In loggers discovered a waterway that transported the long redwood timber down to San Francisco Bay much more quickly than trekking them over land, down the mountain and through the forest by wagon. Thus, Redwood Creek emerged as a thriving business corridor, and with it, sprouted the Port of Redwood City, positioned perfectly on the channel where the creek meets the Bay.
The Port offered a crucial connection between local industry and convenient access to the South end of San Francisco Bay, helping Redwood City flourish, along with other towns in the region, such as Belmont, San Carlos and San Mateo. In , the Port became a federally approved shipping channel for the U. Army Corps of Engineers, a critical step in securing future funds to keep our waters navigable and commerce moving.
During World War I, a cement-hulled steamship, the first of its kind, was built here on our waterfront. Today the Port still maintains a strategic role in emergency response and rebuilding, as designated by FEMA as a federal staging area for natural disasters and other major incidents. Government for two years to support US Navy freight needs. Interested visitors are also encouraged to visit the Redwood City Archives in the Redwood City Library, featuring among its collections years of bound and microfilmed local newspapers, more than 85 years of local high school yearbooks, hundreds of city and county maps dating from , and thousands of historic photographs depicting Redwood City and the surrounding area; as well as the San Mateo County History Museum located in the San Mateo County Courthouse.
Redwood City has been active in historic preservation since and now features five historic districts, several historic resources listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and many others that are locally designated. Redwood City, California. A crowd enjoys a concert in Redwood City's Courthouse Square. Climate Best. In the 's, early residents of Redwood City sensed tremendous opportunities for the growth and success of their city. The population was doubling and attracting businesses became a major goal of the city's leaders.
The Chamber of Commerce and the Real Estate Board each sponsored contests to find a slogan to represent and publicize the city's finest qualities, but it was the Real Estate Board which produced the winner. In , the Board awarded Wilbur H. So who exactly performed this government test? Starting before World War I, the United States and German governments began conducting climate surveys and gathering meteorological data.
Their findings revealed Redwood City to be at the center of one of the world's three best climates The other two? These findings were printed by local newspapers and read by a happy public delighted to discover their climate to be the best by government test.
For more information, news clippings, and photos, please visit the local history archives at the Redwood City Public Library. Jeffrey K. The land and people of Redwood City have been involved in the progress of San Mateo County since its inception in In that year, Assemblyman Horace Hawes, owner of the property where Sequoia High School is now located, introduced a bill before the State Legislature to consolidate the boundaries of the City and County of San Francisco. One of the terms of the act called for residents of the new county to hold an election of officers and to select a county seat.
The first election was declared invalid after it was proved that a group of organized crime leaders tried to get themselves elected using fraudulent votes. They also wanted Belmont to be the county seat. But under the guidance of an honest Redwood City citizen named Benjamin Fox who had won the position of county judge, a second election was held in April of This time Redwood City was declared the legal seat of government.
Fox held his position as a judge for four years, and was a powerful voice for law and order in the new county. Simon Mezes, the man who had founded Redwood City, donated an entire city block of land for the construction of a courthouse. Four different buildings have since occupied the block: Courthouse No. Through the years, county government has played a major part in the lives and activities of the people of Redwood City. Until the first courthouse was built, county officials conducted business in the upper story of a warehouse on Main Street owned by Redwood City merchant John Diller.
Benjamin Lathrop, San Mateo County's first county clerk, recorder, and auditor, built a large house which is still standing across the street from the Hall of Justice and Records. The Eikerenkotter Family was also closely connected with the political history of the County. During the late 's, five Eikerenkotter brothers held county offices.
And Judge George Buck, famous for his length of service on the county superior court bench, lived at Jefferson Avenue from until his death in The county has provided many other types of jobs for Redwood City residents, especially in the area of construction. A WPA project in employed many men in the building of two additions to the courthouse.
And in , an 8-story building called the Hall of Records and Justice was built on the site of the California Square, a plaza which had been designed and donated to the county by Simon Mezes. Library History. The Redwood City Public Library was founded in , when funds raised by private subscription provided for a Town reading room. The first reading room was located in a two-story building on Main Street that was shared with the Times-Gazette newspaper office.
For the next three decades, the library was moved to several different locations and was staffed by members of an informal citizens committee. In , the Redwood City Library Association was formed for the purpose of establishing a public library that was supported by municipal, as well as private funding. The first Town Librarian was photographer James Van Court, who also donated part of his studio for a reading room.
In September of , after increased community use and support of the library, the Town Trustees levied a special library tax, and in November of the same year, Ordinance No. Laura Barton, who had been in charge of the reading room, became the first City Librarian.
Under her direction, the Library Board was granted a bequest form the Carnegie Foundation for the construction of a Carnegie Library on Broadway.
Less than a year after its completion, the new library suffered severe damage during the Earthquake. Additional funds from the Foundation, however, enabled total reconstruction of the building by Wilhelmina Harper, a noted children's librarian, was appointed as the Head Librarian in , and supervised an extensive reorganization of the collection. She increased the purchase of non-fiction and children's books, and also introduced the Dewey Decimal system to the library.
More books and more patronage created a serious space problem for the Carnegie building. In , a City bond issue was passed to build a new library at the corner of Jefferson and Middlefield Road. Dedicated in , the library was part of of Public Works Administration project which also included the construction of a new City Hall and an addition to the County courthouse.
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