Washington Township is a former township of

Alameda County, California Alameda County ( ) is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,682,353, making it the 7th-most populous county in the state and 21st most populous nationally. The county seat is Oakland. Al ...

in the San Francisco Bay Area region, which includes the present day cities of Union City, Fremont, and

Newark Newark most commonly refers to: * Newark, New Jersey, city in the United States * Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey; a major air hub in the New York metropolitan area Newark may also refer to: Places Canada * Niagara-on-the ...

. The first permanent settlement in the area was

Mission San José Mission San José may refer to: *Mission San José (California), a Spanish mission in Fremont, California * Mission San Jose, Fremont, California, a neighborhood *Mission San Jose High School, a high school in Fremont, California *Mission San José ...

, established in 1797. The township was formed in 1853, and named for president George Washington.

History

Events leading to the formation of the township began in 1797 with the establishment of Mission San José by the Spanish. Many

Ohlone The Ohlone, formerly known as Costanoans (from Spanish meaning 'coast dweller'), are a Native American people of the Northern California coast. When Spanish explorers and missionaries arrived in the late 18th century, the Ohlone inhabited the ...

Native Americans settled at the mission to work, ending their traditional village life of hunting and gathering. In 1834, Mexico released California's Native Americans from the control of the mission system, as well as giving the mission property to caretakers. Several Mexican land grants were given from this area. Fulgencia Higuera received a grant known as Rancho Agua Caliente in 1839. Andrews Pico and Juan B. Alvarado were granted the outer lands of Mission San José, known as

Rancho Ex-Mission San José Rancho Ex-Mission San José was a Mexican land grant in present-day Alameda County, California given in 1846 by Governor Pio Pico to Andrés Pico and Juan B. Alvarado. The grant derives its name from the secularized Mission San José, and was calle ...

, in 1846, but it was taken from them by California courts in 1859. Thomas Pacheco and Augustin Alviso received Rancho Potrero de los Cerritos in 1844, and José de Jesus Vallejo received

Rancho Arroyo de la Alameda Rancho Arroyo de la Alameda was a Ranchos of California, Mexican land grant in present day Alameda County, California. It was given in 1842 by Governor Juan B. Alvarado to José de Jesús Vallejo. The grant extended along Alameda Creek and enco ...

(which extended into Eden Township) in 1842. The California gold rush beginning in 1848 brought many prospectors to travel through the Mission San José area to the mountains, making the Mission an important trading site. In 1849, California became a United States territory, and when California achieved statehood in 1850, the area became part of

Santa Clara County Santa Clara County, officially the County of Santa Clara, is the sixth-most populous county in the U.S. state of California, with a population of 1,936,259, as of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Santa Clara County and neighboring Sa ...

. In 1853, Alameda County was formed from portions of Contra Costa and Santa Clara Counties, and was divided into six townships including Washington. Alvarado in present-day Union City was designated as the county seat.

Geographical features

Washington Township is bounded to the west by the

San Francisco Bay San Francisco Bay is a large tidal estuary in the U.S. state of California, and gives its name to the San Francisco Bay Area. It is dominated by the big cities of San Francisco, San Jose, and Oakland. San Francisco Bay drains water from a ...

, and to the east by a mountain range that includes the 2,520-foot-tall

Mission Peak Mission Peak is a mountain peak located east of Fremont, California. It is the northern summit on a ridge that includes Mount Allison and Monument Peak. Mission Peak has symbolic importance, and is depicted on the logo of the City of Fremont. I ...

Alameda Creek , name_etymology = Spanish , image = Bridgeatnilesrivercalifornia.JPG , image_caption = Alameda Creek at Niles, Fremont , map = , map_size = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = US ...

runs from east to west through

Niles Canyon Niles Canyon is a canyon in the San Francisco Bay Area formed by Alameda Creek, known for its heritage railroad and silent movie history. The canyon is largely in an unincorporated area of Alameda County, while the western portion of the canyo ...

, which was used as a passage for the

first transcontinental railroad North America's first transcontinental railroad (known originally as the "Pacific Railroad" and later as the " Overland Route") was a continuous railroad line constructed between 1863 and 1869 that connected the existing eastern U.S. rail netwo ...

Alameda Creek , name_etymology = Spanish , image = Bridgeatnilesrivercalifornia.JPG , image_caption = Alameda Creek at Niles, Fremont , map = , map_size = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = US ...

is the most important stream in

Alameda County Alameda County ( ) is a List of counties in California, county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 1,682,353, making it the 7th-most populous county in the state and List ...

and the Township. From this Creek is derived the name of the County. Alameda Creek was the former boundary between Contra Costa and Santa Clara Counties during the period from 1850, when Contra Costa and Santa Clara Counties were formed, to 1853 when Alameda County was carved from these two Counties. The portion of Washington Township south of Alameda Creek is the only part of Alameda County that is not derived from Contra Costa County.

References

{{coord, 37, 33, 15, N, 121, 59, 57, W Former townships in Alameda County, California