TRACY — About 3,100 acres of open space in Altamont Hills could soon be preserved as a state park under a $31 million deal struck by Bay Area lawmakers and Gov. Gavin Newsom. The deal would to keep the area from becoming part of a neighboring off-road vehicle park.
The agreement, which could be approved by the lawmakers this week, has been cast as a way to safeguard the ecological and cultural significance of the land east of Livermore, Democratic Sen. Steve Glazer of Orinda, who has advocated for the land's preservation since 2018, said in a statement Monday.
If the agreement is approved, the land known as the Tesla parcel would be closed to motorized recreation. The parcel borders the Carnegie State Vehicular Recreation Area, which had planned to expand into the land.
Scientists say the land is a "biologically unique habitat," and Native Americans consider it a "sensitive historical site," Glazer's office said in a statement Monday.
Under the agreement, the state would reimburse the Off-Highway Vehicle Trust Fund for the price of the land and other related costs and pay for the development of a new off-roading park in a different location.
"This is a win-win for all involved," Glazer said. "Our community and region gets to preserve this natural and cultural treasure while the off-road enthusiasts will keep their current park and receive funding to develop another park on land that's more suitable to that kind of recreation."
The land is home to several threatened and endangered wildlife species. It is designated a California Native Plant Society Botanical Priority Protection Area and has been deemed an Audubon Important Bird Area.
It is named after the historic town and Tesla coal mine that were established on the site in the 19th century. Today, there are Native American archaeological and ceremonial sites on the land, Glazer's office said.
The history of the town of
Tesla and its coal mines
The Tesla Coal Mine represents one of California's first commercial coal mines. The exploration of coal began in 1855; however, after a series of failures the mine was closed and then reopened by John Treadwell in 1889 and named Tesla Coal Mine.
After five years of development work and building a railroad to Stockton, Treadwell organized the San Francisco and San Joaquin Coal Company. Two years later, the first trainload of Tesla coal rolled into Stockton. The mine produced over 80,000 tons of coal per year over the next ten years, during which time Tesla became the leading coal producer in California.
Treadwell built a company town for over 800 miners. They lived in large residential neighborhoods named Treadwell Row, Jimtown, Frytown Harrietville, Darktown, and Chinatown. The residents were well supplied with stores, shops, churches, post office, library, saloon, dance hall, school, hotel, hospital, and two stage lines. A bandstand with a tall flagpole marked the center of the plaza. The coal company issued coupons and tokens which were used to purchase merchandise and food in town.
In 1897, John Treadwell named the town for Nikola Tesla, a famous electrical inventor, who was first to harness the use of alternating currents. Treadwell planned to use Tesla's invention to send electricity to Bay Area cities from a coal-burning power plant at Tesla. However, this plan never materialized for fear of competing with the new hydroelectric power plants.
From 1896 to 1905, Tesla was the largest coal producing mine in California. Clay extracted at Tesla was used to manufacture Carnegie bricks and pottery products which were manufactured at the Carnegie Bricks and Pottery Company, also located at Carnegie SVRA. In 1902, Tesla sand was used in the first window pane factory west of the Mississippi.
In the early 1900s, a number of disasters such as the 1906 earthquake, repeated flooding and boiler rooms explosions, and the collapse of the bank providing financial backing to the operation forced the closure of the Tesla mining operation and the Carnegie Bricks and Pottery Company. Following this series of misfortunes, Carnegie was sold in 1916 at auction to a competitor who dismantled the machinery and tore down the plant.
Today, all that remains of the Tesla Coal Mine is a large mound of mining refuse, mining adits, and a series of house pits from the town of Tesla. In addition, the Carnegie Brick and Pottery Company's legacy can still be seen in stately buildings such as the Oakland Hotel, the Los Angeles Natural History Museum, and the Carnegie Libraries in Livermore and Lodic. Each of these remaining cultural resources tell a story about the ingenuity and persistence of American life in an otherwise unforgiving environment.
In addition to the Tesla Coal Mine, three other mines are also located in Carnegie SVRA —R yan Clay Works, Summit, and the Tesla Clay Works.
