What Ever Happened To Russell City?

What Ever Happened to Russell City?

Russell City, California emerged as a small Danish farming community in the mid-1800s. The demographics of Russell City changed over time, and by the late 1930s African American and Latino American families joined the European settlers’ descendents. It was never an incorporated entity, yet Russell City provided some of its own civic services and enjoyed a strong community spirit including a very happening Blues scene. In its latter years, Russell City was considered a blight to the surrounding towns and in 1963 Alameda County began the forced relocation of its tenants, bulldozed the entire community, and rezoned the land into industrial use only. No comprehensive history of Russell City existed at the time of this research. To chronicle the events leading up to the town’s demise, I conducted interviews of ex-residents and built an archive of newspaper accounts relating to the city. I also created two maps, one of land ownership circa 1963-1968 and another representing renter and business information. This project is essential to reconstruct Russell City’s past and is meant to provide the background data for additional projects that will help secure Russell City’s place in history.