Broderick, California
Encyclopedia
Broderick is a former town in Yolo County, California
, USA, now forming part of the City of West Sacramento
. It is located just west of the Sacramento River
in the eastern portion of the county. Broderick's ZIP Code
is 95605 and its area code 916
. It lies at an elevation of 23 feet (7 m).
because the town plat was filed by Margaret McDowell on Washington's birthday. Margaret McDowell's first husband, James McDowell, settled and developed 600 acres (2.4 km²) of land on a rancho he purchased from John Schwartz in 1846. He was killed in the Spring of 1849 in a saloon brawl, leaving his wife a widow.
Margaret McDowell was left with five children, a house, and a garden. She had taken in boarders as a means of income, but found she needed to do something else to remain financially able. In August 1849 she hired a surveyor to map 160 acre (0.6474976 km²) that was adjoined to her garden. In October of that year she had established the boundaries of her property and had created a town plat of 41 blocks which she named Washington. She had sold several lots during the next few years, but Washington's plat was not officially recorded and the town was called by other names including "Margeretta" and "West Sacramento".
In 1850 there were approximately 300 people residing in Washington. During the summer of 1851 the county seat
was relocated from Fremont
to Washington because of the severe flooding that Fremont had experienced the winter before. It had now seemed that Washington had the potential to become comparable to its "booming" sister city, Sacramento on the opposite side of the river.
A post office was established in April 1854 but the building burnt down in 1856 and to the dismay of the residence, a post office was never reconstructed and they had to go to Sacramento go get their mail for the next 33 years.
The Washington Public School District was organized in 1856, and the land was donated by Margaret McDowell, now married to Dr. Enos C. Taylor, her third husband, and renamed Mrs. Margaret Taylor. The school district still serves West Sacramento, and built three local schools within the first decade of its existence.
Local flooding that had occurred almost annually had alarmed Yolo County residents who voted to move the county seat to Cacheville (now Yolo
) in 1857. However, residents disliked their choice because Cacheville was so isolated and small, and moved the county seat back to Washington. Unfortunately the weather proved disastrous in the winter of 1861-62, and in 1862 the voters held a special election to vote a permanent county seat. The county seat was elected to be Woodland to the dislike of Washingtonians. Another heavy blow to the already downtrodden Washington residents was the completion of a bridge to Sacramento located roughly where the I Street Bridge
is located today. Travelers coming from the Bay Area now had no reason to stop in Washington on their way to Sacramento. There was no need to use the local ferries because the toll bridge was cheaper.
Economic optimism increased in Washington when the California Pacific Railroad
reached the town in November 1868, and Washington was the railhead
of the line that started in Vallejo
. The outcome wasn't quite as hoped for. Property values did not increase, and had actually decreased in comparison to the Gold Rush days. In addition to that, a new junction was completed in Davisville (now Davis) that headed towards Woodland, diverting rail traffic from Washington. Furthermore, in 1870 Cal-P reconstructed the I Street Bridge to withstand the weight of rail cars, so the rail line could reach Sacramento.
In 1871 what is modern day Downtown Sacramento
raised its buildings nine feet and reinforced the levees on its side of the Sacramento River
to withstand the annual flooding. The City of Washington couldn't afford to properly engineer well protected levees nor raise the whole town, so each year they would fix their levees and endure any flooding that would occur.
The town was renamed in the late 1800s in honor of the anti-slavery advocate and United States Senator
David C. Broderick
.
A new post office was established in 1893, and operated until 1909 with a brief closure in 1895 to 1896.
Yolo County, California
Yolo County is a county located in the northern part of the U.S. state of California, bordered by the other counties of Sacramento, Solano, Napa, Lake, Colusa, and Sutter. The city of Woodland is its county seat, though Davis is its largest city....
, USA, now forming part of the City of West Sacramento
West Sacramento, California
West Sacramento is a city in Yolo County, California. It is contiguous with Sacramento, but is separated by the Sacramento River which is also the county line, so West Sacramento is in a different county than Sacramento...
. It is located just west of the Sacramento River
Sacramento River
The Sacramento River is an important watercourse of Northern and Central California in the United States. The largest river in California, it rises on the eastern slopes of the Klamath Mountains, and after a journey south of over , empties into Suisun Bay, an arm of the San Francisco Bay, and...
in the eastern portion of the county. Broderick's ZIP Code
ZIP Code
ZIP codes are a system of postal codes used by the United States Postal Service since 1963. The term ZIP, an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan, is properly written in capital letters and was chosen to suggest that the mail travels more efficiently, and therefore more quickly, when senders use the...
is 95605 and its area code 916
Area code 916
North American area code 916 is an area code based in Sacramento, California. The telephone area code was one of the first three original area codes established in California in October, 1947. It covered the far northern portion of the state. It was split in a flash-cut on October, 26, 1957, at...
. It lies at an elevation of 23 feet (7 m).
Beginnings
Washington was rumored to be named after George WashingtonGeorge Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
because the town plat was filed by Margaret McDowell on Washington's birthday. Margaret McDowell's first husband, James McDowell, settled and developed 600 acres (2.4 km²) of land on a rancho he purchased from John Schwartz in 1846. He was killed in the Spring of 1849 in a saloon brawl, leaving his wife a widow.
Margaret McDowell was left with five children, a house, and a garden. She had taken in boarders as a means of income, but found she needed to do something else to remain financially able. In August 1849 she hired a surveyor to map 160 acre (0.6474976 km²) that was adjoined to her garden. In October of that year she had established the boundaries of her property and had created a town plat of 41 blocks which she named Washington. She had sold several lots during the next few years, but Washington's plat was not officially recorded and the town was called by other names including "Margeretta" and "West Sacramento".
In 1850 there were approximately 300 people residing in Washington. During the summer of 1851 the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
was relocated from Fremont
Fremont Landing, California
Fremont Landing was a former settlement in Yolo County, California, United States. It was located on the Sacramento River east-southeast of Knights Landing, at an elevation of 26 feet .-History:...
to Washington because of the severe flooding that Fremont had experienced the winter before. It had now seemed that Washington had the potential to become comparable to its "booming" sister city, Sacramento on the opposite side of the river.
A post office was established in April 1854 but the building burnt down in 1856 and to the dismay of the residence, a post office was never reconstructed and they had to go to Sacramento go get their mail for the next 33 years.
The Washington Public School District was organized in 1856, and the land was donated by Margaret McDowell, now married to Dr. Enos C. Taylor, her third husband, and renamed Mrs. Margaret Taylor. The school district still serves West Sacramento, and built three local schools within the first decade of its existence.
Local flooding that had occurred almost annually had alarmed Yolo County residents who voted to move the county seat to Cacheville (now Yolo
Yolo, California
Yolo is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Yolo County, California. It is located 5 miles northwest of the county seat, Woodland. Yolo's ZIP Code is 95697 and its area code 530. It lies at an elevation of 82 feet...
) in 1857. However, residents disliked their choice because Cacheville was so isolated and small, and moved the county seat back to Washington. Unfortunately the weather proved disastrous in the winter of 1861-62, and in 1862 the voters held a special election to vote a permanent county seat. The county seat was elected to be Woodland to the dislike of Washingtonians. Another heavy blow to the already downtrodden Washington residents was the completion of a bridge to Sacramento located roughly where the I Street Bridge
I Street Bridge
The I Street Bridge is a historic metal truss swing bridge located on I Street in Sacramento, California crossing the Sacramento River connecting Yolo County with Sacramento County...
is located today. Travelers coming from the Bay Area now had no reason to stop in Washington on their way to Sacramento. There was no need to use the local ferries because the toll bridge was cheaper.
Economic optimism increased in Washington when the California Pacific Railroad
California Pacific Railroad
The California Pacific Railroad Company was incorporated in 1865 at San Francisco, California as the California Pacific Rail Road Company. It was renamed the California Pacific Railroad Extension Company in the spring of 1869, then renamed the California Pacific Railroad later that same year...
reached the town in November 1868, and Washington was the railhead
Railhead
The word railhead is a railway term with two distinct meanings, depending upon its context.Sometimes, particularly in the context of modern freight terminals, the word is used to denote a terminus of a railway line, especially if the line is not yet finished, or if the terminus interfaces with...
of the line that started in Vallejo
Vallejo, California
Vallejo is the largest city in Solano County, California, United States. The population was 115,942 at the 2010 census. It is located in the San Francisco Bay Area on the northeastern shore of San Pablo Bay...
. The outcome wasn't quite as hoped for. Property values did not increase, and had actually decreased in comparison to the Gold Rush days. In addition to that, a new junction was completed in Davisville (now Davis) that headed towards Woodland, diverting rail traffic from Washington. Furthermore, in 1870 Cal-P reconstructed the I Street Bridge to withstand the weight of rail cars, so the rail line could reach Sacramento.
In 1871 what is modern day Downtown Sacramento
Downtown Sacramento
Downtown Sacramento is the central business district of the City of Sacramento. Downtown is generally defined as the area south of the American River, east of the Sacramento River, north of Broadway, and west of 16th Street. The central business district is generally defined as north of R Street,...
raised its buildings nine feet and reinforced the levees on its side of the Sacramento River
Sacramento River
The Sacramento River is an important watercourse of Northern and Central California in the United States. The largest river in California, it rises on the eastern slopes of the Klamath Mountains, and after a journey south of over , empties into Suisun Bay, an arm of the San Francisco Bay, and...
to withstand the annual flooding. The City of Washington couldn't afford to properly engineer well protected levees nor raise the whole town, so each year they would fix their levees and endure any flooding that would occur.
The town was renamed in the late 1800s in honor of the anti-slavery advocate and United States Senator
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
David C. Broderick
David C. Broderick
David Colbreth Broderick was a Democratic U.S. Senator from California. He was a first cousin of Andrew Kennedy and Case Broderick.-Early life and education:...
.
A new post office was established in 1893, and operated until 1909 with a brief closure in 1895 to 1896.