Russell City's train depot
Anthropology Research
To complete my Anthropology Master's degree, I reconstructed the history of Russell City, CA by conducting in-depth 1:1 ethnographic interviews of ex-residents.
I walked door-to-door in neighboring areas explaining my project; went to exhibits, picnics, and concerts; and made cold-calls to track down and recruit those who used to live in Russell City for my interviews.
In total, I interviewed 16 ex-residents and neighbors of Russell City. I met with them in person and talked extensively about the town and their experiences living there.
My ability to draw out their perspectives by asking open-ended questions and being comfortable with silences as my interviewees thought are skills that translate directly to user research methods like ethnography and contextual inquiry.
The city came alive during these exchanges, and what was revealed was remarkable. Continue scrolling to learn more about this venerable old town.
“It was a nice community where everyone watched out and helped out for one another. When one person was in trouble, we were all in trouble. It was like one big family in Russell City. When our house burned down, the neighbors across the street invited us to stay in their house.”
Russell City, CA
... emerged as a small Danish farming community in the mid-1800s. The demographics of Russell City changed over time, and by the late 1930s African American and Latino American families joined the European settlers’ descendants.
It was never an incorporated entity, yet Russell City self-governed, provided some of its own civic services, and enjoyed a strong community spirit, including a hip blues scene.
Big-name blues musicians often played at the Russell City Country Club.
“There were some excellent musicians that lived in Russell City. My cousin played guitar and my neighbor was a pianist. Jimmy McCracklin even played at Mrs. Alves’ nightclub down the street. ”
Big Momma Thornton was one of the many talented artists that graced Russell City's blues clubs.
“We were always in the bars, even as young adults, because the bars had TVs. We wouldn’t get kicked out because we never started trouble. I saw Big Momma Thornton and Muddy Waters perform in Russell City!”
The Russell City Power Plant. Photo credit: Anda Chu, East Bay Times Staff
In its latter years
... Russell City was deemed a blight by the surrounding towns and in 1963 Alameda County began the forced relocation of its tenants, bulldozed the entire community, and re-zoned the land into industrial use only. It is now the site of the Russell City Power Plant.
“Russell City residents faced an uphill battle if they wanted to save their town. At the time of takeover, the fire department was defunct, they had no access to legal representation as we know it today, and PG&E would not turn on electricity to new homes being built. There is still a lot of bitterness about how it got handled among the ex-residents. ”
Mural commemorating Russell City by artist Josh Powell, in present-day Hayward, CA.
Russell City physically does not exist anymore, but the preservation of its stories, traditions, and material culture reflects the ex-residents’ determination to keep its essence alive.
It is this drive that inspires the Hayward-Russell City Blues Festival, a yearly event held at the Hayward City Hall. It is a celebration of all things that were Russell City: music, vibrancy, and strong community ties.
I am excited to have the chance to expand this research, and am grateful for the grant support of the San Francisco Chapter of the Awesome Foundation as well as The Pollination Project which will allow me to do so. Check back for more updates in the next few months.
In the meantime, click here to order my original book on Russell City.
Also, see my project on Russell City in the news:
"Russell City: A forgotten town that used to be in Hayward" by Joshua Akintomide and Benjamin Lal. The Pioneer. February 7, 2018.
"Russell City: A Self-Governed African American Town" by Dr. Niccolo Caldarao. The Daily Kos. April 21, 2013.
I created this poster with Adobe Illustrator in honor of the Hayward-Russell City annual Blues Festival