Sausal Creek Water Company

In 1869, Caspar Hopkins, an early Bay Area settler, formed the Sausal Creek Water Company in order to pipe water to the Fruitvale area. Seeing opportunity in Sausal Creek’s abundant water supply, Hopkins installed a stone dam approximately where you're standing and routed the water to a distributing resevoir downhill near Fruitvale and 580. The dam held around a million gallons of water and cost about $20,000, which was paid for by local citizens. When the Sausal Creek Water Company went bankrupt in 1872, Anthony Chabot purchased it and made it a part of the Contra Costa Water Company, using the Sausal Creek dam to provide water to more of East Oakland. The dam was later abandoned after it was damaged in the 1906 quake.