Product Details
Beautifully engraved antique stock certificate from the San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose Consolidated Railway Company dating back to the 1910's. This document, which has been signed by the company President (Dennis Searles) and Secretary, was printed by the American Bank Note Company and measures approximately 11 1/2" (w) by 8 1/4" (h).
The vignette on this piece features a group of vessels in San Francisco Harbor.
This piece was issued on the last day of the San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose Consolidated Railways existence! The company was merged with three other entities the following day to form the to form the San Francisco-Oakland Terminal Railways Company (see the Historical Context tab for more details.)
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You will receive the exact certificate pictured.
Historical Context
The San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose Consolidated Railway, known as the Key Route, was formed as a consolidation of the San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose Railway and the San Francisco and Bay Counties Railway.
The company owned and operated all the street railway facilities on the east shore of San Francisco Bay, with the exception of certain suburban lines of the Southern Pacific Company.
The company also owned all the stock of Oakland Terminal Company and Key System Service Company.
On March 21, 1912, the company was consolidated with the Oakland Traction Company, East Shore and Suburban Railway Company, and California Railway Company to form the San Francisco-Oakland Terminal Railways Company.
The new company operated a total of 262.87 miles of track, comprised of street and interurban railway lines in Oakland, Berkeley, Richmond, Emeryville, Alameda, San Leandro and Hayward, and four ferry boats between San Francisco and Oakland, connecting with its own electric trains.
Dennis Searles
Dennis Searles' Signature
Dennis and John Searles discovered Borax on the surface of what was then called Borax Lake (later renamed Searles Lake) in 1862. They then formed the San Bernardino Borax Mining Company in 1873 and operated it until 1897 when they were bought out by the Pacific Borax Company.
The chemicals in Searles Lake which include borax, potash, salt cake and lithium were deposited by the runoff waters from melting ice age glaciers. The Searles' discovery has proved to be the world's richest chemical storehouse, containing half the natural elements known to man (California Registered Historical Landmark Number 774).
