Week 20: An old windmill viewed from our balcony

We really wondered why this very old windmill was at the back of the lot we see from our balcony along with our view of San Francisco, the bay bridge a Golden Gate Bridge!

I looked up the last listing for that property and it mentions that the windmill was installed prior to 1918 and that there is a well on the property along with two outbuildings and a fish pond. We have concluded the windmill pumped water from the well and the vine covered building is the well house.

I discovered 1918 is an important date because El Cerrito was incorporated as a village in 1917.  Refugees from the 1906 San Francisco settled in what became known as the refugee camp of Rust after the local blacksmith. The residents didn’t like that name and changed it to El Cerrito or “Little Hill” after a nearby geographic feature now known as Albany hill. There are lots of hills in El Cerrito some of which are natural areas and/or connect with the Berkeley Hills

 The new “city” incorporated not only the camp of Rust but also several other communities whose names are reflected on local roads and government agencies. The creation of El Cerrito caused the end of cattle drives up what is one of the main streets and which was also once part of the Lincoln Highway. 

Now it is the focus of redevelopment and very near the BART line. The walking and bicycling path under the BART line is named the Ohlone Greenway after the Native American group that lived here. I’ve also seen names of parks and other things that reflect the early land grant names (that is also true in S. California) including the nearby Castro Park where I walk the pup in part of what was the Castro land grant.