San Mateo County Places

Colma
(c) Wikipedia

Colma
                              City of Souls                              

Cath Madden Trindle

The Town of Colma is the smallest city in San Mateo County.  Known worldwide as the "City Of Souls,"  it is just over 2 sq. mi in size, has just over 1,600 residents and houses more than 1.5 million souls residing in sixteen cemeteries. That's nearly 1000 bodies for every live person!

The community of Colma started as a cluster of businesses and homes along the railroad tracks and the El Camino.  In the late 1880s, with their San Francisco cemeteries reaching capacity, the Catholic and Jewish communities established cemeteries in the area.  When San Francisco banned all new cemeteries within their borders in 1900 and then demanded the removal of all burials in 1912 Colma became home for all San Francisco burials.  The number of cemeteries grew from the original three to a collection of sixteen today.

Although called Colma in early years, the Town incorporated as Lawndale in 1924. The residential and business area immediately to the north continued to be known as Colma. Because another city in Los Angeles County had the name Lawndale the post office retained the Colma designation, and the town changed its name to Colma in 1941.

Visit the Museum of the Colma Historical Association for a mini history of the town and it's living and dead residents.  Even better, plan ahead and book a tour that includes some great stories along with a visit to some of the cemeteries.  When the tour is over, stay awhile and browse through the great library collection.

It may be a small town, but Colma has it's own musical.  Colma - The Musical was nominated for a variety of awards when it came out in 2006, including the Gotham award for Best Film not in Theaters.  It won a few.  If you missed it, you can rent it from netflix or find used copies of this story of  growing up in the City of the Dead on Amazon for under $5 including shipping.

Links

                                         History and Genealogy                              

Colma Historical Association

Colma History
History Guild of Daly City/Colma

                                         Town Information                                      

Town of Colma

Colma - Wikipedia

Colma - Citydata.com 

                                        Further Research                                       

Colma - A Worldcat Bookshelf
Online Archive of California - Colma
Colma - Arcadia Books
Epodunk - Colma
California Genealogy - Colma
Squiddo - Colma

San Mateo County Places

Pescadero

Cath Madden Trindle

Pescadero is located on the Rancho Pescadero, a Mexican land grant given to Juan José Gonzalez in 1833. Among the early American settlers in the valley were Alexander Moore and Bartlett, Braddock and Robinson Weeks.  Moore built the first frame home in the area in the early 1850s. 

  
Another early family was the Steeles. They established a dairy farm in the Cloverdale Valley near Pescadero. The rich, fertile soil of the valley attracted other settlers, and by the 1860s Pescadero was a prosperous town surrounded by farms and lumber mills. 

Trout fishing and Pebble Beach drew visitors and by the 1890s Pescadero was a thriving seaside resort. Visitors could take the train to Redwood City or San Mateo and then then travel by mountain stage to Pescadero.  There they found Sarah Swanton's hotel. 

Another well known establishment is Duarte's Tavern first established in 1894 by Frank Duarte. The original building, along with the Swanton House was destroyed by fire in the 1920s, although the original bar remains.You can read the history of the tavern on their own website, or better yet visit for a cup of artichoke or green chile soup and a slice of pie and see the history on the walls. 

The demise of the Ocean Shore Railway and the fact that Highway 1 bypassed Pescadero eventually meant a shrinking population.  Today  Pescadero is smaller than it was.  It is a quaint little town with some cute little art shops that you should visit on your trip to Duartes and the nearby beaches.

Among the landmarks still standing are St. Anthony's Catholic Church  and the Pescadero Community Church  both were completed in 1867.  The community church with its classical revival style beat out the catholic church and today is the oldest surviving Protestant church on the Peninsula.  It was declared a state historical landmark in 1984.


For much more on the history of Pescadero read though  Pescadero Memories  by June Morrell.  She brings the days of old alive.
  
Check the Online Archive of California - Pescadero for records, maps and pictures of Pescadero that are sitting in repositories in California including the Steele Ranch Records.  The Library of Congress has some records for the area including LOC-Built in America - Steele Bros. Dairies  and LOC-Built in America - San Gregorio Street in Pescadero.  

Other helpful links include
Wikipedia-Rancho Pescadero
Wikipedia - Pescadero
Pescadero, California 
Coastside History
Pescadero State Beach 
Pescadero Creek Park

Watch for further information on Mt. Hope and St. Anthony's Cemetery, Pillar Point Lighthouse and on specific families that might be posted to the SMCGS First Families Blog.