Assignment 9

This is it. My story telling into Mt. Eden and the Pioneers that helped changed the East Bay is over. I had fun bringing to my class the story of these European immigrants, who helped mold the culture that would go on to prevail in the area. People Like John Jonson, the first settler of the area who helped upstart the salt industry, or the Oliver Family, who took control of the majority of all salt production in Hayward. This is significant in Bay Area historybecause what the class learned about Mt.Eden is a trend that was found through out the East Bay. Racism, Cultures helping each other out to survive, ethnic enclave creations, all put Mt. Eden as a vital part of east bay history. Through out the time of developement in Hayward, Mt Eden was unique in taht the residents refused to annex into the city, for the simple fact that they wanted to keep in tact the small township feel that their ancestors always spoke about. Even after neighborhoods began to rapidly expand around the area, and the residents were about to get annexed, the community stood up planty of times and prevented this from happening. Such a strong reaction froma small community proves that David could dlay goliath if the cause for change is strong enough.
The class should come away feeling like Mt. Eden is an important part of East Bay History, and even though when you enter some parts oF Eden, you feel like you are in 1873, that feeling is what caused residents to learn to love life as simple as it comes, even at the "Hart of the Bay", where developement after world war 2 helped shape the area into what it is now. I feel like Mt eden, which was finally completely annexed at the beginning of the year, after a 20 year battle ith the city, will always be remembered for being that community in the East Bay that refused to give in to the status Quo. even as different residents, and races, came to the community, they too learned to appreciate the small town feel, and they were accepted with open arms rather than violence( Well, Russel City, located in Mt Eden, was always a minority city, due to the fact that hayward realtors refused to sell land to colored people in the inner cities due to depreciating prices.
The Future of Mt Eden includes a new home developement, sewage system that is up to date, a running water system (remember, eden gets their water from the well system, which was created in part to create an independent, sustainable part of town). Sidewalks will also be put into place to further modernize this part of town. Along with the developement will come a slight loss of community, because the new residents that move in will never have lived in one of those beutifull, old houses situated on acre plus lots. These houses reminds me of historic times, and with their existence next to modern homes, one will learn to really appreciate the history that is associated with Mt. eden. With that said, historians will now have to just wait and see what the future has in store. they will have study demographic trends of the area, as the original German and Dutch Settlers will most certainly be replaced by a surging asian and Latino population, thus, changing the customs and traditions of the area. Further than that, the only thing historians can do is sit and wait for the moment when Eden modernizes, and see if the small, tight knit community will manage to stay in tact. Until then, thank you class for reading my blog. It was a pleasure working with you guys, and I wish yall the best of luck. Any questions regarding Mt eden, feel free to email me, or post a comment on my blog. Im going to keep it open for further research..

Juan barajas Jr