PROFILE ON DAN INMAN, Danville founder


Daniel and Josephine, his new wife, began their family within a year of their 1863 wedding and they eventually had 7 children. The Inman family life during the 19th century exemplifies the challenges and accomplishes of living during that time period. Dan farmed and he experimented with different crops and was known as a community leader, a generous friend and he had helped start the Livermore Presbyterian Church, supported the Grange movement and opposed the state's railroad monopoly and he ran for public office.The Inman's had moved to Livermore in 1865, Dan split the alot of the land he owned in Danville with his brother Andrew. The Inman's soon settled in, buying 325 acres of farm land and becoming leaders in this new community and they soon added another 316 acres which they raised cattle and stock, tended wheat and vineyards. Less than a mile north of their homestead, the Inman district school was built in 1870 on land that they donated for building a school.





From 1867-1868, Mr. Dan Inman served on the Alameda County Board of Supervisors and was next elected to the State Assembly in the fall of 1869 and won despite that the big district was heavily Republican. (he was a Democrat) He won on the basis of his job as Supervisor and won many votes from his friends who were Republicans. Dan strongly opposed the railroad monopoly and was no friend of them and because of this lost in subsequent efforts on many occasions to return to the legislature. In late 1878, he was then elected as a delegate to the California Constitutional Convention which worked famously to defuse the railroad's power in the state.The granges goals was to defuse and control what they thought as overprice charges by the railroads in fees and control over land. In 1874, Dan Inman met with his brother Andrew, R.O. Baldwin, Charles Wood,and W.W. Camron to discuss a narrow gauge railroad from Martinez to Livermore. The railroad was built and was known as the Southern Pacific line that cut through most of the San Ramon Valley and included stops in Alamo, Danville, San Ramon Pleasanton, Dublin and finally Livermore.




In his later years, Dan Inman served his duties with the Grange which Inman became the first Worthy Master of the LIvermore Grange No 91 in 1874. He was active in the Grange for another 20 years and served as President, manager of the State Grangers Association and was head of their store and shop in San Francisco for a couple of years. Inman was known for hjis kindness and willing to put up his own money to help his neighbors out. He signed a promissary note to the Farmers Union of Livermore, a Grange cooperative and was liable for their debts when they went broke in 1892. But Daniel Inman kept his word and faithfully paid of their debts and others involved with the Grangers. Daniel and his friends survived the horrible quake of 06 and Daniel died in 1908 at the age of 83.



Seconary sources and other sources:

Dressen, Rick, Daniel Inman, Namesake of Danville, 1993

Guinn, J.M., History of the State of California, 1994

Halley, William, Centennial Yearbook of Alameda County, 1876(pg 400)

The Livermore Herald, Nov. 7th, 1908

Smith, James D., Recollections, 1995

Munro-Fraser, J.P., History of Contra Costa County, 1882, Museum of the SRV ARCHIVES