USA > California > San Mateo County > History of San Mateo County, California, including its geography, topography, geology, climatography, and description, together with an historical sketch of California; a record of the Mexican grants; the early history and settlement, compiled from the most authentic sources; some of the names of Spanish and American pioneers; legislative history; a record of its cities and towns; biographical sketches of representative men; etc., etc > Part 28
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descendants of these families are still here; and of the former, the old dame Miramontez, who has seen the light of a whole century, still lives and is grate- fully remembered, not only by the people of her own race, but by the early American families that came into the valley, and in sickness received the nursing and attention to which the old lady devoted a part of her time.
Here, too, in addition to the living representatives of a past and distinct period in the history of the country, are to be found about the only existing relics in the county of those quaint adobe structures of the native families. No Spanish settlement amounting to the proportions of a town or village was made here before American occupation of the country. San Francisco and the Mission Dolores were the only places to which the native families here resorted for business or the rites of religion. Even those who by accident died here were carried to the Mission Dolores for interment, and not until 1857 had they consecrated ground at Half Moon Bay. An embarcadero, or landing, was kept for the very limited commerce of the valley, and some grain was raised that found a market with the Russian traders.
As an American settlement, Spanishtown is of comparatively recent origin. Not until the early part of 1853 did foreign settlers begin to seek the coast side of the county for agricultural purposes. Of these, G. R. Borden, B. F. Webb and Armstead Goadley (constituting one party, ) came with teams over the as yet untracked mountains, and in the month of February, 1853, located on the Rancho Cañada de Verde. About the same time one of the Johnston brothers (of whom there were four-James, Thomas, William and John) came and settled, and was afterward followed by the other three. This family introduced the eastern or domesticated cattle into this part of the county, began making good improvements and cultivating the soil, and have, from the date of their arrival, been prominently identified with the interests of the Half Moon Bay country, where two of the brothers, Thomas and William, still reside.
Perhaps nothing would illustrate the wild condition of the coast country at the above date better than a statement of the fact that the tame cattle intro- duced by the Johnstons, being unfamiliar with the rude habits of California "grizzlies," fared very roughly in this new country, and in the first season a large part of the calves were killed by the bears.
The majority of the early settlers located further to the south and in the vicinity of the Purissima creek, and not until about 1860 did foreign settlers begin to gather about Spanishtown. In the early part of that year, Mr. William Pringle, the harness-maker and justice of the peace at Spanishtown, came and located. Then came Joseph Denny, the blacksmith, although in his trade there had been a native blacksmith at the place long before, and another called " Old Jake." Edward Rockafellow, a blacksmith from the Purissima, came about the same time, and was one of the very first to locate with a family at this place. Of merchants, Estanislaus Zaballa, who had married into the
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Miramontez family, was perhaps the first. Then came one Bifano, an Italian, who was afterwards foully murdered by two Manilla men.
The first house of public entertainment was built by Henry Bidwell, nephew of Gen. John Bidwell, and, a post office being established about the same time, Mr. Bidwell was appointed postmaster. The earliest manufacturing industry in the town was that of M. A. Halsted, who began the erection of a grist-mill in the Spring of 1860. Of professional men, Dr. Huggard, who ministered to the spiritual and temporal welfare of the scattering population in the capacity of preacher or physician, as occasion required, is remembered as the first in this part of the valley. At Spanishtown, Dr. W. D. Church may be mentioned , as the earliest to settle.
In October, 1863, a decree of partition was entered in the district court in a friendly suit between some of the owners of the Rancho Miramontez, brought for that purpose, and thereafter the plat of Spanishtown was made. E. Zaballa was especially prominent in the matter of platting the town, and to him is due much credit for advancing its interests. The site of the town is well chosen, being high and dry, and commanding an extended view of the ocean, from which it is distant about one mile. It is approached from the bay side of the county by a turnpike leading up the San Andreas valley and tra- versing the coast range through some of the most romantic and picturesque scenery in the county. Entering the town by this road, one crosses the Pilar- citos creek, upon probably the finest wagon-road bridge in San Mateo county. It was constructed about eight years ago at a cost of nearly $3,800, being built upon piles of preserved wood. In the matter of roads and bridges generally, the Half Moon Bay country has been well provided for, owing largely to the interest Supervisor Ames of this township has always taken in those matters.
Spanishtown has a mixed population of five or six hundred inhabitants, which supports two churches and one excellent graded school, the edifice of the latter being one that would do credit to a town of much larger population. The water supply of the place is mainly derived from the San Benito water works, a private enterprise projected by J. P. Ames.
The landing and shipping point for Spanishtown and the Half Moon Bay country is Amesport, of which Ames, Byrnes and Harlow were the projectors.
The various industrial interests of the town at present are represented as follows: One grist-mill, the property of James Hatch; the plow manufactory of R. I. Knapp, which is the only one in the county. Three years ago Mr. Knapp obtained a patent for a side- hill plow (which, however, is equally well adapted to valley plowing) and began manufacturing on a small scale. Owing to the intrinsic worth of this invention of Mr. Knapp, the demand for the plow has steadily increased, and it is probable that in a short time the business of manufacturing will increase to such an extent as to render it profitable to the proprietor and creditable to the town. In 1873, Edward Schubert began the
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brewing of beer at Spanishtown. Mr. Schubert's business has steadily increased until it has become one of the features of the town.
There is one large, first-class hotel here, the Schuyler House, kept by Mr. James Schuyler, who has been its proprietor for the past six years. Of parties engaged in merchandising there are quite a number, among whom are Levy Bros., and Thomas Johnston, the latter one of the first settlers of the valley, and a man universally respected.
The mails are carried by the San Mateo, Pescadero and Santa Cruz stage company, and Henry Pitcher is the postmaster of the office, which is known by the Post Office Department as Half Moon Bay. The town has telegraphic facilities, and an agency of Wells, Fargo & Co's express.
Following the stage-road south about four miles, and the Purissima creek is reached, where the early settlers in this part of the county first gathered. Although there was no settlement deserving the name of a town, yet here were the first schools, the first religious services, and the first tradesmen and me- chanics. Those who journeyed hence " to that undiscovered country," found here, upon a gravelly knoll by the banks of the creek, a resting-place, and protestant burials have continued to be made here to the present time.
The little valley of the Purissima was highly fertile, and, besides that, was a gem of beauty. In addition to its being early sought after for agricultural purposes, it afforded, as the mountains were neared, a profitable field for lumbering, and here was built the first mill (the old mill of Borden & Hatch) devoted exclusively to the trade on the coast side of the county. Owing to the delightful climate and scenery, and to the excellent hunting and fishing advan- tages the place afforded, it was somewhat of a resort for pleasure-seekers, and formerly a good hotel was kept here by Richard Dougherty. This was des- troyed by fire, and now about the only business of Purissima is represented by Mr. Henry Dobbel. The business of the place consists of Mr. Dobbel's store, a harness and blacksmith shop, and the hotel of Richard Dougherty.
A notice of the place would be incomplete without mention of the very fine public school building erected, than which there are few finer in the county.
Southward from Purissima, the next point worthy of mention is Gordon's Landing, near the Tunitas creek. This is one of the finest landings or chutes to be found anywhere on the coast, and was constructed a few years ago at a great expense by the late Hon. Horace Templeton and Alexander Gordon. It is the shipping point for a large area of country, of which Mr. Gordon is owner of several thousand acres.
The first settler in the Tunitas valley was Major Jacob Downing, who, many years ago, purchased a large tract of land there and began sharing the posses- sion of the territory with the bears and coyotes that before that date had a monopoly of the valley.
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SAN GREGORIO, on the creek of the same name, is the next place of any note after passing Lobitas creek. This is the junction of the stage roads from San Mateo by way of Spanishtown, and the road crossing from Redwood City by way of Woodside, Weeks' and La Honda. It is a small town, and its busi- ness interests comprise one hotel and general goods store, blacksmith shop, meat market and boot and shoe shop. Here is a good public school, a post office, and, further up the valley, is a little church.
The valley of the San Gregorio is highly productive, and contains some of the finest farms on the coast side of the county. It began receiving foreign settlers about the year 1854, and among the first to settle here were Hugh Hamilton, G. F. Keiffer and James Smith. The farm improvements here are equal to any on this side of the county.
Crossing the mountains from San Gregorio, the first place dignified with the name of " town" is old La Honda, in the redwood forest. Here one of the county's pioneers, John H. Sears, keeps a store and hotel. He has erected a costly and commodious house for the accommodation of pleasure seekers in this forest, which has become quite famous as a camping ground. At this new town, which is called La Honda, there is a post office, a store and a blacksmith shop.
The next station is Weeks' Ranch, the property of one of the first settlers on the western slope of the mountains, Mr. R. J. Weeks, who settled on his extensive ranch in 1853, where he has continued to reside to the present time, making some of the finest farm improvements in the county. In addition to his extensive farming operations, Mr. Weeks has erected a fine hotel for the accommodation of the traveling public.
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DAIRY FARMS.
MILLBRAE DAIRY .- Millbrae dairy, at Millbrae, the property of A. F. Green, is one among the largest dairies in the county. The barn and dairy house are commensurate in size with the business of the establishment, and are in every respect well appointed while on the ample domain, herds of the best breeds of milk cattle luxuriate in rich pasturage.
The shipments of milk from this dairy to San Francisco average daily two hundred and fifty cans, each can containing three gallons, or a total daily average of seven hundred and fifty gallons of milk, being a yearly average of two hundred and seventy-three thousand, seven hundred and fifty gallons.
WILLOW SIDE DAIRY FARM .- North of Pescadero, and at the head of the val- ley of that name, is situated R. H. Brown's Willow Side dairy farm, em- bracing a tract of twelve hundred acres of fine arable and pasture land. The capacious barn-a two story structure, covering an area of sixty-four by one hundred and twenty feet, is built on an elevated piece of ground a few hundred yards from the main road from Pescadero to Spanishtown. The cattle are stanchioned in four rows of stalls. A system of water-tight gutters, skirting along the row of stalls, receives all the manure from them, both liquid and solid. The floor is traversed by four tramways, on which a box car travels, following along by the manure troughs, and collecting from them the offal. When the car is filled, it is run to the rear end of the building, where it goes on a platform car, which, running on a track of its own, carries the loaded box car to the dumping place, to be utilized in enriching the soil of the farm. The barn has stalls for one hundred and twenty-eight head of cattle.
The upper floor is the hay floor, having a capacity for storing twenty-two tons of hay. Here also are two feed cutters, one for cutting roots, and the other for hay. The latter is driven by horse power, and the hay, as it is cut, falls into a receptacle below, where it is mixed with grain, and in this shape fed to the stock.
There is another barn close by, in which seventy-five head of cattle and young stock can be sheltered, and the hay and feed for them stored.
A short distance down the hill from the first mentioned barn is the dairy house, three stories high, and twenty-four by forty feet square. It is built
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over an excavation in the hill-side, the face of the excavation fronting the rear wall of the first story; this first or basement story is divided into two com- partments, in one of which is kept the tubs and everything used for packing butter. The size of this room is sixteen by twenty-four feet; the other is the butter room, twenty-four feet square. Its walls, as well as the walls of the room directly above it, are packed with saw dust, by which means an even tempera- ture is preserved through all seasons of the year. The second floor is divided into rooms corresponding in size with those on the floor below. The smaller one contains a large iron boiler, always full of hot water, which is conducted by distributing pipes to every part of the building where its use is required. The larger apartment on this floor is the milk-room. In the center of it is an elevator for raising or lowering milk from one floor to the other. Outside of the building and close by the milk-room, is a one hundred and twenty-five- gallon tank, into which the pails of milk are emptied as it comes from the cow, and from which it passes through a pipe into the milk room. The top floor is used exclusively for making and curing cheese. Cleanliness is a cardinal fea- ture in the entire building. Everything has an air of freshness and neatness, nothing whatever of an offensive nature being allowed to accumulate; all the refuse is carried away through pipes to the hog-pens.
There is also on the premises a stable and barn for horses, complete in all its details. Mr. Brown has now one hundred and sixty-five head of cattle on the farm, but when the improvements already begun are completed, he will be able to maintain two hundred and fifty cows, and take care of their products.
DAIRY FARM OF I. G. KNOWLES .- Near Colma is situated I. G. Knowles' dairy farm, of township No. 1. The business of this farm was founded in 1853, and it was probably the first regular dairy establishment in San Mateo county that supplied milk to the residents of San Francisco.
BADEN DAIRY FARM, AT BADEN. - In 1871, Robert Ashbury, the present pro- prietor of the Baden Farm, commenced the dairy and stock raising business on the fine tract which he has ever since occupied. The farm is located in town- ship No. 1, between San Bruno and Colma. Unlike most dairymen, he has confined himself to thoroughbred and high-graded cows. He started business on a comparatively small scale, and has gradually increased his stock until now he has ninety head of thoroughbreds and ninety of other high grades of cattle. He milks every day over sixty cows, a large portion of the product of which finds a market in San Francisco.
JAMES REED'S DAIRY FARM .- In 1879, James Reed erected a barn at Pesca- dero, one hundred and forty by seventy-three feet in dimensions, and capable of stalling one hundred cows. He commenced the business of making butter
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for the San Francisco market in 1881. In 1882-he erected a milk house, with all the necessary appurtenances, and when his plans are entirely carried out, he will have a model, if not a large dairy farm.
STEELE BROTHERS' DAIRY FARM. - R. E. and Isaac Steele are the pioneer dairymen of California. They came from Ohio, and made their first location on this coast at Point Reyes, Marin county, July 4, 1857. There they remained until 1862, when they came to San Mateo county and rented a large tract of land from Clark & Coburn, in Pescadero township. They had as partners Horace Gushee and Charles Wilson, the latter of whom is now a prominent lumber dealer in New York City. The Steele brothers bought out their part- ners and carried on business on their own account until a division of the prop- erty was made.
On their arrival here they established five dairies, with one hundred and sixty cows on each dairy farm. Some years later they bought a portion of the land they had leased from Clark & Coburn, rented out a part of it, and on a portion they still reside. In 1864, they made an enormous cheese, weighing nearly two tons, which they gave to the Sanitary Commission at San Francisco, for the benefit of the soldiers' fund. It was exhibited that year at the Mechanics' Institute fair, in the latter city, and was afterwards cut up, pieces being sent to President Lincoln, General Grant and General Steele, a brother of the manufacturers. Isaac Steele has now in his possession a receipt from the California Branch of the United States Sanitary Commission, stating that two thousand, eight hundred and twenty dollars was the net proceeds from the sale of the cheese. The receipt is dated January 11, 1864, and signed by F. F. Low, president. The Steele brothers are still engaged in the dairy business but on separate accounts.
R. G. SNEATH'S "JERSEY FARM."-Near San Bruno, on the old Mission road, about thirteen miles from San Francisco, is the famous " Jersey Farm," celebrated wherever the dairy products of California are known. It extends from the Mission road, which forms its eastern boundary, westward nearly to the ocean, having an area of four miles in length, by three and a-half miles wide, and embracing twenty-six hundred acres of highly cultivable land or splendid pasture. From the eastern boundary, the ground rises with a grad- ual slope toward the west, to the mountains that divide the bay lands from those bordering on the ocean. The waters, sweet and limpid, from the fine streams and springs that abound on the mountain's flank, are conducted by pipes and conduits to distributing reservoirs, from which the power for all the machinery on the ranch, and the water for irrigating and domestic purposes, is sup- plied. So numerous are these springs, that in every field there is a trough into which pours constantly, throughout the year, a stream of pure cold water,
.
S. P Shari's
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from a pipe connecting with a contiguous spring-a benison that is vastly appreciated by the herds that roll in luxury on Mr. Sneath's broad acres. About a quarter of a mile from the Mission road is situated the neat dwelling of the proprietor, surrounded with everything to give it an air of comfort, and of being the home of happiness and contentment. A short distance west from the house is the blacksmith shop, where all the smith-work of the ranch is done. It might also be called the hospital, where all the wounded and battered of the regiments of milk cans are repaired. Near by is the mill for grinding feed for the stock. It is both a wind-mill and a water-mill, either motive power being used. It is also supplied with a steam engine, which however, is only employed in very rare instances when from any cause the other motion is not for the time being available. To the west of this, at a convenient dis- tance is the barn, a brief description of which may give an idea of the scale on which business on the great dairy farm is done. The barn completely covers an area of two hundred and forty-eight by forty-eight feet; the mid- dle or main part faces north and south, and is three stories high, while the east and west wings are two stories. On the lower floor, two hundred and eighty- eight cows are stalled separately every night, while the upper floors of the wings are filled with hay.
Milking is commenced at eight o'clock in the morning and eight o'clock in the evening. The milk is carried by the milkers to the center of the barn where it is poured into a large, double cooler. This is made of tin, having an inside and an outside wall; and there are two sections, one placed above the other. The central part or basin of each cooler is filled with cold spring water, which is constantly running in fresh at one place and out at another. The milk is poured through a strainer fixed to the upper section, around which it is made to flow in a current, following a system of wires until it reaches the bottom, when it passes through a faucet into the lower section, continuing its motion along the wire guides until its temperature is reduced almost to that of the body of cool spring water in the center of the coolers. From the lower section it passes into a tank from which the cans in which it is taken to market are filled. This cooling apparatus occupies the ground floor of the central part of the barn. On the second floor is the hay cutter, and also a large tank for soaking the ground grain on which the cattle are fed. The grain is elevated to the third floor and is poured into the tank below as it is needed, through spouts, the flow being started or shut off at will, by means of little gates or slides at the bottom of each spout. Adjacent to the barn is a building where the cans are daily put through a process which keeps them clean and perfectly sweet. The plan is original with Mr. Sneath, and is entitled to more than a passing notice. Near the center of the building is a long iron tank, with a furnace underneath. The tank is divided into three sections, one of which con- tains boiling hot water; the second, water moderately hot; and the third,
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warm water made into strong soap-suds. Over the suds are two brushes, one large and long and the other short and small, on vertical spindles, to which are imparted by a simple water-power contrivance, a rapidly revolving motion. The cans are dipped in the suds, then held to the brushes, which polish them to a silvery brightness, leaving no spot untouched. They are then placed in the hot water, after which they are washed outwardly in the medium tank, then rinsed in pure, cold spring water, and put away for use. The covers of the cans are cleaned in like manner, except that the short brush only is used.
To the westward of this group of buildings is another residence, with barns and appurtenances like those above described, except that they are of more recent date, better built, and fitted with valuable improvements suggested by the proprietor's long experience.
The product of these dairies is taken to San Francisco in a large wagon drawn by six mules, there being relay teams, one of which goes in the day time, taking the milk for evening delivery, and the other making the night trip, with the milk for morning delivery. It is all consigned to the city office, No. 835 Howard street, where, upon arrival, it is taken by the route wagons and delivered to customers. This dairy is one of the bright jewels in Cali- fornia's industrial coronet. To it she points with pride, and challenges the Union to show its rival as a source of pure milk supply. It furnishes twice in the twenty-four hours, to ten thousand people, five hundred and fifty cans of pure milk, from six hundred head of the best breeds of milch-cows. The daily average of milk supplied from the Jersey farm to San Francisco is eleven thousand gallons, amounting in a year to the enormous quantity of four millions, fifteen thousand gallons, and not adulterated with one drop of water. The dairy is under the superintendence of George R. Sneath, while the busi- ness department in San Francisco is in charge of his father.
KNOWLES' TROUT AND CARP PONDS .- In addition to his dairy business, Mr. I. G. Knowles has in latter years given his attention to breeding game fish. His first essay in this department was in 1878. He prepared a pond, and on the 4th of April of that year stocked it with fourteen carp; in the following year he added sixteen more of the same species of fish, and since that time he has increased the number of his ponds, which are now teeming with over thirty thousand carp. His trout ponds rank among the finest in the state, affording sportsmen from the city, who appreciate so rare a privilege, an opportunity for indulging in the exhilarating and remunerative pleasure of angling for trout.
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