H26.392

Bill for merchandise, 1863. Property of James Bailey, pioneer of Oakland. (C. Thompson 5/98) Invoice covers several purchases of redwood boards and other lumber. From a Walk Along the Water exhibition, label by Steven Lavoie Badger's Park. In 1861, the scenic splendor of Brooklyn Basin brought sea-weary Capt.Thomas W. Badger ashore to build a permanent home and a popular weekend getaway. He transformed his estate into the bucolic shoreline resort of Badger's Grand Central Park. Taking advantage of the transbay ferry system, a crowd of 4,000 paying customers christened the new facility on April 14, 1872. A restaurant served East Bay oysters, beef, wine and steam beer. Theater anld opera productions filled a 3,000 seat pavilion. Exotic plants and animals thrived in a botanical garden and menagerie. Baseball games and trotting races brought the "cranks" - as sports fans were called - into the grandstands. But demand for expansion of the booming transportation industry soon required that Badger give up his land. By 1885, the scenic park was transformed into a tangle of railroad tracks and busy inter-harbor piers.