A note from the webmaster:
Over the past years, as I've done research on various questions regarding Fair Oaks history, I've felt a need for some reference dates on events in Fair Oaks. This resulted in my rereading a number of source documents (always enjoyable) and creating a table of over 200 dates. I've since continued to update and correct the chronology as I do more research.
Please note that an event with only a year will appear at the beginning of the year and may be out of place in that year.
As always in such a project, there will be errors and notable events left out, and I welcome corrections and additions. Many of the dates are recollections of old Fair Oaks residents and I have tried to verify them with newspaper or other "in-time" records, sometimes unsuccessfully. I've provided my reference for each of the dates, and the table of references is included below. Enjoy!
Table of References:
| year | month | day | source | event |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1844 | 12 | 24 | hsa1p2 | Rancho San Juan ceded by Mexico to Joel P. Dedmond |
| 1852 | 0 | 0 | mem79 | Cherry orchard at Sacramento Bar planted by White and Hollister |
| 1860 | 7 | 9 | mem85 | Hiram Grimes obtained a patent on the San Juan Grant |
| 1868 | 0 | 0 | mem85 | Fred Cox buys San Juan Grant property |
| 1874 | 12 | 0 | mem79 | First sale of Fair Oaks land by Clark and Cox to James Muldrow |
| 1895 | 0 | 0 | mem79 | Howard Wilson & Co. agrees with Clark & Cox to sell parcels |
| 1895 | 7 | 15 | hsa4p1 | 500 acres planted in orchard, 300 acres citrus, 200 acres all other |
| 1895 | 10 | 29 | mem91 | Holst family arrives in Sacramento |
| 1895 | 11 | 1 | mem91 | Construction begun on the Fair Oaks Hotel |
| 1895 | 11 | 14 | heart43a | Excursion train leaves Chicago |
| 1895 | 11 | 19 | cal-mem85 | Special excursion train arrives in Sacramento |
| 1895 | 11 | 20 | cal | First settlers arrived in Fair Oaks via Sacramento-Folsom |
| 1895 | 12 | 0 | mem96-chron | Leonard Shelton opens store and applies for Postmastership |
| 1895 | 12 | 24 | cal | Subdivision maps filed with County establishing Fair Oaks |
| 1896 | 0 | 0 | mem30 | N.R. Smith family comes to Fair Oaks |
| 1896 | 0 | 0 | mem96 | Fair Oaks certified as election district, first election held |
| 1896 | 1 | 9 | heart14a | Second excursion train arrives in Sacramento |
| 1896 | 2 | 0 | mem9 | John Cunningham moves to Fair Oaks |
| 1896 | 2 | 12 | cal-hsa4p2-chron | First Fair Oaks Post Office established in Shelton's store |
| 1896 | 3 | 0 | mem24 | Third Fair Oaks excursion train comes to Sacramento |
| 1896 | 3 | 0 | mem94 | Watkins family arrives in Fair Oaks |
| 1896 | 5 | 27 | cal | Macadam Road planned; Sacramento, Fair Oaks, Orangevale, Folsom |
| 1896 | 6 | 30 | cal-chron | Water turned on in the new colony pipe system which came from the North Fork Ditch Co |
| 1896 | 10 | 3 | cal-hsa4p2-mem81 | First public school opened in upper story of Dean's Hall near the hotel with 40 students |
| 1896 | 12 | 24 | mem52 | Charles Slocum family arrives in Fair Oaks |
| 1897 | 0 | 0 | chron | First registered physician, Dr. E.H. Buffum, M.D. |
| 1897 | 0 | 0 | mem98-chron | First wedding in Fair Oaks, Neils Munson and Helena Roediger |
| 1897 | 2 | 0 | mem93 | First child born in Fair Oaks Colony, Alfred "Pete" Holst |
| 1897 | 4 | 0 | mem13 | Joseph Broadley arrives in Fair Oaks |
| 1897 | 6 | 0 | hsa4p3-mem81+ | First School Board in Fair Oaks elected |
| 1897 | 6 | 27 | bram1-4-97 | Announcement of another excursion train |
| 1897 | 9 | 0 | hsa4p3-mem81+ | First Fair Oaks School building constructed (others say 1898) |
| 1898 | 0 | 0 | mem103 | T.J. Kale family arrives in Fair Oaks |
| 1898 | 0 | 0 | mem100 | O.W. Ruggles family arrives in Fair Oaks |
| 1898 | 0 | 0 | mem100 | George Straith family arrives in Fair Oaks |
| 1898 | 0 | 0 | mem97 | Charles Slocum puts in lumber yard just east of library |
| 1898 | 0 | 0 | mem14 | Joseph Broadley home built on Sunset |
| 1898 | 11 | 2 | cal | First election in Fair Oaks - 88 votes |
| 1899 | 0 | 0 | web | Chicago-Fair Oaks Club formed |
| 1899 | 0 | 0 | mem73 | Oliver Beauchamp arrives in Fair Oaks |
| 1899 | 2 | 10 | bram1-2-99 | First dredger (Hercules) launched at Sailor Bar (hsa 6-2 says 6/1900) |
| 1899 | 4 | 0 | bram1-4-99 | S.L. Watkins leases land from N.R. Smith for nursery |
| 1899 | 5 | 0 | bram1-5-99 | H.H. Pierce receives commission for new post office in east Fair Oaks (Pomelo) |
| 1899 | 5 | 7 | hsa5p1-mem81+-chron | Fair Oaks Methodist Church dedicated (Holst mem96 & chron says 1897) |
| 1899 | 6 | 0 | mem19 | Sim Green's family arrives in Fair Oaks |
| 1899 | 6 | 0 | bram1-6-99 | Slocum builds second of three homes |
| 1899 | 7 | 0 | hsa5p1-mem81+ | County Board of Supervisors petitioned to build a Fair Oaks bridge |
| 1899 | 9 | 0 | hsa5-p1-mem81+ | Four Gables Academy opens, Prof. Elmore Chase principal |
| 1900 | 0 | 0 | mem100 | Alexander Craig arrives in Fair Oaks and builds on Illinois Avenue |
| 1900 | 0 | 0 | mem100 | George King family comes to Fair Oaks |
| 1900 | 7 | 0 | hsa5p2-mem81+ | George Straith residence built |
| 1900 | 8 | 7 | cal | County Supervisors voted money for Fair Oaks bridge |
| 1900 | 9 | 0 | hsa5p1-mem81+ | Fair Oaks Development Company incorporated |
| 1900 | 9 | 8 | cal | Fair Oaks Water Company incorporated |
| 1901 | 0 | 0 | hsa5p2-mem81+-chron | Murphy Building (San Juan Hall) built |
| 1901 | 0 | 0 | hsa5p2-mem81+ | Hodge, Gore, Birchard, Cunningham,Buffum homes built |
| 1901 | 0 | 0 | hsa5p3-mem81+ | Fair Oaks Fruit Association organized |
| 1901 | 0 | 0 | chron | First carload of oranges shipped from Fair Oaks |
| 1901 | 0 | 0 | mem94 | Fred Cox donates 2 1/2 acres for the second Fair Oaks School |
| 1901 | 0 | 0 | chron | First packing house built |
| 1901 | 1 | 0 | hsa5p1-mem81+ | Construction begins on first Fair Oaks bridge |
| 1901 | 1 | 0 | bram3 | First edition of Fair Oaks Register newspaper |
| 1901 | 2 | 0 | hsa5p1-mem81+ | Rural Mail Delivery from Folsom to Fair Oaks established |
| 1901 | 3 | 2 | ft | Work begins on new railroad spur line to the FO Bridge |
| 1901 | 3 | 21 | cal | Contract made to ship Fair Oaks fruit to San Francisco |
| 1901 | 3 | 23 | hsa5p1-mem81+-bram1 | First Fair Oaks bridge completed |
| 1901 | 4 | 12 | bram1-ft | Mass meeting in Fair Oaks to protest County granting license for saloon at Fair Oaks train station |
| 1901 | 6 | 0 | hsa5p1-mem81+ - ft | Fair Oaks pipe system completed |
| 1901 | 6 | 1 | ft | Railroad spur to Fair Oaks Bridge completed |
| 1901 | 6 | 6 | cal-bram1 | First train from Sacramento to Fair Oaks |
| 1901 | 12 | 0 | hsa5p1-mem81+ | Fair Oaks Development Company dissolved |
| 1902 | 0 | 0 | hsa5p2-mem81+ | King and Bailey homes built |
| 1902 | 0 | 0 | mem8 | Henry Rice family moves to Fair Oaks |
| 1902 | 0 | 0 | mem10 | Albert Fowler arrives in Fair Oaks |
| 1902 | 0 | 0 | hsa5p3-mem81+ | Fair Oaks Fruit Association merged with Fair Oaks Fruit Company |
| 1902 | 0 | 0 | mem62 | John Ricketts arrives in Fair Oaks |
| 1902 | 3 | 1 | cal | Woman's Thursday Club organized |
| 1902 | 7 | 1 | cal | Rural Mail delivery begins in Fair Oaks (chron says 1903) |
| 1902 | 8 | 9 | mem6 | Dr. R.N. Bramhall comes to Fair Oaks |
| 1902 | 8 | 11 | cal-hsa5p2-mem81+94-chron | Second Fair Oaks School (now Community Clubhouse) dedicated |
| 1902 | 9 | 0 | hsa1-7 | W.B. Slocum fixes up house purchased from R. Lamont (who moved to Mississippi) |
| 1902 | 9 | 0 | item | First issue of the Fair Oaks High School Advocate magazine |
| 1902 | 9 | 0 | item | S.E. Kieffer writes first installment of Fair Oaks History in Advocate, page 2 |
| 1902 | 9 | 0 | hsa1-7 | Parents of Mrs. Bramhall have moved into the house belonging to Mr. Birchard |
| 1902 | 9 | 0 | hsa1-7 | Mr. Beauchamp is building on a sightly knoll near the Fair Oaks Packing Plant |
| 1902 | 10 | 0 | item | Clarence Watson & William Bailey Jr suspended from school because of Advocate and start Fair Oaks Tattler |
| 1902 | 10 | 21 | focem | Fair Oaks Cemetery created |
| 1902 | 12 | 0 | hsa3-7 | Dr. E. W. Whitman, dentist, moves to Fair Oaks from Oakland |
| 1903 | 0 | 0 | mem97 | Beginning of two year drought in Fair Oaks |
| 1903 | 2 | 0 | hsa6-5 | Mr J. B. Wrangham has moved to Fair Oaks |
| 1903 | 2 | 0 | hsa6-5 | H. Rice home started |
| 1903 | 2 | 0 | hsa6-5 | Mr F.W. Johns has moved into one of Mr. Buffum's houses |
| 1903 | 3 | 0 | hsa7-7 | Dr. E. Buffum establishes practice in Sacramento |
| 1903 | 4 | 0 | hsa9-5 | Sailor Bar dredger (probably Hercules) burns |
| 1903 | 4 | 0 | hsa8-5 | Fair Oaks Fruit Company purchases supply of new triangular bottle for San Juan Olive Oil |
| 1903 | 6 | 0 | hsa6-5 | Geo. W. Stephenson builds next to F. Rice |
| 1903 | 6 | 0 | item | Last issue of Fair Oaks High School Advocate |
| 1904 | 0 | 0 | mem21 | Randall Building destroyed by fire |
| 1904 | 0 | 0 | mem16 | Lum Smallwood came to Fair Oaks |
| 1904 | 0 | 0 | mem10 | Concrete Olive Mill built |
| 1904 | 8 | 0 | mem26 | John R. Dave comes to Fair Oaks |
| 1905 | 0 | 0 | mem26 | John Dave buys Randall place |
| 1906 | 0 | 0 | mem21 | W.W. Hinsey moved to Fair Oaks and established the Fair Oaks Fruit Company |
| 1906 | 0 | 0 | ol5-20-chron | Fair Oaks Presbyterian church built (mem6 says 1902) |
| 1906 | 0 | 0 | mem44 | Frank Vincent moves to Fair Oaks |
| 1906 | 0 | 0 | mem8 | Fair Oaks Fruit Company packing house built |
| 1906 | 0 | 0 | mem34 | Clayton Vaughn comes to Fair Oaks and builds home |
| 1906 | 0 | 0 | mem21 | First telephone service to Fair Oaks established |
| 1907 | 0 | 0 | ol5-21 | New road (Winding Way) built between west and east end of Fair Oaks |
| 1907 | 0 | 0 | ol5-18 | R.W. Stephenson house built on Sunset Ave. |
| 1907 | 1 | 19 | ft | Gas lamps installed in FO Methodist Church |
| 1907 | 2 | 9 | ft | Watkins house completed |
| 1907 | 3 | 19 | cal-sb | Fair Oaks bridge washed out |
| 1907 | 3 | 30 | sb | Temporary ferry built across river |
| 1907 | 5 | 4 | cal-ft | Temporary bridge opened |
| 1907 | 6 | 1 | cal | First issue of Oak Leaves magazine published |
| 1907 | 6 | 15 | ft | New FO water system finished |
| 1907 | 8 | 0 | ol4-19 | Rock crushing plant built near the Bridge on south side of the river |
| 1907 | 8 | 0 | ol4-19 | Dr. J.H. Buffum and son Howard make automobile trip to Santa Cruz |
| 1907 | 8 | 0 | ol4-17 | Cement walk and entrance steps added to Murphy Building |
| 1907 | 9 | 10 | sb | Bond proposal passed with new FO Bridge included - $63,000 |
| 1907 | 10 | 0 | mem6 | Bramhall cottage burns down |
| 1907 | 10 | 23 | cal | Fair Oaks Road Committee formed |
| 1907 | 11 | 30 | ft | Completion of new concrete bridge on Winding Way by T. W. Ward |
| 1907 | 11 | 30 | mem6-sb | Bramhall home on bluffs built |
| 1908 | 0 | 0 | mem96 | Folsom Blvd highway built - first macadam state road in Ca |
| 1908 | 2 | 19 | ft | Pennsylvania Ave. improved leading to new dredger on Sacramento Bar |
| 1908 | 4 | 4 | ft | Rock crushing plant ready to operate |
| 1908 | 5 | 16 | ft | Great piers of concrete being erected for FO Bridge |
| 1908 | 7 | 0 | mem8 | Immer Rice starts blacksmith shop |
| 1908 | 7 | 1 | mem98 | Slocum and Gore Store becomes Holst & Co. |
| 1908 | 10 | 8 | cal | Fair Oaks Library Association formed |
| 1908 | 10 | 9 | ey28 | A room in the basement of the Methodist church served as the library for two years |
| 1909 | 1 | 9 | ft | All steel work finished on new Fair Oaks Bridge and planking started |
| 1909 | 1 | 13 | ft | Temporary bridge washed out |
| 1909 | 2 | 16 | cal | Robinson-Buffum Real Estate Company formed |
| 1909 | 3 | 26 | cal-mem20 | Fair Oaks Bank established in temporary bldg |
| 1909 | 5 | 21 | ft | New Fair Oaks Bridge and gradings finished |
| 1909 | 6 | 3 | foc | Fill completed, needs to settle for several months before paving |
| 1909 | 9 | 0 | foc | While road is being completed, traffic suspended, river will be forded a hundred yards downstream |
| 1909 | 9 | 0 | foc | Grading of main road to town completed - now building large bulkheads at each end of bridge |
| 1909 | 9 | 2 | foc | Fair Oaks Hotel closes due to poor business |
| 1909 | 9 | 11 | ft - foc | Slocum-Gore/Holst Store and bank building destroyed by fire |
| 1909 | 10 | 7 | foc | Fair Oaks Fruit Co. to occupy its new fireproof office building |
| 1909 | 12 | 9 | mem21-chron-foc | First electricity to downtown Fair Oaks |
| 1910 | 0 | 0 | chron | New bank building finished |
| 1910 | 0 | 0 | chron | New olive mill finished |
| 1910 | 0 | 0 | ey28 | Library moved to Fair Oaks School |
| 1910 | 0 | 0 | mem96 | Election in Fair Oaks, 198 votes cast |
| 1910 | 12 | 1 | foc | William F. Bailey leaves for Brazil to work on railroad |
| 1911 | 0 | 0 | item | First edition of Fair Oaks Citizen newspaper |
| 1912 | 0 | 0 | photos | Fair Oaks first school rebuilt at Martsmith |
| 1912 | 0 | 0 | mem95 | Part of second Fair Oaks School lot donated for the Fair Oaks Library |
| 1912 | 0 | 0 | mem96 | Election in Fair Oaks, 363 votes cast |
| 1912 | 0 | 0 | mem96 | Women started voting - 117 voted in Fair Oaks in 1912 |
| 1912 | 0 | 0 | ey28 | Library building opened |
| 1912 | 9 | 2 | cal | First track laying tractor brought to Fair Oaks by Earl Ricketts |
| 1912 | 11 | 21 | foc | Fair Oaks Chamber of Commerce formed |
| 1913 | 3 | 6 | foc | Petitions circulated for new union high school |
| 1913 | 6 | 15 | foc | New building for Fair Oaks Woman's Thursday Club |
| 1913 | 6 | 28 | foc | Election held for new union high school |
| 1913 | 7 | 0 | foc | Fair Oaks School District offers second floor of school for new high school |
| 1913 | 8 | 7 | foc | First reference in Fair Oaks Citizen to "San Juan High School" |
| 1913 | 9 | 1 | mem27-foc | San Juan High School Opens in Fair Oaks second school building |
| 1914 | 3 | 10 | cal | W.R. Gore became Postmaster |
| 1915 | 0 | 0 | mem14 | Fair Oaks Hotel deserted |
| 1915 | 9 | 0 | mem65 | Opening of new San Juan High School building on Greenback Ave. |
| 1917 | 3 | 26 | cal | Fair Oaks Irrigation District formed |
| 1918 | 0 | 0 | mem21 | Plaza purchased by Fair Oaks Civic Club from John Green |
| 1918 | 0 | 0 | mem16 | Frank Campoy Sr. moves to Fair Oaks |
| 1918 | 0 | 0 | item | First edition of Fair Oaks Progress newspaper |
| 1918 | 1 | 28 | cal | Ground broken for Mather Field |
| 1919 | 0 | 0 | mem6-mem18 | Fair Oaks Blvd opened to Sacramento |
| 1920 | 0 | 0 | photos | Fair Oaks Martsmith school closed due to lack of students |
| 1921 | 3 | 0 | fowlerp | Ford agency (Fowler-Green) destroyed by fire |
| 1922 | 0 | 0 | mem14 | Harold and Murray Broadley buy the old Fair Oaks Hotel |
| 1923 | 0 | 0 | mem14 | Building with second floor hall across from Hotel burns down |
| 1923 | 0 | 0 | mem14 | Murray Broadley tears down the Hotel and uses lumber to build a new home |
| 1924 | 0 | 0 | mem21 | Bill Andrews built the Plaza Service Station |
| 1924 | 12 | 23 | fop | Kraft home destroyed by fire |
| 1925 | 0 | 0 | mem28 | Corbitt purchases property on California Ave with three houses |
| 1925 | 8 | 0 | fop | William Bailey home destroyed by fire |
| 1926 | 8 | 23 | focem | Fair Oaks Cemetery District formed |
| 1927 | 8 | 2 | fop | Whitsell home destroyed by fire |
| 1928 | 0 | 0 | mem16 | Last classes held in second Fair Oaks School |
| 1928 | 0 | 0 | mem89 | Wallace home destroyed by fire |
| 1929 | 1 | 20 | cal-mem23 | Fair Oaks School dedicated at Fair Oaks Blvd and Winding Way |
| 1930 | 9 | 19 | fop | Slocum second home destroyed by fire |
| 1931 | 1 | 0 | mem17 | Old Davis home burns down |
| 1931 | 4 | 15 | cal | Name changed officially from Fairoaks to Fair Oaks |
| 1931 | 12 | 20 | cal | Seasonal total 90 cars of oranges shipped by rail |
| 1932 | 12 | 9 | cal | Disastrous freeze destroys Fair Oaks orange industry |
| 1933 | 0 | 0 | mem22-23 | Myron Wood starts Wood Motors - later Edgett Motors |
| 1933 | 1 | 23 | mem21 | Fair Oaks Bank closed because of depression |
| 1933 | 2 | 2 | cal | First issue of San Juan Record published |
| 1934 | 0 | 0 | mem16 | Frank Campoy Sr house and four others burn down |
| 1934 | 0 | 0 | mem102 | Second hard freeze hits Fair Oaks |
| 1936 | 6 | 25 | fop | Radke home destroyed by fire |
| 1938 | 2 | 9 | mem49 | The Big Wind - blew down buildings and orchards - Sunset book says 1937 |
| 1938 | 5 | 13 | early | Fair Oaks Volunteer Fire Department formed |
| 1940 | 0 | 0 | item | Fair Oaks second school renovated by WPA and bell tower removed |
| 1941 | 0 | 0 | early | Hinsey's Red and White Market opened |
| 1943 | 0 | 0 | mem16 | Frank Campoy Sr moves to Ridge Street |
| 1945 | 0 | 0 | mem67 | Earl Ricketts sold the farm for development |
| 1945 | 12 | 2 | cal | Fair Oaks Park District formed |
| 1946 | 5 | 7 | cal | Fair Oaks Rotary Club Formed |
| 1948 | 4 | 27 | cal | San Juan Chapter Order of Eastern Star established #563 |
| 1950 | 0 | 0 | mem10 | Olive Mill burned |
| 1951 | 0 | 0 | mem23 | Charles Edgett buys Wood Motors |
| 1951 | 1 | 1 | cal | House and street numbers replace rural route numbers |
| 1952 | 0 | 0 | web | Construction of Folsom and Nimbus dams begun |
| 1954 | 9 | 9 | cal | San Juan Suburban Water District Formed |
| 1954 | 11 | 17 | cal | Fair Oaks Chamber of Commerce incorporated |
| 1955 | 0 | 0 | web | Sunrise Bridge built |
| 1955 | 0 | 0 | web | Folsom and Nimbus dams completed |
| 1965 | 7 | 9 | cal | Ground broken for Hazel Avenue bridge |
| 1968 | 6 | 25 | cal | Fire destroys Buffum mansion |
| 1971 | 5 | 0 | sjr | Fair Oaks Ampitheater dedicated |
| 1975 | 2 | 0 | fowler | Phase 1 ad for Bluffs subdivision |
| 1975 | 9 | 23 | cal | First meeting of the Fair Oaks Historical Society |
| 1984 | 0 | 0 | item | First edition of Fair Oaks Post newspaper |
| 1986 | 5 | 15 | sbee | Phoenix Field Closes |
| 1986 | 5 | 16 | fop | Last plane left Phoenix Field |
| 1988 | 5 | 22 | sbee | Phoenix Park Plan Approved |
| 1990 | 4 | 25 | fowler | Homes offered at Phoenix Field subdivision |
| 1995 | 0 | 0 | item | Fair Oaks, the Early Years published by FOHS |