The Bridges of Alvarado

When Alvarado was founded in the 1850s, Alameda Creek had a bend in it that formed the northern border of Alvarado. The creek also was just a mile southeast of town, on the road to Centerville (Fremont). To get to Centerville or Mt. Eden (Hayward), Alameda Creek had to be crossed.

John Horner created a stage that linked his steamer "Union," which landed near Alvarado and Mission San Jose (the first town in Alameda County). To get his stage over Alameda Creek, John and his brother paid to have a bride crossing the creek, close to where Dyer Street meets Alvarado-Niles Road today.

The bridge cost $1,100 to build. Eventually the wooden bridge was replaced with a steel bridge. Since the old route of Alameda Creek still exists, an at-grade bridge was built on Dyer Street where the old bridge stood. Most do not seem to notice the creek going under Dyer and then Smith streets.

On the road north to Mt. Eden, the Horner brothers also built a bridge.

The initial outlay of funds was theirs, but the county reimbursed them for the costs. The bridge was a jackknife bridge that lifted at one end.

According to E. H. Dyer, the bridge was used as a "convenient tool for meting out swift justice to bold criminals under the administration of the vigilantes."

A boat was rowed under the bridge with the unfortunate criminal, a noose attached to his neck and the bridge. The bridge was then raised. The end was slow, but "the conspicuous location gave publicity to the wages of sin."

The wooden bridge was replaced with a steel one. By this time, there were no longer any small ships going up Alameda Creek to the sugar factory, so the second bridge was a standard bridge. When the route of Alameda Creek was changed to prevent flooding in Alvarado, the bridge was no longer needed.

The path of the old creek can still be seen in a line of trees on the east side of Union City Boulevard, just north of Smith Street. Interestingly, the property lines for that area still follow the old creek bed.