"Moses-Rodgers"[April 27,1845-October 22,1900]

He built He was an African American miner and mining engineer of California.He was born a slave in Kentucky and came to California in 1849.Moses became prominent during the Gold Rush as a successful mining engineer,making a lucrative career excavating gold in mines he owned Hornitos in Mariposa County.Many sought his intelligence and professional  opinion of metals.He quickly became known as an expert in the state,and investors went to him for advice regarding mining claims.He became so expert  at it that  in post-Civil War  he was appointed superintendent of several  mines (Mount Gaines Mine & Washington Mine). The stockholders of these mines were both Africa American & whites.

Moses best known mine,for which he was a stock-holding superintendent ,was the Washington Mine,which he established in 1869.It was a successful operation,which employed Chinese workers.There were years when this mine took over half a million dollars in gold.The Washington mine,in the mid-1880s,was one of the area's largest,employing over 30 men.Five main shafts and over 10,000 feet of underground workings brought the gold/silver ore to the surface where it was hand sorted and then sent by wagon to the mine's concentration mill.A merced newspaper said  of  Moses "there is no better mining man in the "State."

The house that he built in 1898 at 921 South San Joaquin St.,Stockton,California, is registered at the National Register of Historic Places.He built for his wife Sarah,their five daughters,to all of whom he gave as good an education California afforded.One daughter Vivian Rodgers graduated from the University of California,Berkeley,with the class of 1909 majoring in Science and letters.
Moses Rodgers Virtual Academy,302 W. Weber Avenue,Stockton, is a home based public charter school program offered by Stockton Unified School District to students in grades K-12 throughout California's San Joaquin county.