Lewis, Iowa.
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Determined and authenticated
by the Historical Department of Iowa, 1911.
This monument was erected in 1917 by the
Iowa Daughters of the American Revolution
in memory of the pioneers who followed
this trail and its tributaries.
We cross the prairie as of old
The pilgrims crossed the sea,
To make the west as they the east
The homestead of the free.
Whittier
As this point was Indian Town and the
junction with the trail from Raccoon Forks.
(Settlements & Settlers • Fraternal or Sororal Organizations • Roads & Vehicles) Includes location, directions, 2 photos, GPS coordinates, map.
1525 N. Main St. This wood-frame Italianate house was about 30 years old when it was purchased by Dr. Claud Leech, town physician, and his wife, Eva. The first floor served as the medial clinic, the upper floor as the family residence. The house originally stood further back on the lot.
Mauzy Plumbing was Walnut Creek's longest-operating family-owned business when it closed after 98 years in 2011. The family business moved to Walnut Creek from Oakland in 1913, eventually to the site across Main Street. Four generations of the family ran the business.
Desiring a place for community meetings and events, a newly formed Town Hall Association acquired the lot at Main and Bonanza. Several years later, and with a loan from the new San Ramon Valley Bank, the group built the imposing two-story Town Hall.
In the early years, Walnut Creek residents picked up their mail from one of the local merchants on Main Street, who served as postmaster. This brick building served as Walnut Creek's first post office, beginning in 1928. A newer post office opened in 1947.
Costing $3,000 to build, the two-story Central Fire Station was the first and "hub" station in the County's newly formed Central Fire Protection District. The station's pumper engine cost $7,000. The first fire chief was Raymond Spencer, son of Harry Spencer, the town's first mayor.
The 400-seat Ramona, Walnut Creek's first cinema, opened in 1920 as a silent-movie house. The theater sat on Main Street, next to the Contra Costa Courier newspaper and where Cypress Street now connects to Broadway. It was owned by Theodore Berling, the town's first police chief.
1884
Built by Aaron A. Cleveland for
1895
William Dearing
Site of
The Great Fire of
The Old Vault of the
With its twin towers and bay windows, the two-story Stow Building was a landmark on Main Street for many years. James Stow constructed the building for his mercantile store. The towner and bay windows were removed in a 1947 remodel.
Customers from as far as Oakland would make the drive to Guy and Ed Bradley's soda shop, particularly to watch the large electric ice cream machine displayed in the store's front window. The store also housed the town's first telephone exchange.
The 1951 opening of Broadway Shopping Center increased traffic on Main Street, which also doubled as part of two state highways. Photos like this helped convince State officials to build a freeway bypass to ease congestion. The new freeway opened in 1960.
Walnut Creek's namesake creek runs beneath Broadway at the end of this block. Before the creek was "underground" to prevent flooding, a bridge at the end of this street was essential to reach the homes and farms across the creek and to get to the train station.
