Milking Barn and Bunkhouse

The Bunkhouse Tour

Overview

The Meadowlark Dairy called these grounds home from 1919 to 1969. It was the Alameda County’s first and only certified dairy and supplied the highest grade of milk to the Bay Area.

This building was constructed in a similar style to the original Meadowlark Dairy building, based on original photographs and other historical accounts.

The building demonstrates the various kinds of dairy activities that would have taken place.

  • <p>Meadowlark Dairy Milking Barn, circa 1930.</p> <p>Meadowlark Dairy Milking Barn, circa 1930.</p>
  • <p>Native American display.</p> <p>Native American display.</p>
  • <p>Rancho Era artifact display. The Alviso Senior Family, in the latter part of the nineteenth century.</p> <p>Rancho Era artifact display. The Alviso Senior Family, in the latter part of the nineteenth century.</p>
  • <p>Dairy Era artifact displays. Meadowlark Dairy workers, standing to the southeast of the Milking Barn, circa 1930s.</p> <p>Dairy Era artifact displays. Meadowlark Dairy workers, standing to the southeast of the Milking Barn, circa 1930s.</p>
  • <p>In-residence animals. Pictured is Frankie, a red-eared slider turtle.</p> <p>In-residence animals. Pictured is Frankie, a red-eared slider turtle.</p>
  • <p>Silo, 1937.</p> <p>Silo, 1937.</p>
  • <p> Dairy manager's house foundation, to the north of the adobe.</p> <p> Dairy manager's house foundation, to the north of the adobe.</p>
  • <p>Bunkhouse. Workers relaxing on the northern side of the original bunkhouse, 1940.</p> <p>Bunkhouse. Workers relaxing on the northern side of the original bunkhouse, 1940.</p>

Native American Display

The Native American artifact displays show some recreated tools that the Ohlone would have utilized in their daily lives. These include fish traps, arrows, hook, line and sinker, a looped stirring stick and sinew.

Rancho Era Artifact Display

Ranchos and their associated cattle formed the backbone of early California’s economy.

Can you spot utensils that might have been useful for a life as a cattle rancher in the nineteenth century?

Our Rancho era display includes items such as a shoulder yoke, rug beater, plow, as well as a collection of examples of wooden joints that were used at that time.

Dairy Era Artifact Display

Our museum is home to many artifacts from the Dairy era.

Explore some original milk processing equipment such as a hand-cranked centrifuge, butter churns, milk cans, ice cream makers.

Can you spot the vintage Meadowlark Dairy sign that used to hang on the property?

In-Residence Animals

A kid favorite! Our in-residence animals at the Alviso Adobe Community Park include Frankie, a Red-eared Slider Turtle and Molly, a Rose hair Tarantula. With their unique personalities, our in-residence animals will bring you closer to the stories of native and non-native animals in Pleasanton.

Silo

To the east side of the Milking Barn once you exit, you can see a circular paving design. This indicates the original location of the Meadowlark Dairy Silo. The silo was 45 feet high.

The silo was used to create fodder for animals (called silage) by partially fermenting agricultural products to enhance their nutritional value and to preserve them for winter feed.

Dairy Manager’s House Foundation

The low boundary walls to the north of the adobe structure show the approximate location of the Meadowlark Dairy Manager’s house. It currently functions as our herb garden.

The Dairy Manager’s House was important for operational activities such as bookkeeping, correspondence, banking, ordering of food, etc. This building also contained a half-cellar under the northeast corner, which served as a storage for canned goods and worker uniforms.

Bunkhouse

Take a stroll to the north side of the park where you will find a replica of the original bunkhouse. The actual bunkhouse was located where the current Foothill Road runs. This is where ranch hands and workers would sleep and socialize; and this building would have contained all the worker’s worldly possessions.

This recreated bunkhouse is smaller than the Dairy’s original structure.