“Logan Foto 393”
The
only label on the photo is “Logan Foto 393” which
presumably means it was taken by someone from the Charles Logan Camera Shop
which was located on San Joaquin Street in Stockton. There is no labeling on
the photo indicating the date.
The
building in the background is St Johns Church and the
photo was taken from southwest corner of the intersection of El Dorado Street
and Miner Avenue in Stockton. The cornerstone for this church was laid in April
of 1892 and construction was completed the same year (1). Since it appears the
church is nearly or completely finished, the date of the photo would have to be
1892 or later.
There
is a posting to the Spooner collection in the Golden Nugget Library of the same
church. Copyright for the collection is 1894 so the photo was taken
probably taken
shortly after the dedication. The trees in the foreground of both photos
(they’re between street and curb) appear to be consistent, with the
one nearest the intersection in the
flood photo having a trunk diameter about a third larger. There also is
vegetation at the base of the building in the flood
picture that
is not in the Spooner photo but this variation could be due to seasonal
planting.
Conclusion:
the flood photo was taken later than the Spooner collection photo. However,
during this timeframe Stockton had flooding virtually every year so it is
difficult to refine the date of the photo based on the flooding.
The
vehicle in the foreground is a streetcar. Streetcars were in use in Stockton as
early as 1875. Based on information in an 1892 map of Stockton,
this one is
on the street railroad which went north on El Dorado Street from Main Street
(2). The streetcars on this line were initially horse-drawn but
electrification
started in July 1892 (1). One notes the streetcar in the Logan Foto 393 photo is horse-drawn.
The
book Stockton Memories (1) has a photo showing a similar scene of flooding at
the intersection of California and Channel Streets in 1907 (about 4 blocks east
of St Johns Church). In this photo there is also a
horse-drawn streetcar which is a clone of the one pictured in the El Dorado
Street and Miner Avenue photo.
Comparing
the Logan Foto 393 photo with the Spooner collection
version there is a steeple in the background of the latter photo between the
main church and Guild Hall. The book Stockton Album indicates the First Baptist
Church had a similar steeple (130’) and was located on the SW corner of Hunter
Avenue and Lindsay Street. It further indicates that the church was dedicated
in 1861 and used until 1909 when it was replaced with a new structure that was
dedicated in 1911. Photos of the new structure from various sources indicate it
did not have a steeple.
A
check of the 1892 map of Stockton indicates that the First Baptist Church location
is in the same block as St John’s, but diagonally opposite; i.e., the steeple
in the background is in the right location in the right timeframe to be the
First Baptist Church steeple. One notes that although the sight lines in
both photos
is virtually the same, there is no steeple in the background in the Logan Foto 393 photo.
Conclusion:
The steeple in the Spooner collection photo is the First Baptist Church
steeple. Based on this church being used until 1909 and assuming in
order to
build the replacement church the steeple had to be removed, the Logan Foto 393 photo of St John’s was probably taken no earlier
than 1909.
(1)
Stockton Memories (Wood & Covello)
(2)
Golden Nugget Library, Photo Album & Maps Stockton Street Map 1892 North.
(3)
Golden Nugget Library, Photo Album & MapsStockton
Illustrated 1894, photo 32
Donated by Vernon A. Dander. coloradogreengiant@yahoo.com
© 2010 Vern
Dander.
GOLDEN NUGGET LIBRARY'S SAN JOAQUIN
COUNTY DATABASES
