Stege, California

Stege
Stege from a kite in 1930
Stege from a kite in 1930
Stege is located in California
Stege
Stege
Location in California
Coordinates: 37°55′00″N 122°19′38″W / 37.91667°N 122.32722°W / 37.91667; -122.32722
CountryUnited States
StateCalifornia
CountyContra Costa County
CitiesEl Cerrito and Richmond
Elevation23 ft (7 m)
GNIS ID[1][2]1659865
FIPS code[1][2]06-74046

Stege, founded in 1876, was an unincorporated community in western Contra Costa County, California, United States.[1] The town has now been annexed and absorbed by the cities of Richmond[3] and El Cerrito, California. It was located on the Southern Pacific Railroad 1.5 miles (2.4 km) south-southeast of downtown Richmond,[4] at an elevation of 23 feet (7 m).[1] The site is now located in the area known as the Richmond Annex, at coordinates: 37°55′00″N 122°19′38″W / 37.91667°N 122.32722°W / 37.91667; -122.32722.[1]

It was a farm town founded by Wilhelmina "Minna" Boehm Quilfelt and her fourth husband, Richard Stege. Quilfelt first bought land from Victor Castro in April 1853, and by 1879 had 1,000 acres. Stege moved there shortly after marrying Quilfelt on January 12, 1867. The town surrounded their ranch and featured a general store and railroad stop.[3] The town had a largely agricultural economy, which included ranching, mining,[5] chemical and explosives manufacturing, and frog farming for domestic consumption.[3][6]

A post office operated at Stege from 1889 to 1935.[4] The name of the community is still used for the Stege Sanitary District, a special district created in 1913, which continues to provide sewer service for El Cerrito, Kensington, and the Richmond Annex.[7]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f "Stege (Costa County County, California)". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved May 10, 2014.
  2. ^ a b "FIPS55 Data: California". FIPS55 Data. United States Geological Survey. February 23, 2006. Archived from the original on June 18, 2006. Retrieved May 10, 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  3. ^ a b c Baxter Creek History Archived December 7, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ a b Durham, David L. (1998). California's Geographic Names: A Gazetteer of Historic and Modern Names of the State. Clovis, Calif.: Word Dancer Press. p. 707. ISBN 1-884995-14-4.
  5. ^ Fletcher, Hamilton (1921). Report XVII of the State Mineralogist: Mining in California During 1920. Sacramento: California State Printing Office. p. 61.
  6. ^ "Photos".
  7. ^ "Home". stegesd.dst.ca.us.