A park on the west side of Union City is called Hall Ranch Park. Dyer Street west of Alvarado Boulevard used to be known as Hall Ranch Road. Hall Ranch was a large ranch that is now covered by the Contempo housing subdivision.
John Hall, born in 1822 in Ohio, came to Alvarado in the early 1860s and purchased a large ranch. John was known for raising and showing thoroughbred horses, starting in 1864. In 1871, at the California State Fair John won the following awards:
Class I. Thoroughbreds:
Find out what's happening in Union Citywith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Stallions:
- Best 3-year-old and over
- Best 1-year-old
- Best colt under one year
Mares:
Find out what's happening in Union Citywith free, real-time updates from Patch.
- Best 4-year-old and over with colt
- Best 2-year-old
- Best thoroughbred dam with not less than four of her colts, all thoroughbred
His mare, Peggy Ringgold, won awards, and offspring also won awards at the State Fair. In 1873, John sold one mare, Alice May, for $1,500 to Mr. Samuels from Livermore.
When the South Pacific Coast Railroad came through Alvarado, it crossed over his property. The railroad built a rail stop call “Hall Station” on his property. Hall Station was along the railroad tracks just west where the tracks cross Alvarado Boulevard. In 1865, John planted three Eucalyptus trees near Hall Station. A newspaper report from 1936 said that they were still there. Today, they are long gone.
In 1912, his ranch was sold to R. B. Mott, who subdivided the large ranch into smaller ranches and farms and sold them off.
