In the early 1850s, Portuguese immigrants began to settle in the Pocket area. They had small, wood-frame houses with basic rooms built for them and their families. And eventually, larger and finer homes began to be constructed in the area as local incomes and families grew.

THE ANTONE LUIZ SILVA HOME in the Pocket area is shown in this 1909 photograph. / Photo courtesy, Portuguese Historical and Cultural Society

In 1909, the Antone Luiz Silva family had a 10-room, Victorian-style home constructed for them in the area by Manuel Valine, a local contractor who was known as “Calisto.”

Because of his knowledge regarding the area’s devastating 1904 Edwards Break flood, Silva had the house built on a knoll against the levee.

During about the same period of time, Manuel Seamas of the Grangers Dairy, which was located at the present site of Elks Lodge No. 6 at 6446 Riverside Blvd., had a similar, fine home constructed on his 100-acre dairy property.

The Silva and Seamas homes were built with an almost identical architectural design, which would cause one to conclude that the Seamas house was also constructed by Calisto.

Manuel Ferreira Dutra, who was known as “Shopinah” and was born in 1876 in Faial in the Azores Islands, immigrated to America when he was about 12 years old.

Shopinah, who was mentioned as a ferryman for the Glide Ferry in a recent Pocket News article about river ferries (Read story at www.valcomnews.com), was best known as the carpenter of the Pocket.

Overall, Shopinah was a carpenter, repairman, barn builder and general handyman, who was known as one who could fix just about anything that needed to be fixed.

Sometime in the mid-1910s, Shopinah, who built small homes in the area, spent three months remodeling the home of Manuel Dutra, Jr.

Pocket residents of the time were known to speak of Shopinah’s work with high regard and they would say that he used so many nails that whatever he built would “never come down.”

As opposed to using professional methods of measuring, Shopinah, who could not read or write, used various lengths of sticks for his measurements.

Another one of Shopinah’s specialties was building small religious shrines – “oratorios” in Portuguese – for family homes.

One Shopinah-built shrine – that of Maria L. Milhomens (Silva) Dutra – was donated to the Portuguese collection of the Sacramento History Museum, appeared in two separate

THE MANUEL SILVEIRA ALVERNAZ HOME in the Riverside/Pocket area was constructed by Terra Bros. builders in about 1928. / Photo courtesy, Portuguese Historical and Cultural Society

Portuguese exhibits at two local museums and is presently stored in the Sacramento History Museum archives.

Among Shopinah’s construction projects was the emergency building of a temporary, shed-type school on the Rogers ranch at the present intersection of Riverside Boulevard and Pocket Road, nearby today’s Garcia Bend Park.

The original Lisbon School, which was a converted barn, was destroyed in the aforementioned 1904 flood.

Shopinah, who was known for his infectious smile and easy going demeanor, died in a tragic accident when his bicycle was struck by a motorist on the dark, narrow Riverside Road (presently Riverside Boulevard) on March 8, 1941.

Following the era of Calisto and Shopinah, a new generation of contractors – who were apprenticed under Calisto – built homes in the Riverside-Pocket area.

Among these contractors were Antonio “Tony” Fernandes Terra and his brother, Frank Leal Terra, who formed a partnership, called Terra Bros., in 1923.

Tony and Frank built Tony’s home at 2940 Freeport Blvd. – the current site of Capital Power Equipment, next to Taylor’s Market – in 1924.

It was also during the 1920s that the Terra brothers built two spacious, brick houses in the Riverside-Pocket area.

One of these houses was the Manuel Garcia home at the intersection of Riverside Boulevard and Florin Road.

The other house was the Manuel Silveira Alvernaz home on Riverside Boulevard, near 35th Avenue. The home, which was built in about 1928 in a large parcel that was later subdivided, is no longer visible from the frontage road, which is Riverside Boulevard.

Sometime after the construction of the Alvernaz home, Tony and Frank ended their relationship as business partners.

Frank continued to work as a home builder on his own until his retirement in 1941.

Tony also worked individually, as he constructed homes until sometime after his son, Alfred, completed his education at Sacramento Junior College (today’s Sacramento City College). Alfred apprenticed under his father and then joined him in his business.

Alfred continued to build under his father’s license until obtaining his own license.

Tony, who moved to Santa Cruz, where he built, resided in and managed the Park Avenue Motel until 1957, died in June 1978.

One of Alfred’s most notable accomplishments as a building contractor occurred after he purchased lots in the Greenhaven 70 subdivision, where he constructed homes that suited the buyers’ specifications.

Due to the May 1964 death of Alfred, local subcontractor Jim Mulhern completed the Vickerman home on Royal Garden Avenue in Greenhaven 70.

THE TONY SEAMAS HOME on the Grangers Dairy property of his brother Manuel Seamas is shown in about the early 1900s. The identity of the woman in the photograph is unknown. / Photo courtesy, Portuguese Historical and Cultural Society

Another local builder was Miguel “Mike” Furtado, who was born on July 6, 1884 in the island of Pico in the Azores Islands.

In 1901, Furtado immigrated to America and was soon afterward residing in Rio Vista.

Furtado obtained his general contractor’s license – No. 40 – in 1918 and he built many homes in Sacramento, including in the Land Park area.

Houses built by Furtado, who apprenticed and worked for Calisto, are easily recognized for their three-valley rooflines, which are focal points over the entrances of these homes.

With the annexation of the Riverside-Pocket area, John Joseph Machado of the Munger Lake area sold the majority of his property, but was able to maintain a lot to build a new home.

Machado selected Furtado due to his reputation as a builder of high quality homes.

Like other Furtado-built homes, Machado’s home included the three-valley roofline and a very functional floor plan.

The well-known contractor Norman Fernandez, who was the son of John Fernandez, the owner of the Sierra Builders firm, also built homes in Greenhaven 70. One of his two-story homes was constructed on Royal Garden Avenue.

The partnership of Ralph and Don Nevis also built homes in Greenhaven 70, one of which was a home on Parklin Avenue.

Upon Ralph’s death in 1966, Don continued to build houses on his own.

These houses included the home of Anthony Dutra, Jr. of the Dutra House – 8144 Pocket Road – family.

With these summaries of local builders, it is evident that the Riverside-Pocket area is a place with a rich, longtime tradition of fine home construction.

lance@valcomnews.com

Ferries, as explained in the first part of this article, which appeared in the May 5 edition of The Pocket News (visit www.valcomnews.com to read it online), provided transportation across the Sacramento River back in the pre-bridge days for residents in the Pocket and surrounding areas.

The Clarksburg Ferry is shown in this 1920s photograph. / Photo courtesy, PHCS

Ferries along the Sacramento River have a rich history, which began in 1850 and continued through most of the 1920s. The area from Colusa, south and including the Delta area, was once recognized as having the largest concentration of ferries in North America.

Glide ferry

Among the ferries south of Sacramento was the Glide Ferry, which provided service to Pocket residents from the late 1800s through the 1920s.

The ferry was located next to the southwestern border of the Tony Dutra property – which was known as Dutra Bend – which extended to the river. This property was located on a well-defined road, about a half-mile west of the present Dutra House – located at the modern address, 8144 Pocket Road – which was the home of Tony’s father.

To provide access to the ferry landing, a gravel road extended from Riverside Road – today’s Riverside Boulevard – along the side of Tony’s property to the levee.

The ferry’s other landing – the Freeport landing – was located on the Lizzie Glide property.

A very detailed, c. 1895 survey map, which is on file with the Portuguese Historical and Cultural Society, shows that the Glide family properties extended from Lake Washington – which became part of the Port of Sacramento in West Sacramento – to the Courtland area.

From Babel Slough in the Freeport farming area, the map shows three large parcels, to the east and succeeding each other, that belonged to Lizzie H. Glide. The first Babel Slough, Glide parcel is opposite Garcia Bend Park in the Pocket area.

As clearly shown on the map, the third Glide property’s eastern boundary was the location of the ferry landing on the Yolo side of the river.

Azores Islands, Portugal-born Manuel Ferreira Dutra, shown in this mid-1910s photograph, was a ferryman for the Glide Ferry. / Photo courtesy, PHCS

Prior to the Glides’ ownership of the property, the ferry was originally owned by a Mr. Dubois.

Dubois owned the ferry from 1893 to 1894, at which time, the ownership of the ferry was transferred to early day Pocket pioneer, George Peters and a Mr. Hadley.

Joseph Henry Glide, who resided at 910 H St. and operated the ferry for personal use and as a means to move his livestock to his other properties, became the ferry’s third owner in 1897.

During Joseph Henry Glide’s ownership of the ferry, as a very generous gesture, he operated it as a free ferry for use by Pocket and Freeport farmers and their families.

The ferrymen for the Glide Ferry included John “Captao” (“Captain” in Portuguese) Perry, Mr. Serpa, John Joseph and Manuel Silvey King.

Additionally, another ferryman was Manuel Ferreira Dutra, who was the Pocket’s carpenter and was known by his nickname, “Shopinha.”

In a retrospective article about the old ferry days that appeared in the Feb. 28, 1932 edition of The Sacramento Union, Mike Hunt, a Freeport dairy owner who had resided along the river since 1868, related a unique story about the Glide Ferry.

Hunt recalled how an effort to transport six of the Glides’ prize Durham bulls on the ferry went awry.

“It would have been all right if the bulls behaved, but in midstream they got to fighting,” Hunt told The Union.

A group of formally dressed people take a ride on the Soto Ferry en route to the Freeport Portuguese Holy Ghost Festa. This early 1900s photograph is referred to in part one of this series, which can be read online at www.valcomnews.com. / Photo courtesy, PHCS

After explaining that the bulls busted the ferry’s gate and one of the bulls was knocked into the river, Hunt added, “The (bull) who’d gone overboard, they thought was a goner. They watched him swim downstream for about five miles when he finally made shore. That was a lucky break, because he was worth plenty of money.”

Pocket historian Dolores (Silva) Greenslate, 86, vividly remembers the anxious anticipation she felt before riding the Glide Ferry in the late 1920s.

Greenslate, who resided on Riverside Road, would travel with her parents to the gravel road on the Tony Dutra ranch. Her father would soon drive his 1928 Chevrolet sedan onto the ferry en route to visit her mother’s aunt and uncle, Carrie and John Azevedo, on their Freeport ranch.

In recalling her memories of riding the Glide Ferry, Greenslate said, “Whenever I was asked by my parents if I wanted to go visit Aunt Carrie, I would be in the car before they were even ready. During the ferry ride, I loved to look at all the scenery along the levees and be able to almost reach out and touch the water.”

Diane Dutra, Tony Dutra’s daughter, said that when the family property was sold for redevelopment she requested of the developers that in addition to having her family’s name memorialized through a Pocket street, that the Glide family also be recognized through the name of a street. As a result, the Pocket area features the streets, Dutra Bend Drive and Glide Ferry Way.

Clarksburg ferry

A more recent ferry was the Clarksburg Ferry, which in a similar manner to naming ships with feminine names, was known as Mary Ann.

This ferry operated on the Sacramento River between Clarksburg and the river road to the east from 1920 to 1929.

This dual-paddle wheeler ferry was constructed by the Portuguese family-owned business, Nunes Brothers Boat and Ways Co. of Clarksburg.

The ferrymen for the Clarksburg Ferry, which was advertised by the county as “the largest, best and fastest (ferry) on the river,” were: Mike Silva and Charlie Butler.

The ferry’s landing on the Yolo side was located near the southern boundary of the town of Clarksburg.

In 1928, the Clarksburg Ferry was involved in an accident, when a large shipment of hardwood floor lumber, which was being transported and intended for the new Clarksburg High School, caused the ferry to tilt and overturn.

Although the ferry continued to operate for another year, damage resulting from the accident required major repairs to the ferry.

The Clarksburg Ferry was discontinued due to the 1929 opening of the Freeport Bridge, which eliminated the need for the ferry.

Temporary ferries

Although this featured portion of the river also included two additional ferries, these ferries were only created for temporary use, primarily because of the 1907 flood, which isolated the Freeport (later Clarksburg) area from the Sacramento side of the river.

One of these ferries was located just south of Portuguese Hall on Riverside Road on a road that extended to the levee.

This temporary ferry was located nearby Shopinha’s home, thus making it a possibility that he may have also worked as a ferryman on this ferry.

The other temporary ferry was located opposite of the landmark building, Oak Hall, a historic watering hole on Riverside Road in the Riverside area, adjoining the Pocket to the north.

Ferry reflections

Greenslate said that although the local ferries are no longer in operation, the memories about these ferries remain strong for those who remember them.

“The adventure and excitement of riding the platform ferries in this vicinity is sadly gone forever, but they still shine bright in the memories of the older folks,” Greenslate said.

lance@valcomnews.com