Wednesday search challenge (3/29/13): Who owned Edgewood Park before it was a park?

[Dan Russell]

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Wednesday search challenge (5/29/13): Who owned Edgewood Park before it was a park?

One of my very favorite places to go walking or running in the springtime is Edgewood Park.  It's in Redwood City, about 25 minutes from the Googleplex.  It's a large open space that's geologically interesting because it has a good deal of serpentine soils.  (Serpentine is a kind of stone that is has low calcium-to-magnesium ratio and few essential nutrients such as nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus.  That means it's not great for plants from other parts of the world--only native plants can grow well in serpentine soil!)

As a consequence, the place is full of wildflowers, and threaded through with trails that go from deep forest to open hillside.  In the spring, streams run down the hillside and bird song sounds throughout the whole place.  It's really wonderful.  

So, being a curious fellow, I wondered how such a large park in the heart of Silicon Valley came to be. 

I did a little research, and discovered a remarkable tale of a man who seems as though he stepped out of a storybook, which leads to today's challenge.  

Can you find: 

1.  Who owned the land that would become Edgewood Park between (around) 1908 until his death in 1930?   

2.  This man was quite a character: What was his job?  And what athletic records did he hold?   

3.  What did he hold a patent for?  

4.  And, if you have the time, where is he buried?  

As always, let us know HOW you found this information, and about how long it took you to do so.  

Search on!