Fair Oaks Historical Society - Membership

A Chronology of Fair Oaks Events

Created January, 2009. Most recent update, 11/13/13,

A note from the webmaster:

Over the past years, as I've done research on various questions regarding Fair Oaks history, I've felt a need for some reference dates on events in Fair Oaks. This resulted in my rereading a number of source documents (always enjoyable) and creating a table of over 250 dates. I've since continued to update and correct the chronology as I do more research.

Please note that an event with only a year will appear at the beginning of the year and may be out of place in that year.

As always in such a project, there will be errors and notable events left out, and I welcome corrections and additions. Many of the dates are recollections of old Fair Oaks residents and I have tried to verify them with newspaper or other "in-time" records, sometimes unsuccessfully. I've provided my reference for each of the dates, and the table of references is included below. Enjoy!

Table of References:


Year Month Day
Source
Event
     
1844 12 24 hsa1p2 Rancho San Juan ceded by Mexico to Joel P. Dedmond
1852 0 0 mem79 Cherry orchard at Sacramento Bar planted by White and Hollister
1860 7 9 mem85 Hiram Grimes obtained a patent on the San Juan Grant
1868 0 0 mem85 Fred Cox buys San Juan Grant property
1873 0 0 nat Natomas vineyard first planted
1874 12 0 mem79 First sale of Fair Oaks land by Clark and Cox to James Muldrow
1885 0 0 nat Natomas vineyards grown to 2000 acres
1895 0 0 mem79 Howard Wilson & Co. agrees with Clark & Cox to sell parcels
1895 7 15 hsa4p1 500 acres planted in orchard, 300 acres citrus, 200 acres all other
1895 10 29 mem91 Holst family arrives in Sacramento
1895 11 1 mem91 Construction begun on the Fair Oaks Hotel
1895 11 14 heart43a Excursion train leaves Chicago
1895 11 19 cal-mem85 Special excursion train arrives in Sacramento
1895 11 20 cal First settlers arrived in Fair Oaks via Sacramento-Folsom
1895 12 0 mem96-chron Leonard Shelton opens store and applies for Postmastership
1895 12 24 cal Subdivision maps filed with County establishing Fair Oaks
1896 0 0 mem30 N.R. Smith family comes to Fair Oaks
1896 0 0 mem96 Fair Oaks certified as election district, first election held
1896 1 9 heart14a Second excursion train arrives in Sacramento
1896 2 0 mem9 John Cunningham moves to Fair Oaks
1896 2 12 cal-hsa4p2-chron First Fair Oaks Post Office established in Shelton's store
1896 3 0 mem24 Third Fair Oaks excursion train comes to Sacramento
1896 3 0 mem94 Watkins family arrives in Fair Oaks
1896 5 27 cal Macadam Road planned; Sacramento, Fair Oaks, Orangevale, Folsom
1896 6 30 cal-chron Water turned on in the new colony pipe system which came from the North Fork Ditch Co
1896 10 3 cal-hsa4p2-mem81 First public school opened in upper story of Dean's Hall near the hotel with 40 students
1896 12 24 mem52 Charles Slocum family arrives in Fair Oaks
1897 0 0 mem98-chron First wedding in Fair Oaks, Neils Munson and Helena Roediger
1897 0 0 chron First registered physician, Dr. E.H. Buffum, M.D.
1897 2 0 mem93 First child born in Fair Oaks Colony, Alfred "Pete" Holst
1897 4 0 mem13 Joseph Broadley arrives in Fair Oaks
1897 6 0 hsa4p3-mem81+ First School Board in Fair Oaks elected
1897 6 27 bram1-4-97 Announcement of another excursion train
1897 9 0 hsa4p3-mem81+ First Fair Oaks School building constructed (others say 1898)
1898 0 0 mem14 Joseph Broadley home built on Sunset
1898 0 0 mem97 Charles Slocum puts in lumber yard just east of library
1898 0 0 mem100 George Straith family arrives in Fair Oaks
1898 0 0 mem100 O.W. Ruggles family arrives in Fair Oaks
1898 0 0 mem103 T.J. Kale family arrives in Fair Oaks
1898 11 2 cal First election in Fair Oaks - 88 votes
1899 0 0 web Chicago-Fair Oaks Club formed
1899 0 0 mem73 Oliver Beauchamp arrives in Fair Oaks
1899 0 0 brugger First dredger built on Mississippi Bar
1899 2 10 bram1-2-99 First dredger (Hercules) launched at Sailor Bar (hsa 6-2 says 6/1900)
1899 4 0 bram1-4-99 S.L. Watkins leases land from N.R. Smith for nursery
1899 5 0 bram1-5-99 H.H. Pierce receives commission for new post office in east Fair Oaks (Pomelo)
1899 5 7 hsa5p1-mem81+-chron Fair Oaks Methodist Church dedicated (Holst mem96 & chron says 1897)
1899 6 0 mem19 Sim Green's family arrives in Fair Oaks
1899 6 0 bram1-6-99 Slocum builds second of three homes
1899 7 0 hsa5p1-mem81+ County Board of Supervisors petitioned to build a Fair Oaks bridge
1899 9 0 hsa5-p1-mem81+ Four Gables Academy opens, Prof. Elmore Chase principal
1900 0 0 mem100 George King family comes to Fair Oaks
1900 0 0 mem100 Alexander Craig arrives in Fair Oaks and builds on Illinois Avenue
1900 7 0 hsa5p2-mem81+ George Straith residence built
1900 8 7 cal County Supervisors voted money for Fair Oaks bridge
1900 9 0 hsa5p1-mem81+ Fair Oaks Development Company incorporated
1900 9 8 cal Fair Oaks Water Company incorporated
1901 0 0 hsa5p2-mem81+ Hodge, Gore, Birchard, Cunningham,Buffum homes built
1901 0 0 hsa5p2-mem81+-chron Murphy Building (San Juan Hall) built
1901 0 0 hsa5p3-mem81+ Fair Oaks Fruit Association organized
1901 0 0 mem94 Fred Cox donates 2 1/2 acres for the second Fair Oaks School
1901 0 0 chron First packing house built
1901 0 0 chron First carload of oranges shipped from Fair Oaks
1901 1 0 hsa5p1-mem81+ Construction begins on first Fair Oaks bridge
1901 1 0 bram3 First edition of Fair Oaks Register newspaper
1901 2 0 hsa5p1-mem81+ Rural Mail Delivery from Folsom to Fair Oaks established
1901 3 2 ft Work begins on new railroad spur line to the FO Bridge
1901 3 21 cal Contract made to ship Fair Oaks fruit to San Francisco
1901 3 23 hsa5p1-mem81+-bram1 First Fair Oaks bridge completed
1901 4 12 bram1-ft Mass meeting in Fair Oaks to protest County granting license for saloon at Fair Oaks train station
1901 6 0 hsa5p1-mem81+ - ft Fair Oaks pipe system completed
1901 6 1 ft Railroad spur to Fair Oaks Bridge completed
1901 6 6 cal-bram1 First train from Sacramento to Fair Oaks
1901 12 0 hsa5p1-mem81+ Fair Oaks Development Company dissolved
1902 0 0 hsa5p2-mem81+ King and Bailey homes built
1902 0 0 hsa5p3-mem81+ Fair Oaks Fruit Association merged with Fair Oaks Fruit Company
1902 0 0 mem8 Henry Rice family moves to Fair Oaks
1902 0 0 mem10 Albert Fowler arrives in Fair Oaks
1902 0 0 mem62 John Ricketts arrives in Fair Oaks
1902 3 1 cal Woman's Thursday Club organized
1902 7 1 cal Rural Mail delivery begins in Fair Oaks (chron says 1903)
1902 8 9 mem6 Dr. R.N. Bramhall comes to Fair Oaks
1902 8 11 cal-hsa5p2-mem81+94-chron Second Fair Oaks School (now Community Clubhouse) dedicated
1902 9 0 hsa1-7 Mr. Beauchamp is building on a sightly knoll near the Fair Oaks Packing Plant
1902 9 0 hsa1-7 Parents of Mrs. Bramhall have moved into the house belonging to Mr. Birchard
1902 9 0 hsa1-7 W.B. Slocum fixes up house purchased from R. Lamont (who moved to Mississippi)
1902 9 0 item First issue of the Fair Oaks High School Advocate magazine
1902 9 0 item S.E. Kieffer writes first installment of Fair Oaks History in Advocate, page 2
1902 10 0 item Clarence Watson & William Bailey Jr suspended from school because of Advocate and start Fair Oaks Tattler
1902 10 21 focem Fair Oaks Cemetery created
1902 12 0 hsa3-7 Dr. E. W. Whitman, dentist, moves to Fair Oaks from Oakland
1903 0 0 mem97 Beginning of two year drought in Fair Oaks
1903 2 0 hsa6-5 Mr F.W. Johns has moved into one of Mr. Buffum's houses
1903 2 0 hsa6-5 Mr J. B. Wrangham has moved to Fair Oaks
1903 2 0 hsa6-5 H. Rice home started
1903 3 0 hsa7-7 Dr. E. Buffum establishes practice in Sacramento
1903 4 0 hsa8-5 Fair Oaks Fruit Company purchases supply of new triangular bottle for San Juan Olive Oil
1903 4 0 hsa9-5 Sailor Bar dredger (probably Hercules) burns
1903 6 0 hsa6-5 Geo. W. Stephenson builds next to F. Rice
1903 6 0 item Last issue of Fair Oaks High School Advocate
1904 0 0 mem10 Concrete Olive Mill built
1904 0 0 mem16 Lum Smallwood came to Fair Oaks
1904 0 0 mem21 Randall Building destroyed by fire
1904 8 0 mem26 John R. Dave comes to Fair Oaks
1905 0 0 mem26 John Dave buys Randall place
1906 0 0 mem8 Fair Oaks Fruit Company packing house built
1906 0 0 mem21 First telephone service to Fair Oaks established
1906 0 0 mem21 W.W. Hinsey moved to Fair Oaks and established the Fair Oaks Fruit Company
1906 0 0 mem34 Clayton Vaughn comes to Fair Oaks and builds home
1906 0 0 mem44 Frank Vincent moves to Fair Oaks
1906 0 0 ol5-20-chron Fair Oaks Presbyterian church built (mem6 says 1902)
1907 0 0 ol5-18 R.W. Stephenson house built on Sunset Ave.
1907 0 0 ol5-21 New road (Winding Way) built between west and east end of Fair Oaks
1907 1 19 ft Gas lamps installed in FO Methodist Church
1907 2 9 ft Watkins house completed
1907 3 19 cal-sb Fair Oaks bridge washed out
1907 3 30 sb Temporary ferry built across river
1907 5 4 cal-ft Temporary bridge opened
1907 6 1 cal First issue of Oak Leaves magazine published
1907 6 15 ft New FO water system finished
1907 8 0 ol4-17 Cement walk and entrance steps added to Murphy Building
1907 8 0 ol4-19 Dr. J.H. Buffum and son Howard make automobile trip to Santa Cruz
1907 8 0 ol4-19 Rock crushing plant built near the Bridge on south side of the river
1907 9 10 sb Bond proposal passed with new FO Bridge included - $63,000
1907 10 0 mem6 Bramhall cottage burns down
1907 10 23 cal Fair Oaks Road Committee formed
1907 11 30 mem6-sb Bramhall home on bluffs built
1907 11 30 ft Completion of new concrete bridge on Winding Way by T. W. Ward
1908 0 0 mem96 Folsom Blvd highway built - first macadam state road in Ca
1908 2 19 ft Pennsylvania Ave. improved leading to new dredger on Sacramento Bar
1908 4 4 ft Rock crushing plant ready to operate
1908 5 16 ft Great piers of concrete being erected for FO Bridge
1908 7 0 mem8 Immer Rice starts blacksmith shop
1908 7 1 mem98 Slocum and Gore Store becomes Holst & Co.
1908 10 8 cal Fair Oaks Library Association formed
1908 10 9 ey28 A room in the basement of the Methodist church served as the library for two years
1909 1 9 ft All steel work finished on new Fair Oaks Bridge and planking started
1909 1 13 ft Temporary bridge washed out
1909 2 16 cal Robinson-Buffum Real Estate Company formed
1909 3 26 cal-mem20 Fair Oaks Bank established in temporary bldg
1909 5 21 ft New Fair Oaks Bridge and gradings finished
1909 6 3 foc Fill completed, needs to settle for several months before paving
1909 9 0 foc Grading of main road to town completed - now building large bulkheads at each end of bridge
1909 9 0 foc While road is being completed, traffic suspended, river will be forded a hundred yards downstream
1909 9 2 foc Fair Oaks Hotel closes due to poor business
1909 9 11 ft - foc Slocum-Gore/Holst Store and bank building destroyed by fire
1909 10 7 foc Fair Oaks Fruit Co. to occupy its new fireproof office building
1909 12 9 mem21-chron-foc First electricity to downtown Fair Oaks
1910 0 0 mem96 Election in Fair Oaks, 198 votes cast
1910 0 0 chron New bank building finished
1910 0 0 chron New olive mill finished
1910 0 0 ey28 Library moved to Fair Oaks School
1910 12 1 foc William F. Bailey leaves for Brazil to work on railroad
1911 0 0 item First edition of Fair Oaks Citizen newspaper
1912 0 0 mem95 Part of second Fair Oaks School lot donated for the Fair Oaks Library
1912 0 0 mem96 Election in Fair Oaks, 363 votes cast
1912 0 0 mem96 Women started voting - 117 voted in Fair Oaks in 1912
1912 0 0 photos Fair Oaks first school rebuilt at Martsmith
1912 0 0 ey28 Library building opened
1912 9 2 cal First track laying tractor brought to Fair Oaks by Earl Ricketts
1912 11 21 foc Fair Oaks Chamber of Commerce formed
1913 0 0 nat Natomas winery buildings bought by Libby for olive cannery
1913 3 6 foc Petitions circulated for new union high school
1913 6 15 foc New building for Fair Oaks Woman's Thursday Club
1913 6 28 foc Election held for new union high school
1913 7 0 foc Fair Oaks School District offers second floor of school for new high school
1913 8 7 foc First reference in Fair Oaks Citizen to "San Juan High School"
1913 9 1 mem27-foc San Juan High School Opens in Fair Oaks second school building
1914 3 10 cal W.R. Gore became Postmaster
1915 0 0 mem14 Fair Oaks Hotel deserted
1915 0 0 brugger Sr Brugger started work at PCA
1915 9 0 mem65 Opening of new San Juan High School building on Greenback Ave.
1917 3 26 cal Fair Oaks Irrigation District formed
1918 0 0 mem16 Frank Campoy Sr. moves to Fair Oaks
1918 0 0 mem21 Plaza purchased by Fair Oaks Civic Club from John Green
1918 0 0 nat Natomas Co. builds first front end blade in country
1918 1 28 cal Ground broken for Mather Field
1919 0 0 mem6-mem18 Fair Oaks Blvd opened to Sacramento
1920 0 0 photos Fair Oaks Martsmith school closed due to lack of students
1921 3 0 fowlerp Ford agency (Fowler-Green) destroyed by fire
1922 0 0 mem14 Harold and Murray Broadley buy the old Fair Oaks Hotel
1923 0 0 mem14 Murray Broadley tears down the Hotel and uses lumber to build a new home
1923 0 0 mem14 Building with second floor hall across from Hotel burns down
1924 0 0 mem21 Bill Andrews built the Plaza Service Station
1924 12 23 fop Kraft home destroyed by fire
1925 0 0 mem28 Corbitt purchases property on California Ave with three houses
1925 8 0 fop William Bailey home destroyed by fire
1926 8 23 focem Fair Oaks Cemetery District formed
1927 8 2 fop Whitsell home destroyed by fire
1928 0 0 mem16 Last classes held in second Fair Oaks School
1928 0 0 mem89 Wallace home destroyed by fire
1929 1 20 cal-mem23 Fair Oaks School dedicated at Fair Oaks Blvd and Winding Way
1930 9 19 fop Slocum second home destroyed by fire
1931 1 0 mem17 Old Davis home burns down
1931 4 15 cal Name changed officially from Fairoaks to Fair Oaks
1931 12 20 cal Seasonal total 90 cars of oranges shipped by rail
1932 12 9 cal Disastrous freeze destroys Fair Oaks orange industry
1933 0 0 mem22-23 Myron Wood starts Wood Motors - later Edgett Motors
1933 1 23 mem21 Fair Oaks Bank closed because of depression
1933 2 2 cal First issue of San Juan Record published
1934 0 0 mem16 Frank Campoy Sr house and four others burn down
1934 0 0 mem102 Second hard freeze hits Fair Oaks
1936 6 25 fop Radke home destroyed by fire
1938 2 9 mem49 The Big Wind - blew down buildings and orchards - Sunset book says 1937
1938 5 13 early Fair Oaks Volunteer Fire Department formed
1940 0 0 item Fair Oaks second school renovated by WPA and bell tower removed
1941 0 0 early Hinsey's Red and White Market opened
1943 0 0 mem16 Frank Campoy Sr moves to Ridge Street
1945 0 0 mem67 Earl Ricketts sold the farm for development
1945 12 2 cal Fair Oaks Park District formed
1946 5 7 cal Fair Oaks Rotary Club Formed
1948 4 27 cal San Juan Chapter Order of Eastern Star established
1951 0 0 mem23 Charles Edgett buys Wood Motors
1951 1 1 cal House and street numbers replace rural route numbers
1952 0 0 web Construction of Folsom and Nimbus dams begun
1953 0 0 web John Holst School opens
1953 0 0 brugger County puts 5 ton limit on old Fair Oaks Bridge
1953 0 0 brugger First small bridge (later Jim's Bridge) built downstream from FO Bridge
1954 9 9 cal San Juan Suburban Water District Formed
1954 11 17 cal Fair Oaks Chamber of Commerce incorporated
1955 0 0 web Sunrise Bridge built
1955 0 0 web-sjr Folsom and Nimbus dams completed
1956 1 0 sjr Teichert buys Nimbus land for gravel plant
1956 4 0 sjr Excavation begun for three new service stations at head of Bridge Street
1956 6 0 sjr John Holst dies
1956 6 0 sjr County approves Bald Spot development
1956 10 0 sjr Kenneth Avenue School approved
1956 11 0 sjr Ground broken for Earl Legette School
1958 10 22 sjr San Juan USD unification plan approved
1959 1 15 sjr State Board of Education approves SJUSD plan
1959 3 24 sjr Voters approve SJUSD unification - to be effective 7/1/60
1960 1 14 sjr Calvin Nelson buys the Town House Restaurant
1960 4 0 sjr Clayton Vaughn dies
1960 5 14 sjr Olive Mill burned
1960 7 1 sjr SJUSD becomes a legal entity
1960 9 0 sjr Bella Vista High School opens
1961 5 0 sjr Old Fair Oaks Bridge closed to vehicular traffic
1961 8 0 sjr Old Library Bldg turned over to Park District
1962 0 0 nat Natomas shuts down last dredger at Folsom
1962 0 0 fohs George's Oak Room opened
1962 1 0 histar American River Parkway plan approved
1962 4 0 sjr Fair Oaks brick school demolished
1963 9 0 sjr Del Campo High School opened
1965 7 9 cal Ground broken for Hazel Avenue bridge
1968 6 25 cal Fire destroys Buffum mansion
1971 5 0 sjr Fair Oaks Ampitheater dedicated
1975 2 0 fowler Phase 1 ad for Bluffs subdivision
1975 9 23 cal First meeting of the Fair Oaks Historical Society
1977 6 0 fohs Shire Road Pub burned
1982 0 0 fohs George's Oak Room sold
1984 1 0 item First edition of Fair Oaks Post newspaper
1985 0 0 fohs George's Oak Room changed to La Posta
1986 5 15 sbee Phoenix Field Closes
1986 5 16 fop Last plane left Phoenix Field
1988 5 22 sbee Phoenix Park Plan Approved
1989 3 17 fopost Last issue of Fair Oaks Post
1990 4 25 fowler Homes offered at Phoenix Field subdivision
1995 0 0 item Fair Oaks, the Early Years published by FOHS
2006 0 0 web John Holst School closes