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The Tesla coal mining town was located in Corral Hollow, about 12 miles southeast
of Livermore on Tesla Road, in eastern Alameda County, California. The view of the
town of Tesla shown below was taken in 1898. John Treadwell opened the Tesla coal
mines in 1890 and they became the largest coal producer in California from 1897 to 1905.
Over 1,500 people of many nationalities lived and worked at Tesla. In 1897,
John Treadwell named the town for Nikola Tesla, a famous electrical inventor of
alternating currents. Treadwell built the first successful coal briquetting plant
in the United States. This plant was located in Stockton and operated from 1901 to 1905.
A fire in 1905 destroyed the plant and forced coal mining to shut down at
Tesla.
Sand and clay continued to be mined at Tesla. Sand was shipped to the
Pacific Window Glass Company in Stockton and made into window panes.
Clay was shipped to Carnegie, where it was molded into brick and
architectural terra cotta. Sewer pipes, pottery, and figurines were made
at the Pottery plant near Tesla.
The Alameda and San Joaquin Railroad was built from Stockton to Tesla
in 1895 to ship Tesla products to the Stockton Channel, where they were
distributed by rail and barges. The same folks who managed this railroad
started the Western Pacific Railroad Company. Led by Walter J. Bartnett
and John Treadwell, the coal line was extended to the Oakland waterfront.
This was begun in 1902 and completed in 1909. With financial help from
George Gould, this railroad became part of a transcontinental railroad.
After the mines closed in 1911, Tesla became a ghost town. Eventually,
all of the buildings disappeared and it was reduced to a town site,
where only cattle grazed. Today, Tesla is part of the Carnegie State
Vehicular Recreational Area. The site of Carnegie is currently being
used for off-road motorcycling.
The history of Tesla is full of interesting discoveries and significant
achievements for California as well as for the nation, as documented
in my book. These include:
1. The first commercial coal mine in California
2. The largest coal producer in California from 1897 to 1905
3. The first use of coal in locomotives in California
4. Owned the nation's first successful coal briquette plant
5. The first use of coal briquette in locomotives in the U.S.
6. Owned the first window glass plant in the West
7. Owned the largest manganese mine in California
8. Produced award winning Carnegie brick and terra cotta
9. Started the Western Pacific Railroad Company (1902)
10. Brought hundreds of skilled laborers and miners to California
Additional information about Tesla can be found at my Tesla website at:
For additional information about Tesla, see the following book:
Dan L. Mosier and Earle E. Williams, 2002, 2nd ed., soft cover, illustrations, maps,
bibliography, appendices, index, 405 p.
The new second edition of this book is now available! It contains additional
information and pictures not included in the first edition. As can be
expected with small press runs, only a limited number of copies will be made.
So get your copy before it's too late! Send $29.95 plus local tax (8.75%) and $3.00
shipping by personal check or money order made payable to "Mines Road Books."
Sorry, No foreign checks and no credit cards. Send order to Mines Road Books,
P.O. Box 3185, Fremont, CA 94539. Allow up to 5 weeks for delivery.
You can also purchase the book at one of the following places:
Livermore History Center
3rd and K St.
Livermore, CA
Amador-Livermore Valley Historical Society Museum
603 Main St.
Pleasanton, CA
Towne Center Books
555 Main St.
Pleasanton, CA
Skip's at Carnegie
Carnegie State Vehicular Recreation Area Park
18600 Corral Hollow Rd.
Carnegie, CA
Museum of Local History
190 Anza St.
Fremont, CA
Shinn House Historical Park Museum
1251 Peralta Blvd.
Fremont, CA
Tracy Historical Museum
1141 Adam Street
Tracy, CA
Questions? Please send email to us at minesroad.earthlink.net.