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The Long Lost First Manuscript Map of Oakland, Drawn by Julius Kellersberger for Major Andrew Moon Oakland's Founder
The original manuscript plan of Oakland, California, drawn by Julius Kellersberger for Major Andrew Moon in late 1851 or early 1852.
Later that year, the map would be lithographed by Alexander Zakreski in San Francisco on a much smaller scale (9.2 x 10.7 inches), with a slightly altered title: "A complete Map of Oakland : Respectfully dedicated to the Citizens of Oakland."
As noted by Jack Studer in The First Map of Oakland, California . . . , the first map of Oakland has been the subject of some intrigue. The Act of Incorporation of the Town of Oakland (approved May 4, 1852) references "the "Portois map of 'Contra Costa' on file with the Secretary of State." However, from an early date, the existence of the map has been questioned. While Portois once testified that he gave the original map to Chaplain Carpentier in 1852, but no trace of the map can be located in any government archive. It is likely that this story is part of the web of fraud concocted by Carpentier to support his claim to ownership of Oakland's waterfront.
More likely, the expert consensus points to the present map, hand drawn by Julius Kellersberger. A printed map entitled A Complete Map of Oakland, respectfully dedicated to the citizens of Oakland by J. Kellersberger, Surveyor, is recorded in the Alameda County records, Book 1, Map 21 and Book 7, map, 3. In Oakland's Early History, a son of one of the three founding fathers of Oakland, Edson. F. Adams, reported that "Adams, Carpentier and Moon employed Julius Kellersberger to survey and lay out the town of Oakland and to prepare . . . a map." Baillard Millard in his History of the San Francisco Bay Region notes that "Andrew Moon had the first survey made. The well known Kellersburger[sic] Map, now in the possession of [Moon's] family is the result of this survey. A notefrom Moon's grandaughter stated that "the famous Kellersberger map of the City of Oakland by Julius Kellersberger is worded" Respectfully dedicated to Major A. Moon by Julius Kellersberger, official surveyor." (Note: This title may be embellished, as Kellersberger was certainly not an Official Surveyor at the time the map was made).
Studer speculates that the so-called Portois map was likely prepared by using Kellersberger's data in a hurried manner by Carpentier in furtherance of his fraudulent waterfront schemes and was relied upon by Carpentier alone, in securing the Oakland town charter and the sale of some early lots, but was likely quickly deemed obsolete because of its inaccuracies.
The existence and survival of the original manuscript Kellersberger map was first documented by the San Francisco Call, July 12, 1892, when the map was introduced as evidence as part of the proceedings to prove that the City of Oakland owned its waterfront and not the railroad:
Tricky Carpentier . . . The Original Map of Oakland . . .
Strange, is it not, that it should require so much investigation to show the Oakland's water front belongs to Oakland?
The Call has been working hard to get track of the missing records that would throw light on this question.
It is doing the work that the city authorities of Oakland should have undertaken long ago.
But the City Council did not want to establish the fact that the railroad and Horace W. Carpentier had no title to the water front.
And so no official investigation has been made.
The Call, however, has ascertained certain striking facts of which Oaklanders as well as San Franciscans will read with interest.
These facts were obtained yesterday through William E. Hall, clerk of the Boards of Police Commissioners of this city.
By courtesy of Mr. Hall, who is the son-in-law of Mayor Andrew Moon, one of the original Town Trustees of Oakland, The Call presents to-day a copy of the original map of Oakland.
This map was made for Mayor Moon, who laid out the town of Oakland in 1850.
It is the famous Kellersberger map that has been mentioned many times in the course of the water-front controversy.
It shows what Oakland looked like when Carpentier hatched his conspiracy.
With the map are documents that show many curious things.
Coupled with the statements of witnesses introduced by Mr. Hall a chain of evidence is established showing conclusively that its is not Carpentier's, nor Adam, nor the Oakland Water-front Company's, nor the Southern Pacific's.
It is plainly and simply Oakland's.
* * *
[Andrew Moon] hit upon the idea of making a town on his own and the adjoining property . . . He thought of calling it Contra Costa . . . .but he changed his mind and called it Oakland.
Julius Kellersberger made the first map of Oakland in 1850.
"A Topographical and Complete Map of Oakland. Respectfully dedicated to Major Moon, in Oakland, by J. Kellersberger, surveyor," is the way this original map is inscribed.
This map is now in Mr. Hall's hands.
It is yellowed by age and looks as if it had much handling; but it isa ll there and shows exactly what Oakland looked like 42 years ago.
* * *
[After the chartering of the town of Oakland, a] fire occured destroying the shanty on the wharf in which the town records were kept . . . The was the strangest fire ever heard of in Oakland. It burned a whole lot of documents that Carpentier did not want to have lying around and it did not burn certain documents that he wanted to keep in existence.
Out of the fire came a curious document which said that in consideration of Carpentier building a schoolhouse and two wharves, the city first leased to him the waterfront for 37 years and then granted it to him, his heirs and assigns forever.
But Moon, who built the schoolhouse and not Chaplain Carpentier at all -- looked upon the "grant" with open-eyed astonishment.
"There is no grant," he declared. "The Trustees could not grant the water front to anybody. It would have been a great wrong to posterity. Furthermore, I was present at the board on the date mentioned in the document, and all we did was give Carpentier a lease. He never had a grant -- it was simply a lease for 27 years."
In 1852 the claimants of the Peralta grant began suit against Moon, Adams & Carpentier to settle the title to a portion of the town. The suit was compromised for $10,000, paid by the firm.
Moon became so disgusted with the methods of his partners in 1854 that he drew out of the firm and came to San Francisco [where he established a ferry line in 1854 . . .]
Moon on leaving Oakland did not carry off any public records, as has been asserted.
But he did take with him papers that he said would have sent Carpentier and Adams to State Prison.
The present map is almost certainly the original manuscript map described above. It is 4 times the size of the printed Zakreski map and includes the dedication to Major Moon. It seems highly unlikely that more than 1 example of the map was created.
Rarity
The much smaller printed version of the Kellersberger-Zakreski Map is known in 3 surviving examples (Stanford, UC Berkeley and Oakland Public Library).
