East Bay Yesterday

Feb 20 2025 128 ep. 49 mins 1.1k

East Bay Yesterday Podcast artwork

East Bay history podcast that gathers, shares & celebrate stories from Oakland, Berkeley, Richmond and other towns throughout Alameda and Contra Costa Counties.

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“A town in the middle of a city”: Live from Jingletown with the Co-Founders crew

Feb 20 2025 81 mins

Anyone who has ever driven on 880 and noticed that there appears to be ancient brick walls closing in on you as you pass through Oakland’s Jingletown neighborhood has probably wondered about the history of this post-industrial landscape. The California Cotton Mill was founded in 1883 and employed more than 1200 workers at its peak. Many of the workers were Portuguese immigrants w

Punks on film: How Murray Bowles captured “the physical expression of drama”

Jan 27 2025 77 mins

Since the dawn of the smartphone era, everybody has carried a camera with them at all times. If anything, there are too many photos and videos being recorded at concerts. We all know the annoyance of being distracted from the music by outstretched arms holding up glowing screens in front of the stage. During the early years of the Bay Area punk scene, however, there was usually o

A century of mysteries: Exploring the Fox Theater’s hazy history

Jan 07 2025 71 mins

Despite being one of Oakland’s most iconic buildings, the history of the Fox Theater is filled with unsolved mysteries. In preparation for his ongoing tours of the nearly century-old structure, architectural historian J.M. Marriner has been digging into the archives and looking for answers. This episode features our conversation on everything from arson and art theft to mushrooms

Freight trains, plants, and a vanishing world: Joey Santore on industry and ecology

Dec 10 2024 65 mins

About 20 years ago, Joey Santore went from illegally riding freight trains across the country to working as a “train man” for Union Pacific. His official duties, which included driving the trains, gave him a unique look at the decline of the East Bay’s industrial sector and blue collar workforce. Spending time in decaying factories and train yards also sparked his interest in

The missing chapter: Filling in the blanks of the Bay Area’s Native American history

Nov 22 2024 61 mins

“Contrary to popular belief, most Native American people in the United States live in urban areas and not reservations.” Those words are from “Refusing Settler Domesticity: Native Women’s Labor and Resistance in the Bay Area Outing Program,” a new book by historian Caitlin Keliiaa. Caitlin grew up in Hayward and her family is part of what she describes as the Bay Area’s

Sea walls won’t save us: The past and future of the Bay’s shifting shorelines

Oct 31 2024 60 mins

Many communities in the East Bay’s flatlands are built in areas that were either wetlands or completely underwater less than two centuries ago. Following the Gold Rush, much of the Bay was filled in so that industry, neighborhoods and landfills could be developed along the shoreline. Now these areas are at risk not only from increasing sea levels, but also rising ground water tha

“These stories still matter”: Bay Area Lesbian Archives starts a new chapter

Oct 15 2024 61 mins

Although Oakland has one of the highest concentrations of lesbians in the country, the history—and impact—of this community is relatively unknown. Lenn Keller tried to change that by creating the Bay Area Lesbian Archives, a wide-ranging collection of photographs, activist materials, meeting notes, videos and more. In this episode, Keller shares stories of why some of the world

“The mecca of pleasure seekers in California”: Exploring the rise of the amusement industry

Sep 10 2024 65 mins

Idora Park was much more than just the largest amusement park that ever existed in Oakland. Developed by real estate moguls who also owned a network of electric streetcars, this “mecca of pleasure seekers” played a significant role in the development of the East Bay, especially after the park sheltered thousands of refugees following San Francisco’s devastating 1906 earthquak

“Those wonderful smells”: A Bay Area coffee history crash course

Aug 08 2024 63 mins

Before the 1960s, coffee was a faceless commodity: hot brown beanwater with caffeine. Alfred Peet began a revolution in America’s coffee culture when he opened his first shop in Berkeley in 1966. Peet changed the way coffee was imported, the way it was roasted, the way it was sold, and even the way it was savored. He also trained multiple generations of people who would go on to

“Everybody wants it preserved”: Time is running out to save this Oakland landmark

Jul 11 2024 56 mins

The 16th Street Station was built in 1912 to serve as the western depot for Southern Pacific’s transcontinental railroad. For millions of people migrating to California, their first up-close glimpse of the Golden State was getting off the train in West Oakland and entering the station’s 13,000-square-foot main hall. The room’s massive, arched windows allowed light to fill the