves as the home for the Cal rowing teams, seamlessly blending history with contemporary functionality.Ky Ebright coached UC Berkeley's Men's Crew team from 1924-1959. The Rogers Family Foundation, founded by entrepreneur T. Gary Rogers, funded the new facility. Though this boathouse is for Cal teams only, the Tidewater Boating Center further south at Tidewater Ave houses the junior rowing organization Oakland Strokes and is open to the public. Since its completion in 1902, the Alameda tidal canal has supported activities such as watercrafting, swimming and picnicking.
Institute of Mosaic Art / Jingletown Art Studios
Where did all these beautiful mosaic murals come from? Artists at the Institute of Mosaic Art (IMA) designed and installed many of them. Julia Whelan and Laurel True founded IMA in 2005 and expanded to an additional Berkeley location before closing down in 2016. Today, Jingletown Art Studios (JAS) continues its legacy of promoting Oakland's local artists as a cooperative open studio workspace. You can still see IMA's work around Jingletown, like on the Rue de Merde and on various walls along Chapman street.We can’t talk about mosaics without mentioning where many of these mosaic techniques come from: Mexico! Many mosaics throughout Fruitvale and Jingletown celebrate Chicano artists, history and techinques. There is a long tradition of mosaics in Mexican culture, from indigenous times, to the Spanish introduction of the tile, to the 1920s Mexican Muralist movement. The muralist movement, while dominated by painted murals, inspired a tradition of public art celebrating history. In the Bay Area, cities would commission Mexican artists like Diego Rivera to do large-scale murals; today, murals adorn Chicano neighborhoods like the Mission District and Fruitvale. In Fruitvale, many of these murals are mosaic. The proliferation of mosaics in public space is noticeable, adorning trash cans, sidewalks, gates and walls along Fruitvale Avenue, Fruitvale Bart Station and in Jingletown. Make sure to check out East Side Mosaics in Fruitvale, which specifically supports Chicano mosaic artists.
Outfall of Sausal Creek into Estuary
Where does the water pouring from this pipe coming from? It's the mouth of Sausal Creek, where water flows from a cement culvert — which the creek has been forced into further upstream — into the Oakland Estuary. Unlike natural creek mouths, this mouth — actually an "outfall" — lacks any natural filtration and dumps untreated stormwater directly into the estuary. Historically, creeks wound through wetlands like the willow groves that used to grow near today's Fruitvale BART station. These wetlands naturally filtered the water, removing any pollutants while also supporting diverse ecosystems. Now, the creek’s water funnels quickly through cement culverts instead.Why does this matter? In addition to severely minimizing the range of biodiverse transitional habitats, direct outfalls like this run straight from the streets into the estuary. During rainstorms, Sausal Creek fills with some of the most-polluted stormwater in Oakland, full of trash from further up in the watershed. This stormwater carries a mixture of pollutants, including oil, pesticides, heavy metals, and trash from city streets. Without filtration, these contaminants flow directly into San Leandro Bay, harming water quality and marine life.You may notice a lot of birds around the outfall. Look downstream: if it's lowtide, you might spy a temporary delta (triangle of land) hosting seagulls, herons and pigeons. These ephemeral formations are typical of estuarine environments, but also signal the amount of sediment and debris being washed into the Bay. These structures shift and change with the tides and stormwater flows, demonstrating to us the constant movement of water and materials through the estuary.
Public Shoreline Access
These “Public Shore” signs indicate that the San Francisco Bay shoreline is open for you to explore and enjoy. The San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC) manages and protects these areas to ensure everyone can experience the Bay’s beauty. Established in 1965, the BCDC was created to halt the rampant filling of the Bay and to preserve public access. Before its creation, only four miles of shoreline were accessible. Today, thanks to their efforts, over 340 miles are open to the public as part of the Bay Trail. The BCDC ensures that any development within 100 feet of the shoreline prioritizes “maximum feasible public access."
Land Use in Jingletown
Jingletown's land use has undergone significant changes, evolving from an industrial hub to a center for artist residencies. In the height of Jingletown’s industrial period from the 1880s to 1960s, factories dominated the land. A small population of Portuguese and Azorean workers lived on-site, but most lived up the street in modern-day Fruitvale.In the 1950s, change began as factories slowed post-war, and the construction of the Nimitz Freeway (880) isolated Jingletown and West Oakland. Fruitvale and Jingletown also underwent a large demographic shift, with an influx of Chicanos moving from West Oakland to Fruitvale.During the 1960s to 1990s, many Chicanos occupied abandoned factories in Jingletown, using them as organizing spaces for the Chicano Movement. In 1974, Chicano, Black and Portuguese activists successfully rezoned the area from industrial to residential, thwarting a Del Monte cannery expansion. However, the 1980s and 1990s brought challenges, such as disinvestment and the rise of the crack cocaine epidemic, leading to increased crime and gang activity.In response to Jingletown's deterioration, the government introduced housing subsidies and converted old factories into artist live-work spaces, creating an arts district that remains today. A key project, the 1998 Jingletown Homes, created 53 affordable homes for first-time buyers.Today, while half of Jingletown’s population remains Latino, rising housing prices throughout Oakland have triggered gentrification, displacing longtime residents as new buyers move in. More than 70% of Jingletown residents are renters, with housing costs averaging approximately $2,600 per month and median income of residents at $67,134 (2024 figures). For instance, the 2018 building project 3030 Chapman mostly contains rental units at market-value rates.
Oakland-Alameda Estuary
The Oakland-Alameda Estuary is a strait that lies directly between the two cities. It connects to the San Francisco Bay on the west, the San Leandro Bay on the east, Lake Merritt to the north and Sausal Creek through its outflow culvert.The estuary was once mainly tidal marshes and flats that were homes to gobs of species that have since shrunk or disappeared due to a massive re-engineering. Between 1874 and 1902, the Army Corp of Engineers drained and filled some of the tidal marshes and flats for military, port and commercial uses.The estuary's brackish water, a blend of fresh and saltwater, supports a rich diversity of plant and animal life, making it an important ecological zone. Birds such as the brown pelican thrive in this environment, drawn by the abundance of fish, which are, in turn, enticed by the nutrient-rich outflow from Sausal Creek.With the increased urbanization of Oakland, untreated pollutants have flowed into the estuary. Underground storm drains bring polluted, untreated creek and stormwater into waterways connected to the estuary through culvert outflow pipes such as Lake Merritt and Sausal Creek. Stormwater is made up of water runoff from roofs and streets, trash, pesticides, oil, grease, chemicals and minerals including lead, animal and human feces, and sediment. All of this runoff ruins the water quality, ecological health and wildlife habitat.Currently, the City of Oakland, California Canoe & Kayak, East Bay Rowing Club, I Heart Oakland-Alameda Estuary, and the Oakland Parks and Recreation Foundation are all partnering to clean the shoreline of the Estuary, picking up more than 6,000 pounds of garbage from the parks and shores of the Oakland Estuary annually. If you would like to participate in the efforts to clean up the estuary, you can sign up at https://iheartoaklandalamedaestuary.com
Economic Shifts and Chicano Movement
There are several factors that led to a strong Chicano movement in the Oakland area: the displacement and relocation of Black and Brown communities; lack of jobs; lack of adequate housing; discrimination against people of color; and the peak of the Civil Rights movement in the South.Canneries and factories in Fruitvale dominated the industry and provided jobs for many living in this area. But, due to post-World War II economic trends during the 1950s and 1960s, these canneries left the Bay Area.The federal government sponsored the construction of the Nimitz (I-880) Freeway and BART in West Oakland, displacing the Black and Latino populations there. At the same time, redlining practices provided subsidized mortgages to White middle-class families to move to the suburbs of Montclair and Piedmont. The displaced Black and Brown population had few places they could relocate due to redlining: the discriminatory practice of denying financial services in certain neighborhoods based on race. At the same time, affordable housing declined, wartime temporary housing went away, and there were more immigrants moving into East Oakland — all of which limited housing options.Latinos also faced discrimination in employment, housing and education in the area. Simultaneously, the Civil Rights Movement was gaining a lot of attention in the South because of protests led by Martin Luther King Jr. and non-minority allies joining the cause. All of this influenced the creation of political action groups and groups that advocate or provide services for the Latino population in the Fruitvale area. These groups include the Brown Berets, the Unity Council, Latinos United for Justice, the Chicano Revolutionary Party, the La Raza Unida Party and the East Bay Spanish-Speaking Foundation.
Mexican Liberation Art Front
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Malaquias Montoya, Manuel Hernandez, Esteban Villa, and René Yañez created the Mexican American Liberation Art Front (MALAF) based in Jingletown on Manilla Street. This was one of the first Chicano art collectives in the country. Their goal was to integrate art into the Chicano social revolution with the help of Chicano artists. In 1969, they held the first Chicano art exhibit in Oakland at La Causa Center at 1560 34th Ave in Fruitvale called "New Symbols for La Nueva Raza." This exhibit led to the founding of another artist collective, Galeria de la Raza in the Mission District of San Francisco, with a parallel goal of using art in the social revolution. One of the founding members of the larger Galeria collective was Yañez of the MALAF. They were one of the main poster producers for many protest events and movements, including the grape boycott led by Ceasar Chavez and United Farm Workers and the Third World Liberation Front strike of 1969 on the UC Berkeley campus
Fernside
The Bray and Cohen families were wealthy landowners in the area, owning nearly 500 acres combined in the Fruitvale, Jingletown and Alameda areas. Alfred A. Cohen was a prominent lawyer and entrepreneur who owned ferry systems and helped secure funding for the expansion of the Southern Pacific Railroad into California. His mid-19th century estate in Alameda, called 'Fernside,' was renowned for its Victorian architecture and gardens.So, how does Fernside connect to Sausal Creek? Between 1891 and 1903, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers undertook a massive project to dredge a canal to turn Alameda, a natural peninsula, into an island. Cohen sued the U.S. government because, in the process of dredging the canal, the engineers diverted the mouth of Sausal Creek into the ‘tidal canal,’ and the creek no longer deposited valuable silt, gravel and water onto his estate. Previous court cases against the government had ruled that damages resulting from improvements to ‘navigable waters’ did not warrant compensation, but Cohen argued that Sausal Creek was not navigable by boat. Ultimately, the court ruled in favor of the government, and Cohen was not compensated for his losses. Over time, the Fernside Estate was divided into smaller parcels and sold off.
Del Monte Canneries
In the early years, Oakland was home to vast fruit orchards, particularly in the Fruitvale area (hence the name Fruit Vale). Proximity to the orchards throughout the Bay Area, combined with rail and sea shipping capacity, made Oakland a natural fit for the canning business. Before refrigeration and refrigerated shipping, people's access to various foods that couldn't grow in their area depended on canned goods.The first major cannery in the area was the Lusk Cannery, built in 1868 in Temescal (see our "Walking Waterhoods: Temescal Creek — Frog Park and Little Frog Park" tour for more info). Eventually, agriculture became California's largest industry and Del Monte became the largest canning business in the state with dozens of canneries all over the Bay Area, The Azorean Portugues that had originally left Madeira to work the sugar cane fields of Hawaii began to relocate to this neighborhood specifically because of the jobs available in the canning industry. Del Monte bought two existing canneries on 29th Ave and expanded them into Plants #24 and #34.The site of Plant #24 was right here where the ArtHaus Studios are today.
Mary Help of Christians Church
In 1914, Father José F. da Silva and Father Cândido Ribeiro started the Mary Help of Christians Church to serve the Portuguese community of Jingletown. Many of these community members were Portuguese immigrants who came from Hawaii after working on sugar plantations. The church provided spiritual guidance, education and a cultural center for the Portuguese drawn to Oakland’s industrial opportunities in canneries and factories.The church initially operated out of a rented garage before moving to a permanent site at 23rd Avenue and East 9th Street. Over time, it grew to include a parish hall to foster youth education. By the 1920s, the church had become a central hub for Portuguese religious and cultural life.As more Mexicans moved into the area in the 1960s following the disturbance to West Oakland neighborhoods brought on by building the 580 freeway, the church quickly became one of the hubs of the local Chicano movement. After the Black Panthers began their Breakfast for School Children program in 1969, UC Berkeley student artist — also a founding member of the Chicano Revolutionary Party (CRP) and Jingletown resident — Malaquis Montoya established a breakfast program at the Church. The church continued to support the community's religious needs and served as a meeting place for community political organizing.Today, St. Anthony-Mary Help of Christians Church offers services in English, Eritrean, Spanish and Vietnamese. It continues as it began: a church to meet the needs of the changing populations of Jingletown.
California Cotton Mills
Founded in Oakland in 1883 by William Rutherford and John Yule Millar, the California Cotton Mills Company Factory was the largest cotton mill west of the Mississippi River. Most of the workers were Portuguese who had migrated from farmwork in Hawaii and settled here in Jingletown. At the height of its success, the mill had about 20 - 30 buildings and employed about 1,500 workers.Before 1890, the mill had to buy their cotton from farms in Texas and haul it West by rail. Once commercial cotton production came to California, the mill bought their cotton from the Imperial Valley of Southern California. Mill workers created finished products including comforters, towels, mops, table padding and drapery cloth. During both World Wars, they produced tents, parachutes and fabric for the military.In June 1954, most of the mill closed down; the creation of the I-880 Freeway demolished most of the mill's buildings. In 1974, the original 1917 building became an official Oakland Landmark. Currently, the building goes by the name of the California Cotton Mills Studios and houses a variety of artisans and small businesses. If you have time, you should check out the small museum on the history of the mill inside the lobby.
Ohlone Use of Land
Wonder why there is a tour stop at a fenced-off parking lot? Imagine: only 200 years ago, a large mound of earth rose out of this spot, surrounded by a verdant landscape of willow trees, marshy and scrubby vegetation, and the sound of birds calling through the air. This was the site of an Ohlone "shellmound."The Ohlone people were inhabitants of the Bay Area for thousands of years before colonizers arrived in 1769. The environment and the Ohlone way of life were intricately linked: they relied on natural resources such as mussels, clams, oysters, salmon, deer and acorns. By depositing food remnants, soil and rock, the Ohlone built up more than 400+ shellmounds around the Bay Area. These mounds, sometimes reaching heights of up to 30 feet, served various purposes, including as burial sites, trading centers, ceremonial spaces and living areas.However, between the late 18th and early 19th centuries, European colonizers started decimating the shellmounds, harvesting the shells for roadbeds, and utilizing the rich shellmound soil for growing food. Beginning in 1850, the Jingletown Shellmound was one such shellmound combed for its rich-growing soil for Captain E. F. Rodgers's adjacent Shell Mound Nursery. Even without its removed soil, the Jingletown Shellmound survived in a depleted state until the 1910s, when it was fully razed. Today, this historic location is part of a construction lot, erasing much of the physical evidence of the Ohlone's rich cultural heritage.Acts of protest around various shellmounds have included: shellmound peace walks, a fight for federal tribal recognition, Black Friday protests at Emeryville Mall, large-scale political and social campaigns for indigenous sovereignty and rematriation, and court battles. More specifically: in 1997, a larger conversation about returning land back to the Ohlone people began when developers turned the remains of the Emeryville Shellmound — one of the most ancient and largest in the Bay — into a mall rather than returning it to the surviving Ohlone people. Horrified by the violence towards ancestors buried on the site, Ohlone people, concerned archaeologists and other community advocates have vehemenetly campaigned for preservation of land and sacred sites for more than 30 years.Another site of activism has been the shellmound and village area on 4th Street in Berkeley. In 2024, after years of protest, court battles and fundraisers, the Sogorea Te Land Trust contributed $25.5 of the $27 million the City of Berkeley used to purchase the land from the developers, making this shellmound the first to be returned back into Ohlone hands. The fight continues today to steward the land and save other shelllmounds in the Bay area.
Snowy Egret
As you scan the water and shoreline, keep an eye out for the elegant snowy egret (Egretta thula) with its striking white plumage, long legs, yellow feet and black beak. You can commonly see these birds along the Fruitvale and Alameda shores, where they hunt for fish, insects and crustaceans in the rich habitat that waterways like Sausal Creek create. Watch closely and you’ll see them skillfully stir up the silt with their feet to capture their prey. You can also check the shoreline trees, and in spring you might see them nesting.However, in the early 20th century, humans nearly drove the snowy egret to extinction due to plume-hunting, as we highly prized their delicate breeding feathers for fashion. The conservation movement, sparked by organizations like the National Audubon Society, successfully advocated for the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, helping to save these beautiful birds and marking a significant victory in wildlife conservation.
Olympia Oyster
If you carefully peek at the underside of rocks on the coastline, you may glimpse Olympia Oysters (Ostrea lurida) clinging onto the rough surface. The Olympia oyster is native to the San Francisco estuary and is a vital part of benthic (seafloor) ecosystems. These oysters create habitats for other small creatures and serve as food for many species, including crabs, fish and birds. As filter feeders, they also contribute to nutrient cycling and may increase water clarity, benefiting aquatic vegetation.The Olympia oyster was also a major food source and widely used cultural object for the Ohlone people of the Bay Area. The Emeryville Shellmound, a native living and burial site, was partially made up of Olympia oyster shells, attesting to their significance. The oysters also likely made up a large portion of the Jingletown shellmound, as it was believed that almost half the weight of shellmounds came from mussels and oysters.Unfortunately, overfishing and habitat degradation had made the presence of Olympia oyster in the Bay Area almost nonexistent until the 1990s, when major restoration projects brought them back. To learn more about the work to bring back native oysters, visit the Watershed Project Wild Oysters and Wild Oysters Project.
Tule
Even though it is difficult to find now along this shoreline, tule was once plentiful and extremely important to the Ohlone people. Hardstem Bulrush (Schoenoplectus acutus), or tule, is a grass native to freshwater marshes all across Northern, Southern and Central California. Unfortunately, urban development has taken away many of these marshlands and, with it the tule and habitat it provides to the huge number of species that called it home. This grass creates a buffer between the water and land, reducing erosion and promoting plant growth. It has grasslike leaves and pale brown flowers growing from rounded green stems.Tule was a cultural keystone species for the Ohlone people, who used tule canoes to travel within the Oakland-Alameda Estuary. This allowed them to fish and gather natural resources to survive. They also used tule to create their homes and sweat lodges. Tule was the main ingredient for weaving baskets, bowls, mats, hats, clothing and duck decoys.Not only did the Ohlone people depend on it, but the ecosystem did as well. This plant is a necessity for countless species of birds, mammals, amphibians and reptiles that use it for food and shelter. For example, pintails and mallards found near Sausal Creek need this plant for nutrients. Once abundant and vital, it can be difficult to locate any tule grass at all now, with the destruction of 95% of marshland, wetlands and mudflats, which has had an immense impact on wildlife.
Chilean Sea Fig
The Chilean sea fig (Carpobrotus chilensis) is a part of the succulent species. We commonly confuse it with its cousin, the ice plant. Though it is likely native to southern Africa, this succulent came to California in the 1900s as a tool to stabilize the erosion of dunes and soil. The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) planted thousands of acres of this succulent for stabilization purposes around highways and railroads until the 1970s. Unfortunately, this plant actually speeds up and exacerbates coastal erosion because its leaves contain large amounts of water; during the rainy season, the added weight destabilizes slopes.The plant has since become invasive in the area because the optimal temperate climate allows it to spread quickly. After it establishes itself, it dominates competition for resources and alters the soil composition. The larger flowers of the sea fig are hot pink or yellow and the smaller flowers are magenta. Its leaves, fruits and flowers are all edible. You can either eat them either raw or cooked, but they can have a laxative effect in large quantities. Bumblebees, honey bees and even beetle species help pollinate the sea fig.
