Brentwood/Byron

BYRON
EST.1878
AT THIS LOCATION IN 1878, A RAILROAD STATION WAS ESTABLISHED FOR
THE SAN PABLO AND TULARE RAILROAD, WHICH RAN FROM LOS BANOS TO MARTINEZ, LATER TO BECOME PART OF THE SOUTHERN PACIFIC RAILWAY, FOR THE PURPOSE OF TAKING ON WATER, AND BECAME KNOWN AS THE BY RUN. THIS TOWNSHIP WAS FAMOUS FOR SHIPPING MORE HAY THAN ANY OTHER STATION IN CALIFORNIA AT THE TURN OF THE CENTURY.
DEDICATED TO THE EARLY PIONEERS AND SETTLERS OF THIS COMMUNITY.

DEDICATED SEPTEMBER 19, 1987
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DR. JOHN MARSH’S
RANCHO LOS MEGANOS

THIS MONUMENT MARKS THE TERMINUS OF THE FIRST OVERLAND IMMIGRANT TRAIL TO CALIFORNIA FROM THE UNITED STATES. THE BARTLESON/BIDWELL PARTY COMPRISING 30 MEN AND ONE WOMAN WITH HER BABY ARRIVED AT DR. JOHN MARSH’S RANCHO LOS MEGANOS IN NOVEMBER 1841. MARSH WAS THE FIRST TO PUBLICLY ENCOURAGE EMIGRATION TO CALIFORNIA. LIVING AT THE MARSH RANCHO WERE A NUMBER OF NATIVE MIWOK PEOPLE. AN ELDER OF THE TRIBE LED THE WEARY IMMIGRANTS TO THE SAFETY OF THE MARSH ADOBE. THESE EARLY AMERICAN PIONEERS WERE THE FIRST TO REACH CALIFORNIA BY
LAND, BEGINNING THE MOVEMENT INITIATED BY DR. MARSH TO BRING
CALIFORNIA INTO THE UNION.

DEDICATED NOVEMBER 3, 2007
JOHN MARSH HISTORIC TRUST
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BYER/NAIL HOUSE

THIS HOUSE, WHICH SERVES AS THE MUSEUM FOR
THE EAST CONTRA COSTA HISTORICAL SOCIETY, WAS
ORIGINALLY BUILT BY JOHNSON AND ELIZABATH FRANCHER
IN 1878. IN THE EARLY 1880’S THE FRANCHERS SOLD THE
HOUSE AND SURROUNDING ACREAGE TO JOHN AND LETITIA
BYER. IN 1922, AFTER THE DEATH OF MR. AND MRS. BYER,
THE HOUSE AND SURROUNDING ACRES WERE SOLD TO THEIR
GRANDDAUGHTER AND HER HUSBAND, ZELMA AND JAMES NAIL.
IN 1984, CLELLAND NAIL (THE ONLY CHILD OF JAMES AND ZELMA)
INHERITED THE HOUSE AND 8 ACRES, CLELLAND AND MARGARETTE
NAIL DONATED THE HOUSE AND 1.3 ACRES TO THE EAST CONTRA
COSTA HISTORICAL SOCIETY IN 1986.

DEDICATED APRIL 4, 2015
EAST CONTRA COSTA HISTORICAL SOCIETY
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