1915 Map of Haywards

About this map

Lake Chabot and the surrounding hills overlook a coastline defined by industrial salt production and maritime landings in the early twentieth century. The map reveals the extensive wetlands and salt pans of the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay, where the Union City Salt Works and Crystal Salt Works operated near the mouths of Alameda Creek and Coyote Hill Creek. This survey captures a transitional period for the East Bay, showing established towns like San Leandro and Haywards (Hayward) alongside smaller, specialized hubs such as Mt. Eden and Alvarado. The transportation network is remarkably dense, featuring the competing lines of the Southern Pacific and Western Pacific railroads as they navigate the narrow corridor between the foothills and the marshy bay front. Local history is deeply embedded in the land divisions, from the boundaries of Ex Mission San Jose to the old landing sites like Roberts Landing and Patterson Landing.