Early Settlers

To build upon our studies about our local area, each student is required to pick an area in Oakland or historical person from Oakland to study. We will make a class scrapbook of the early years of our community. Please bring in any information you can find, including pictures, maps, interviews, facts.

Each student will be responsible for bringing in one fact, interview, artifact or picture to add to our scrap book. Everyone will be expected to describe their item to the class. Below are suggested questions for the students. Not all questions must be answered. There is no written requirement to this assignment.

Pretend you are a detective. You have been asked to discover who started your community and what it was like a long time ago.

When was the town of Oakland first created?
What was the first town called?
What were the street names? Who were they named after?
Where did the first settlers come from and why?
What was life like?
What kind of transportation did they use?
What was the source of power?

How can you find information about what Oakland, Corpus Christi, and Piedmont were like long, long ago?

• Interview someone from your community who has lived here for a long time - grandparents, neighbors, shopkeepers, government officials
  
  
• Visit or call the local Historical Society
  
  
• Internet research--use existing street names as possible first settlers
  
  
• Other?