H95.73.1C

View of the pergola at Lake Merritt Miniature photograph album of Oakland c. 1925 Betsy Willcuts, July 2002 Bibliography: THE HEART OF OAKLAND, A Walking Guide to Lake Merritt by Leslie Flint, Sponsored by the Camron-Stanford House Preservation Association The Pergola, built in 1907, was also known as "El Embarcadero," the Spanish word for wharf. At the time the Peraltas (original rancho grant holders) owned this land, the eastern arm of the lake contained a small wharf called Castro's Landing. Early settlers from San Francisco would bring their shallow boats into the slough to trade with the Spanish for hides, tallow and lumber.