City of Brentwood

City Administration


You can purchase a copy of her book "Footprints in the Sand" for $30.00 at the Brentwood Chamber of Commerce or by calling Kathy at (925) 634-0917.

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1500 - 1800	Native Americans roamed this region of California
1772	Spanish Explorer, Captain Pedro Fages, discovered this region of California
1835	The Spanish land grant, Los Meganos was deeded to Don Jose Noriega
1837	Doctor John Marsh purchased the Los Meganos Rancho
1841	The first immigrants, the Bidwell Party, arrive at John Marsh's home on Marsh Creek Road
1865	The Liberty School, a one room grammar school, was established on Marsh Creek Road
1867	The Brentwood Coal Mine was established and Lone Tree School was established
1869	Deer Valley School was established
1874	Louis Grunauer and Joseph F. Carey established the first business in Brentwood. Grunauer a mercantile and carey a blacksmith shop.
1876	Brentwood's first Saloon was established by E. Bacigalupi
1878	The San Pablo and Tulare Railroad comes through town
	Brentwoods Post Office was established with Clarence Esterbrook at the first postmaster
1879	Brentwood School was established
	The Union Cemetery was established on four acres
1881	The first map was filed for Brentwood as a township
1882	Brentwood boasted of having one hundred residents
1884	The Brentwood Hotel was built by Louis Grunauer.
1885	The Methodist Episcopal Church established
1886	Doctor H.V. Mott was appointed postmaster
1887	Brentwood Grammar School District built a large two room addition onto their existing school
1888	The Sanford Family donated land for the Brentwood City Park. This site was known as Brentwood Grove until 1935 when a Park Council was established.
1889	The First Christian Church was dedicated
1890	Brentwood was the largest shipping point for grains between New Orleans and San Francisco
	There was a devastating fire in town. Moody and Brewers Blacksmith, Shafer's Livery, and Mr. Humphrey's Printing House burned.
1891	President Harrison's train stopped in Brentwood. He gave a short speech and shook many local residents hands
1892	The Brentwood Courier, Brentwoods first newspaper, was established
1897	Fred Eachus established the Brentwood News. He later sold his plant to E.W. Netherton who started the Brentwood Enterprise.
1900	Robert Wallace was elected Justice of the Peace
1901	The Brentwood Women's Club was organized with Henriette Stone as president
	Liberty High School was established with classes held in the grammar school storeroom.
	The first Brentwood Library was established as part of the Liberty High School
1902	E.W. Netherton established the Contra Costa Herald, a new eight page newspaper being published in Brentwood
	The Brentwood Masonic Lodge 345 organized with Will Jerrisleu as first Grand Master.
1903	The Brentwood Hotel burned to the ground.
1905	Liberty Union High Schools first graduation. Edith A. Sellers was the only graduate.
	Brentwoods first high school is built on the corner of First Street and Maple Street.
1908	Brentwood School had 111 students enrolled.
1910	Balfour, Guthrie and Company purchased the Marsh Ranch (12,616 acres) for $650,000.
1912	There was a scarlet fever epidemic in the Brentwood area which closed the schools for several weeks
1913	Balfour, Guthrie and Company built the Brentwood Hotel on same site as the first Brentwood Hotel had been built at the corner of Oak Street and Railroad Avenue.
	The Bank of Brentwood was built. The bank was absorbed by bank of California in 1927 and later taken over by Bank of America in 1930.
	Balfour, GUthrie and Company maps the town and sub-divides farm land
1915	The Brentwood Public Library and reading room opened. Credit is given to the Library Association with Mrs. Andrew Bonnickson as president.
	Oak Street was paved.
	Fire hits Brentwood burning several businesses on First Street. Lost to the flames were Tremley's Hardware, Peter Olsen's Building; the residences of Hercules Logan, Frank Golden, and M. Sargent, two barns, and the tank and tank house owned by Balfour, Guthrie and Company.
1917	Ninety four young men from Brentwood signed the roll for the draft (World War I)
	Erastus granville Nash became principal of Liberty Union High School, a position he held for twenty nine and a half years.
1918	Liberty Union High School burned from a fire started in the Chemistry lab.
1919	Roy Frerich's Post 202, American Legion was established.
	Fire swept through downtown Brentwood. The fire started in Jansse Store, which was located on the corner of Oak Street and First Street.
	Dudley D. Watson settled in Brentwood. he became one of the biggest property managers, Realtors, and farmers in the area.
1920	Sam Hill purchased the Brentwood News from H. W. Bessac.
	A new Liberty Union High School was built on Second Street costing $93,000.
1922	The first orchards were planted in Brentwood area.
1923	The new Brentwood Elementary School was built on Second Street.
1924	The American Legion Hall was built on the corner of Maple and Second Street.
	The Gregory Brothers Nursery acquired acreage for seedling and experimental trees for fruits and nuts.
	Rural free mail delivery began in Brentwood extending to Marsh Creek, Deer Valley and Antioch Road. The service included 115 homes.
1925	William T. Kirkman Jr. came to Brentwood from Fresno and purchased 1600 acres. He planted many of the first fruit trees in the area.
1926	The first Apricot Festival was held.
	H. P. Garin came to Brentwood and leased 600 acres. By 1935 Garin controlled more than 30,000 acres in the state.
	By an overwhelming vote, the residents of Brentwood established the first Contra Costa water district to serve the town with a domestic water supply. This was the first district in Contra Costa County under the county water district act.
	East Contra Costa Irrigation District was established. The new district consolidated Lone Tree, Knightsen, and brentwood Irrigation Companies.
1927	Saint Albans Episcopal Church was founded.
1928	The Brentwood Fire Department organized with Clyde Watson as the first fire chief.
	The Union Cemetery District was formed. Prior to this time the cemetery was governed by the Union Cemetery Association.
1929	The Brentwood Lion's Club was established with Dean Watson as the first president.
	H. P. Garin Company had three packing sheds and twenty two cottages for employees. The Garin Company shipped 794 carloads of fruits and vegetables, and used the first refrigerated railroad cars.
1930	Charles Barkley was elected constable, a position he held for thirty years.
	Balfour, Guthrie and Company had the state's largest dry-yard and packing shed. They had more than 600 employees.
1931	Edgar Allen purchased the Brentwood News from Sam Hill.
	Dr. Catherine Holden moved the Brentwood Hospital to the second floor of the O.K. Garage building on Oak Street.
1932	The Diablo Valley Post, Veterans of Foreign Wars was organized in Brentwood.
	The Brentwood School closed for several weeks because of a measles epidemic.
1934	The Apricot Harvest Strike hit Brentwood. It was estimated that 1,000 to 1,500 more pickers than needed came to Brentwood seeking employment.
1940	Brentwood School had an enrollment of 417 students.
	Mary P. Allen was librarian at the Brentwood Library.
1943	Brentwood Irrigated Farms (Balfour, Guthrie) sold their holdings (2,250 acres) to Tom Peppers of Mentone, California.
1947	The Edna Hill School site was purchased. This school was first known as Brentwood Primary School and renamed Edna Hill in 1955.
1948	Brentwood incorporates. John Lane is the town's first mayor.
	The Brentwood Police and Planning Departments were organized.
	The Brentwood Order of Rainbow Girls was instituted.
1949	The Brentwood Rotary Club was established with Clyde Olney as the first president.
	The Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church was built on First Street.
1952	The Brentwood Chamber of Commerce was organized with Ben Peterson as president.
1953	The first Lion's Carnique was held. This annual event was the Lion's primary fund raiser until 1977.
1955	Liberty Union High School was rated the best Class B football team in all northern California. Scoring 222 points and only 38 points against them. They won seven of eight games played, losing only their first game of the season to Antioch 6-0, and winning all league games. In fact, between 1949 - 1955 the team lost only two league games, and won five championships. Lou Bronzan was acting coach and Jack Ferrill was assistant coach.
1957	Postmaster Robert J. Wallace announced house-to-house mail delivery.
	Hugh Armstrong was elected constable.
1962	The Brentwood City Hall was built on Third Street.
	The Brentwood Gun Club was founded with Charles Cogswell as the first president.
1963	The central portion of Liberty Union High School containing the administration offices, library, some classrooms, and school entrance burned.
	The Brentwood Health Center was established in the old Barkley home next to City Hall on Third Street.
1967	The Post Office was built on the corner of Dainty Avenue and First Street.
	The Brentwood Hotel was torn down to make way for a new service station.
1969	The Garin School was built on First Street. This School is named for H.P. Garin.
1970	The East Contra Costa Historical Society was founded. Walter Sharafanowich was the first president.
	The Soroptimist International of East Contra Costa was organized with Kay Davis as president.
1971	The last passenger train passed through Brentwood. The tracks continued to be used for freight runs.
1972	Charles B. Weeks Sr. was selected Brentwood's first Citizen of the Year.
	The Brentwood Library was built on Third Street.
1980	The Southern Pacific train depot was demolished.
	Brentwood's first harvest Festival was held in City Park.
1984	Nathan Fisher elected mayor. He was Brentwood's first elected mayor.
	The Nail Family donated a large historic home on Sellers Avenue to the East Contra Costa Historic Society for a museum.
1992	Brentwood's first Cornfest was held in the Brentwood City Park with Kathy Leighton and U'Geni as chairmen.