Morgan Territory
Encyclopedia
Morgan Territory is a region in California
on the east side of Mount Diablo in the San Francisco East Bay's Contra Costa County
. The area is named for settler
Jeremiah Morgan (earliest published Munro 1882 and USGS 1898).
in the area in 1856 then moved there in 1857 "because the grizzly bear hunting was so good". Morgan had seventeen children. A one room school house
and school district
provided the first official name for the region
(Munro-1882) which was later cemented by Morgan Territory Road. Morgan, however, called it the "Morning Side of the Mountain."
Jeremiah was born in the Cherokee
Nation, Alabama
, near the Tennessee River
. He came to California in 1849, and claimed 10,000 acres (40 km²) of unsurveyed land on “the morning side of Mount Diablo” in 1856. After the official first survey by the U.S. government in 1862, Jeremiah's land claims were reduced to 2,000 acres (8 km²). Jeremiah had 17 children by his first wife, Sarah Ellis Morgan, who died in 1869 and his second, Louisa Riggs. ”Morgan Territory Road” was officially designated by Contra Costa County in 1892. The road is 14.5 miles (23.3 km) long and passes through four township
s.
In 2004 Save Mount Diablo memorialized Jeremiah Morgan with a historic monument at its Morgan Red Corral property on Morgan Territory Road, with text prepared by Morgan Territory historian Anne Homan.
to Marsh Creek Road east of Clayton
, at times a single lane wide—for ten miles (16 km) there is no center line—and with no intersecting through roads. It began as a muddy wagon track linking ranch
es in the Black Hills and east of Mount Diablo. The northern slope of the road largely follows Marsh Creek. The northern part of the road was officially accepted by Contra Costa County in 1886 and designated “Morgan Road” in 1892.
After realignment the southern section was accepted by the County as a public highway in 1895. A short southern section in Alameda County
was designated “Beck Road” in 1907 for John Beck, a nearby landowner, and for some years the through road south was known as Finley Road. The southern section rises from the 600’ contour to 2,063’ at the summit
. A quarter mile section with a 14% grade is known as “the Levy” for early landowner Samuel Levy, who owned the adjoining property. A “summer road” until 1937, the southern road section was gravel
ed from Manning to the Levy; locals called it the “Black Hills Road.” The northern section from the last creek bridge north was graveled in the 1930s. The road was paved in the 1950s. Bowerman (1944) shows the road as the “Livermore Road”, according to historian Annie Homan.
and resident
Anne Homan, and the surrounding region are named for pioneer settler Jeremiah Morgan. Established in 1976, the East Bay Regional Park District preserve's nearly 5,000 acres (20 km²) are an important wildlife
and recreational corridor
stretching east from Riggs Canyon and Mount Diablo State Park
to the Contra Costa Water District's Los Vaqueros watershed and EBRPD's Round Valley Preserve. The original preserve
was located on Morgan Territory Ridge, east of Morgan Territory Road, and including the headwaters
of Marsh Creek, but was expanded in the late 1980s and afterwards across the parallel Highland Ridge west of the road and into Riggs Canyon.
Morgan Territory's sandstone
hills include the headwaters of Marsh and Tassajara creeks, feature more than ninety species of wildflower
s, and are home to mountain lion, golden eagles
and the endemic Diablo sunflower
and Diablo manzanita
. Expansive views stretch to Mt. Diablo and Mount St. Helena to the north and the Sierra Nevada range to the east. Preserve trails are named for the First people, animals such as Condor
(Molluk), Prairie Falcon
, Eagle
and Coyote
, for natural features and for features of the preserve's ranching history.
and the headwaters of Marsh Creek that were most prized. Hulet Hornbeck, Chief of Acquisitions for the East Bay Regional Park District, collaborated with Lindner in convincing the District Board of Directors to create the Preserve in an area with little public interest or need. These efforts would prove to be prescient as the population of the nearby Tri-Valley exploded and the boom of Silicon Valley
would dramatically increase land prices.
and photographer, a president of the Sierra Club
San Francisco Bay Chapter and one of the founders of the Chapter's Gay Lesbian Activities Section (GLS), the first such group, led the dramatic expansion of the preserve in the late 1980s and early 1990s from 970 acres (3.9 km²) to more than 5,000 acres (20 km²). Walker was also a member of the Board of Directors of the non-profit Save Mount Diablo. The same period was marked by expansion of Mount Diablo State Park
east to join with the Preserve in Riggs Canyon.
Serving with Walker was Robert Doyle, president of Save Mount Diablo at the time and who had succeeded Hornbeck as Assistant General Manager and Chief of Acquisitions for the East Bay Regional Park District. Doyle and Walker strategized about how to create public support for expanding the Preserve from its original 970 acres (3.9 km²), and in 1987 the square mile Marshall property was added to the Preserve. Seth Adams, staff for Save Mount Diablo, aided Walker and Doyle even as SMD worked to expand the nearby Mt. Diablo State Park with its Morgan Ranch acquisition.
This first connection between the two parks, marked by SMD's acquisition of the 631 acre (2.6 km²) Morgan Ranch, was celebrated by a 1988 backpacking
trip that eventually led to the 1994 creation of the 30 miles (48.3 km) Diablo Trail across six parks from Walnut Creek
to Brentwood
. In quick succession large square mile sections were added to the Preserve even as the 19,000 acre (77 km²) Los Vaqueros watershed was preserved to the east and Round Valley, threatened by Contra Costa County landfill proposals, was made into another new adjoining Regional Preserve.
Bob Walker died of AIDS
in 1992 but lived long enough for the Board of Directors of the East Bay Regional Park District to memorialize him with the naming of the Bob Walker Ridge (a section of Morgan Territory Ridge) and of the Bob Walker Regional Trail (overlaying sections of the Highland Ridge and Diablo Trails.)
Walker's collection of more than 30,000 photographic slides, primarily of the East Bay, were transferred to the Natural History Section of the Oakland Museum, also known as the Museum of California.
Also in 2004 Save Mount Diablo memorialized Jeremiah Morgan with a historic monument at its Morgan Red Corral property on Morgan Territory Road, text prepared by Morgan Territory historian Anne Homan.
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
on the east side of Mount Diablo in the San Francisco East Bay's Contra Costa County
Contra Costa County, California
Contra Costa County is a primarily suburban county in the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 1,049,025...
. The area is named for settler
Settler
A settler is a person who has migrated to an area and established permanent residence there, often to colonize the area. Settlers are generally people who take up residence on land and cultivate it, as opposed to nomads...
Jeremiah Morgan (earliest published Munro 1882 and USGS 1898).
Jeremiah Morgan
The “Territory” and “Road” were named for Jeremiah “Jerry” Morgan (1819-1906) and his descendants. Morgan huntedHunting
Hunting is the practice of pursuing any living thing, usually wildlife, for food, recreation, or trade. In present-day use, the term refers to lawful hunting, as distinguished from poaching, which is the killing, trapping or capture of the hunted species contrary to applicable law...
in the area in 1856 then moved there in 1857 "because the grizzly bear hunting was so good". Morgan had seventeen children. A one room school house
One-room school
One-room schools were commonplace throughout rural portions of various countries including the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Ireland and Spain in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In most rural and small town schools, all of the students met in a single room...
and school district
School district
School districts are a form of special-purpose district which serves to operate the local public primary and secondary schools.-United States:...
provided the first official name for the region
Region
Region is most commonly found as a term used in terrestrial and astrophysics sciences also an area, notably among the different sub-disciplines of geography, studied by regional geographers. Regions consist of subregions that contain clusters of like areas that are distinctive by their uniformity...
(Munro-1882) which was later cemented by Morgan Territory Road. Morgan, however, called it the "Morning Side of the Mountain."
Jeremiah was born in the Cherokee
Cherokee
The Cherokee are a Native American people historically settled in the Southeastern United States . Linguistically, they are part of the Iroquoian language family...
Nation, Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
, near the Tennessee River
Tennessee River
The Tennessee River is the largest tributary of the Ohio River. It is approximately 652 miles long and is located in the southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. The river was once popularly known as the Cherokee River, among other names...
. He came to California in 1849, and claimed 10,000 acres (40 km²) of unsurveyed land on “the morning side of Mount Diablo” in 1856. After the official first survey by the U.S. government in 1862, Jeremiah's land claims were reduced to 2,000 acres (8 km²). Jeremiah had 17 children by his first wife, Sarah Ellis Morgan, who died in 1869 and his second, Louisa Riggs. ”Morgan Territory Road” was officially designated by Contra Costa County in 1892. The road is 14.5 miles (23.3 km) long and passes through four township
Township
The word township is used to refer to different kinds of settlements in different countries. Township is generally associated with an urban area. However there are many exceptions to this rule. In Australia, the United States, and Canada, they may be settlements too small to be considered urban...
s.
In 2004 Save Mount Diablo memorialized Jeremiah Morgan with a historic monument at its Morgan Red Corral property on Morgan Territory Road, with text prepared by Morgan Territory historian Anne Homan.
Morgan Territory Road
The 14.5 miles (23.3 km) Morgan Territory Road stretches from Manning Road north of LivermoreLivermore, California
Livermore is a city in Alameda County. The population as of 2010 was 80,968. Livermore is located on the eastern edge of California's San Francisco Bay Area....
to Marsh Creek Road east of Clayton
Clayton, California
Clayton is a city in Contra Costa County, California, United States. The population was 10,897 as of the 2010 census.- Geography :...
, at times a single lane wide—for ten miles (16 km) there is no center line—and with no intersecting through roads. It began as a muddy wagon track linking ranch
Ranch
A ranch is an area of landscape, including various structures, given primarily to the practice of ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle or sheep for meat or wool. The word most often applies to livestock-raising operations in the western United States and Canada, though...
es in the Black Hills and east of Mount Diablo. The northern slope of the road largely follows Marsh Creek. The northern part of the road was officially accepted by Contra Costa County in 1886 and designated “Morgan Road” in 1892.
After realignment the southern section was accepted by the County as a public highway in 1895. A short southern section in Alameda County
Alameda County, California
Alameda County is a county in the U.S. state of California. It occupies most of the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 1,510,271, making it the 7th most populous county in the state...
was designated “Beck Road” in 1907 for John Beck, a nearby landowner, and for some years the through road south was known as Finley Road. The southern section rises from the 600’ contour to 2,063’ at the summit
Summit (topography)
In topography, a summit is a point on a surface that is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it. Mathematically, a summit is a local maximum in elevation...
. A quarter mile section with a 14% grade is known as “the Levy” for early landowner Samuel Levy, who owned the adjoining property. A “summer road” until 1937, the southern road section was gravel
Gravel
Gravel is composed of unconsolidated rock fragments that have a general particle size range and include size classes from granule- to boulder-sized fragments. Gravel can be sub-categorized into granule and cobble...
ed from Manning to the Levy; locals called it the “Black Hills Road.” The northern section from the last creek bridge north was graveled in the 1930s. The road was paved in the 1950s. Bowerman (1944) shows the road as the “Livermore Road”, according to historian Annie Homan.
Morgan Territory Regional Preserve
Morgan Territory Regional Preserve, called "Top of the World Park" by area historianHistorian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
and resident
Artist in residence
Artist-in-residence programs and other residency opportunities allow visiting artists to stay and work so that they may apply singular focus to their art practice....
Anne Homan, and the surrounding region are named for pioneer settler Jeremiah Morgan. Established in 1976, the East Bay Regional Park District preserve's nearly 5,000 acres (20 km²) are an important wildlife
Wildlife
Wildlife includes all non-domesticated plants, animals and other organisms. Domesticating wild plant and animal species for human benefit has occurred many times all over the planet, and has a major impact on the environment, both positive and negative....
and recreational corridor
Wildlife corridor
A wildlife corridor or green corridor is an area of habitat connecting wildlife populations separated by human activities . This allows an exchange of individuals between populations, which may help prevent the negative effects of inbreeding and reduced genetic diversity that often occur within...
stretching east from Riggs Canyon and Mount Diablo State Park
Mount Diablo State Park
Mount Diablo is a mountain in Contra Costa County, California in the San Francisco Bay Area, located south of Clayton and northeast of Danville. It is an isolated upthrust peak of , visible from most of the San Francisco Bay Area and much of northern California...
to the Contra Costa Water District's Los Vaqueros watershed and EBRPD's Round Valley Preserve. The original preserve
Nature reserve
A nature reserve is a protected area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research...
was located on Morgan Territory Ridge, east of Morgan Territory Road, and including the headwaters
Source (river or stream)
The source or headwaters of a river or stream is the place from which the water in the river or stream originates.-Definition:There is no universally agreed upon definition for determining a stream's source...
of Marsh Creek, but was expanded in the late 1980s and afterwards across the parallel Highland Ridge west of the road and into Riggs Canyon.
Morgan Territory's sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
hills include the headwaters of Marsh and Tassajara creeks, feature more than ninety species of wildflower
Wildflower
A wildflower is a flower that grows wild, meaning it was not intentionally seeded or planted. Yet "wildflower" meadows of a few mixed species are sold in seed packets. The term "wildflower" has been made vague by commercial seedsmen who are interested in selling more flowers or seeds more...
s, and are home to mountain lion, golden eagles
Golden Eagle
The Golden Eagle is one of the best known birds of prey in the Northern Hemisphere. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. Once widespread across the Holarctic, it has disappeared from many of the more heavily populated areas...
and the endemic Diablo sunflower
Sunflower
Sunflower is an annual plant native to the Americas. It possesses a large inflorescence . The sunflower got its name from its huge, fiery blooms, whose shape and image is often used to depict the sun. The sunflower has a rough, hairy stem, broad, coarsely toothed, rough leaves and circular heads...
and Diablo manzanita
Manzanita
Manzanita is a common name for many species of the genus Arctostaphylos. They are evergreen shrubs or small trees present in the chaparral biome of western North America, where they occur from southern British Columbia, Washington to California, Arizona and New Mexico in the United States, and...
. Expansive views stretch to Mt. Diablo and Mount St. Helena to the north and the Sierra Nevada range to the east. Preserve trails are named for the First people, animals such as Condor
Condor
Condor is the name for two species of New World vultures, each in a monotypic genus. They are the largest flying land birds in the Western Hemisphere.They are:* The Andean Condor which inhabits the Andean mountains....
(Molluk), Prairie Falcon
Prairie Falcon
The Prairie Falcon is a medium-sized falcon of western North America.It is about the size of a Peregrine Falcon or a crow, with an average length of 40 cm , wingspan of 1 metre , and weight of 720 g...
, Eagle
Eagle
Eagles are members of the bird family Accipitridae, and belong to several genera which are not necessarily closely related to each other. Most of the more than 60 species occur in Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just two species can be found in the United States and Canada, nine more in...
and Coyote
Coyote
The coyote , also known as the American jackal or the prairie wolf, is a species of canine found throughout North and Central America, ranging from Panama in the south, north through Mexico, the United States and Canada...
, for natural features and for features of the preserve's ranching history.
Manfred Lindner & Hulet Hornbeck
In the late 1960s and early 1970s Manfred "Manny" Lindner of the Contra Costa Park Council helped lead efforts to establish a new preserve in Morgan Territory, going so far as to create a large three dimensional model of the main ridgeRidge
A ridge is a geological feature consisting of a chain of mountains or hills that form a continuous elevated crest for some distance. Ridges are usually termed hills or mountains as well, depending on size. There are several main types of ridges:...
and the headwaters of Marsh Creek that were most prized. Hulet Hornbeck, Chief of Acquisitions for the East Bay Regional Park District, collaborated with Lindner in convincing the District Board of Directors to create the Preserve in an area with little public interest or need. These efforts would prove to be prescient as the population of the nearby Tri-Valley exploded and the boom of Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley is a term which refers to the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area in Northern California in the United States. The region is home to many of the world's largest technology corporations...
would dramatically increase land prices.
Bob Walker & Bob Doyle
Bob Walker (1952-1992), environmentalistEnvironmentalist
An environmentalist broadly supports the goals of the environmental movement, "a political and ethical movement that seeks to improve and protect the quality of the natural environment through changes to environmentally harmful human activities"...
and photographer, a president of the Sierra Club
Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is the oldest, largest, and most influential grassroots environmental organization in the United States. It was founded on May 28, 1892, in San Francisco, California, by the conservationist and preservationist John Muir, who became its first president...
San Francisco Bay Chapter and one of the founders of the Chapter's Gay Lesbian Activities Section (GLS), the first such group, led the dramatic expansion of the preserve in the late 1980s and early 1990s from 970 acres (3.9 km²) to more than 5,000 acres (20 km²). Walker was also a member of the Board of Directors of the non-profit Save Mount Diablo. The same period was marked by expansion of Mount Diablo State Park
Mount Diablo State Park
Mount Diablo is a mountain in Contra Costa County, California in the San Francisco Bay Area, located south of Clayton and northeast of Danville. It is an isolated upthrust peak of , visible from most of the San Francisco Bay Area and much of northern California...
east to join with the Preserve in Riggs Canyon.
Serving with Walker was Robert Doyle, president of Save Mount Diablo at the time and who had succeeded Hornbeck as Assistant General Manager and Chief of Acquisitions for the East Bay Regional Park District. Doyle and Walker strategized about how to create public support for expanding the Preserve from its original 970 acres (3.9 km²), and in 1987 the square mile Marshall property was added to the Preserve. Seth Adams, staff for Save Mount Diablo, aided Walker and Doyle even as SMD worked to expand the nearby Mt. Diablo State Park with its Morgan Ranch acquisition.
This first connection between the two parks, marked by SMD's acquisition of the 631 acre (2.6 km²) Morgan Ranch, was celebrated by a 1988 backpacking
Backpacking (wilderness)
Backpacking combines the activities of hiking and camping for an overnight stay in backcountry wilderness...
trip that eventually led to the 1994 creation of the 30 miles (48.3 km) Diablo Trail across six parks from Walnut Creek
Walnut Creek, California
Walnut Creek is an incorporated city located east of the city of Oakland. It lies in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. While not as large as neighboring Concord, Walnut Creek serves as the business and entertainment hub for the neighboring cities within central Contra Costa...
to Brentwood
Brentwood, California
Brentwood is a city in Contra Costa County, California, United States. It is located in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. The population is 51,481 as of 2010....
. In quick succession large square mile sections were added to the Preserve even as the 19,000 acre (77 km²) Los Vaqueros watershed was preserved to the east and Round Valley, threatened by Contra Costa County landfill proposals, was made into another new adjoining Regional Preserve.
Bob Walker died of AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
in 1992 but lived long enough for the Board of Directors of the East Bay Regional Park District to memorialize him with the naming of the Bob Walker Ridge (a section of Morgan Territory Ridge) and of the Bob Walker Regional Trail (overlaying sections of the Highland Ridge and Diablo Trails.)
Walker's collection of more than 30,000 photographic slides, primarily of the East Bay, were transferred to the Natural History Section of the Oakland Museum, also known as the Museum of California.
Morgan Ranch
The 631 acre (2.6 km²) Morgan Ranch was acquired from Willard "Bill" & Naomi Morgan in 1989 by Save Mount Diablo and transferred to Mt. Diablo State Park to become the first and corner connection to Morgan Territory Regional Preserve. Bill Morgan is a great grandson of Jeremiah Morgan. The Morgan Ranch is a nearly square parcel which rises from Marsh Creek,WAS is draped over Highland Ridge, and then descends west to Tassajara Creek in Riggs Canyon.Morgan Red Corral
In 2004 Save Mount Diablo also acquired the "Morgan Red Corral" across Morgan Territory Road from the Morgan Ranch, in part to serve as a staging area for this easternmost part of the State Park.Also in 2004 Save Mount Diablo memorialized Jeremiah Morgan with a historic monument at its Morgan Red Corral property on Morgan Territory Road, text prepared by Morgan Territory historian Anne Homan.