Local Landmarks: Thermal Hill, 40th St. Way, Broadway Creek

Do you know:

—The historical name for the hill between Broadway and Piedmont Avenue?

—Why there is a 40th Street Way as well as a 40th Street?  

—The two creeks that run under Oakland Technical High School?

Local geologist Andrew Alden tackles some of these questions in a recent post on his Oakland Geology blog here, with some nice information about the route of culverted Broadway Creek, good photos and maps, and some bits of local history.

While Alden talks about Broadway Creek, a map on the Oakland Museum of California's creek and watershed website also shows the "Rockridge Branch" (which empties into and flows out of the old quarry on Pleasant Valley Avenue) cutting under a corner of Oakland Tech just before it joins up with the "Broadway Branch" (both underground at this point). They then flow together to join Glen Echo Creek below the MacArthur Freeway.

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