The city, originally an agricultural outpost of the Mission of San Francisco de Asís, was founded in the 1840s, first as San Benito, and then, as its Anglo-Saxon fishing community grew, it was renamed Spanishtown.
In 1874, it was renamed Half Moon Bay again.
After rail and road connections in the early 20th century, the city grew. The first inhabitants of this fertile coastal terrace believed that they came from the earth. In their first 14,000 years here, they developed a way of life centered on caring for the land.The people who are now collectively known as Ohlone were organized into at least 50 politically autonomous tribal groups that spoke several dialects. Expanded clans formed villages, each of which included social organizations. Working together, the organizations managed the storage of food surpluses, built buildings, planned hunting strategies and determined when and where to relocate according to the seasons. The houses called ruk were built of tulle canes with tight thatched roofs woven over a frame of willow posts.
Each house had an indoor fireplace and an outdoor fireplace, and an underground oven for roasting bulbs, seafood and meat. The Ohlone hunted small terrestrial animals and communally hunted large animals such as elks and deer. They caught salmon and trout in the streams, caught surf fish in the ocean, and collected shellfish such as mussels and clams. Women were experts at deep diving, since abalone ate meat; shells were used as utensils or decorations and were an important commercial item.
The Ohlone traded with tribes all over California and as far away as eastern Colorado, and traded abalone shells, olive shells, and other local items for things that aren't available here, such as obsidian for arrowheads and spears. Their diet was primarily plant-based and included herb and plant seeds, berries, mushrooms, sprouts, bulbs, seaweed, fresh vegetables, and acorn meal. Seed-producing grasslands were once a dominant feature of coastal terraces and the Ohlone milled flour from the seeds of plants such as clarkia and tarry. Many plants used for medicinal purposes by Ohlone are used in current medications.
For example, willow bark contains salicylic acid and is chewed or used as tea to alleviate mild pain; salicylic acid is the main ingredient in aspirin. Another example is coastal jelly (grindelia), whose sticky buds were used to treat respiratory, skin and digestive diseases; today it is the main ingredient in Tecnu, a skin product that relieves poison oak rash. California's native peoples managed the landscape using fire to increase seed production. After the burning of the pastures in late summer, the new plant growth not only produced new food crops, but also attracted hunting.
When Europeans arrived in California, they described the areas as manicured orchards rich in wildflowers, edible bulbs, and carefully manicured pastures. They didn't find a desert, but a managed landscape. The town of Quiroste, around New Year's Eve, is believed to have been the place where the Portolá expedition of 1769 was received and where men were cured of scurvy. As the expedition continued its journey up the coast, they were welcomed, fed and cared for in each town.
The growing population of Spanish colonists, Mexican ranchers, and American coastal settlers forever changed the way of life of the Ohlone. Foreign cattle, horses and sheep grazed on native plants, drastically reducing the natives' food supply. Foreign plants such as wild oats, mustard, radish and clover were introduced, further degrading the food supply and increasing the Ohlone's dependence on foreigners for their livelihood. In 1850, California statehood followed the Gold Rush and led to institutional racism and servitude.
Many Ohlone survived by blending with Latin communities and receiving Spanish names and cultures; some small groups escaped to live hidden in the woods. Today, the Amah Mutsun are collaborating in the Kiroste Valley with archaeologists from California State Parks and the University of California to research and reintroduce the traditional management of resources and the environment that was practiced before the arrival of Europeans. The small valley was the seasonal home of the Quiroste family and their predecessors. for millennia.
The descendants of the first people still live on the coast and continue to identify themselves as the Ohlone people. During this time, maritime trade became increasingly important, as more ships from countries such as Great Britain, which was interested in California, sailed to San Francisco Bay. The ships also stopped off the high seas in Half Moon Bay to inspect items such as furs, since rowing boats with goods could be sent to the ships. A lively fishing community also began to exist.
The Gold Rush and the growth of California between 1848 and 1900 Coastal settlers began producing crops such as potatoes, hay and oats, which found a ready market in the growing city of San Francisco. In 1868, Josiah Ames built a pier and warehouse near the Arroyo de en Medio so that steamboats could stop, load our goods and transport them north to San Francisco. Other lesser-known innovators also made contributions. The rise of artichoke cultivation was the mother of need for another Coastside inventor, Ralph Woodman de Pescadero.
Artichokes were introduced to the United States in 1806, but it is said that the first commercial plantation in California took place in El Granada by Dante Dianda in the 1860s. The first coastal artichokes were shipped to the East Coast as early as 1904 to be sold to Italian populations. Large artichokes sold for five cents in San Francisco used to cost up to a dollar in Italian neighborhoods in eastern cities. Woodman discovered that existing sorters didn't work well with artichokes, so he invented and patented an artichoke sorter in 1924 that was specially adapted to sort artichokes with long stems.
Ldo Giusti, whose family continues to farm on the coast. He faced a labor shortage in the 1960s, making it difficult for him to harvest Brussels sprouts. He patented his idea of a mechanical harvesting machine in 1969 as “an apparatus for peeling Brussels sprouts and which was equipped with a cutter with a guide surface arranged so that the main stem of an unimpaled Brussels sprout plant advanced there, the cutter had a blade arranged to remove the sprouts from the plant, and this cutter was connected to a high-speed vibrator that moved continuously from one side to the other in short strokes. Giusti's creativity went far beyond agricultural implements, since in the early 1970s, Mr. Giusti, an avid golfer, filed a patent for a “golfing device”.
The players used a “self-adhesive golf ball” that could be propelled from a tee on a mat to a panel, to which the ball was attached, and the panel was marked to show the elevation and distance of a stroke. A major challenge facing coastal farmers was getting their products and products to their markets and customers, since the roads of the time were poor or non-existent and the rocky, cliff-lined coastline was not suitable for anchoring and loading ships. Alexander Gordon's 100-foot high ramp, near Tunitas Creek, was built on rocks and reached from the top of the cliffs to the open sea. Gordon had the ramp built to solve his own problems getting produce from his farm to the market, but he also hoped to generate income from other farmers.
The structure was plagued by problems from the start. The cliff was high and windy, and more than one person died in accidents. Waves of between 10 and 20 feet broke the base of the ramp, and the captains of the ships had to brave the ocean waves to anchor on the reef, many would not. Worse still, the pronounced 45% inclination with respect to ships created frictions that reportedly sometimes set fire to bags of products, which arrived in flames or exploded when impacting the bottom of the ramp.
Gordon's Chute had some successes, especially during the grain boom of the 1870s, but in the end the company went bankrupt. It was destroyed on November 17, 1885 during a southeastern gale. The Ocean Shore Railroad, years 1908 to 1922 The construction of the railroad from San Francisco began in 1905, but the great earthquake of 1906 caused the team working on the Devil's Slide to fall into the sea. Finally arriving at Half Moon Bay in 1908, it brought trains full of hikers and potential land buyers to the coast.
The company Ocean Shore bought lots in El Granada, planted trees and laid curbs that can still be found today. Eyewitness accounts indicate that ships landed on the beaches of Half Moon Bay with illegal alcohol from Canada. The Granada bathhouse was originally located on the modern site of Surfer's Beach. Built next to the railroad, it was a place that rum dealers used to sell illegal alcohol.
Its location has now eroded and sunk into the ocean. The Great Depression of 1929 to 1941 When the stock market crashed in 1929, the country and the world plunged into an economic depression. The residents of our coast would have been luckier than many; it was an agricultural area that cultivated (as it still does) artichokes, Brussels sprouts, hay and oats. There were cattle, a dairy and a fishing community.
The Second World War brought an influx of military personnel to the community. On the west coast, there were fears that Japanese bombers might attack. Shipbuilding began strongly in San Francisco, and the military occupied some local sites, such as the building that is now Cameron's Pub and Point Montara. In 1943, the Palace Miramar Hotel was requisitioned as Camp Miramar and a prefabricated military city was built around it.
Citizens of Italian, Japanese or German origin could not venture west of Main Street. The June 1943 edition of the U.S. Army Station List stated that Camp Miramar had only one rifle company, Company G of the 125th Infantry Regiment. In January 1944, the site was considered unnecessary and unoccupied.
The addition also allowed the city to control its own zoning regulations, which has been critical to preserving the area's natural beauty. Located on the Pacific coast, about 25 miles south of San Francisco, it's known for its natural wonders, including the world-famous monster waves of Mavericks. Today's Half Moon Bay presents tourism as an important part of its economy, with its picturesque coastline and numerous attractions. The city is also home to several wineries, a golf course and a variety of shops, restaurants and hotels.
The annual Art & Pumpkin festival is one of the area's most popular attractions and attracts thousands of visitors each year. Start at the Main Street Bridge (300 Main Street). In the 19th century, Mexican colonists and American pioneers crossed a simple wooden bridge that crossed the Pilarcito Creek. In 1900, Joseph Debenedetti, a county supervisor who worked on numerous downtown buildings, promoted the construction of the county's first steel-reinforced bridge, which still stands in foot, after the earthquakes of 1906 and 1989. Keep in mind that the steel used to reinforce the concrete bridge comes from discarded cable car tracks in San Francisco.
From the bridge, walk down the main street to Casa Zaballa (324). Estanislao Zaballa, who would become one of the first urban planners, traced the streets and blocks of Half Moon Bay, married a member of the Miramontes family and built this wooden house in a Greek Renaissance style that stood in stark contrast to the surrounding adobes. Today you can sleep where Zaballa he laid his head down. The historic house now serves as a bed and breakfast and accommodates guests in its rooms filled with antiques.
One of the most notable buildings in the city center is actually a replica. The original building that currently houses the Cunha market (448 from the main street). The previous building began life as another tavern called Index Saloon because it was thought to be the building with which everyone else should be measured. The beauty of the Beaux-Arts at 501 Main Street is the City Hall, built in 1922 as the Half Moon Bay bank.
Soon after, it became the Bank of Italy, the predecessor of the Bank of America, founded by A. P. Giannini, born in San José, who made his fortune offering savings accounts and loans to the working class and not just to the super-rich. Take a look inside and look for the building's original vault.
As you browse the many boutiques downtown, notice the Old West façade at 527 Main Street, the city's oldest commercial building, built in 1873 as Giuseppe Boitano's store. Head east from Main Street down Miramontes Street and you'll arrive at a quaint American colonial house that was originally Spanishtown's first English-speaking school (611 Johnston St). The school was founded by the Johnston family for their children and neighbors. Nearby is the old 1919 two-cell jail (505 Johnston St), a popular overnight accommodation among indulgent customers of the city's taverns.
Just behind the jail is the Thomas Johnston barn, one of the few remaining industrial buildings in the city. Along with brothers James and William, Thomas Johnston tried to bring dairy cows from his home state of Ohio to Spanishtown. The company never really prospered, and Thomas started a transportation business to service the burgeoning agricultural and timber trade. Half Moon Bay State Beach is known for its rare western snow plover colony. Half Moon Bay was founded in the mid-19th century by European colonists, who sought to take advantage of the rich resources found in the area.
These settlers brought with them a diverse set of skills and experiences that helped shape the city's culture, economy, and social landscape. Thanks to the establishment of businesses such as fishing, logging and agriculture, Half Moon Bay became an important center of commerce and industry. The founding of Half Moon Bay also had a lasting impact on California culture and history. The real growth of the area occurred after the Second World War, with the construction of numerous subdivisions, leading to the incorporation of Half Moon Bay in 1959. As you stroll down Half Moon Bay's historic main street, you follow in the footsteps of a diverse cast of characters, from gold diggers and 19th century Mexican soldiers to Spanish explorers and Ohlone tribes. Today, Half Moon Bay is an integral part of San Mateo County and remains an important center for agriculture and tourism.
The Visit Half Moon Bay website is a joint effort of the Half Moon Bay Coast Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau, the Half Moon Bay Hotel Business Improvement District, and the Half Moon Bay Downtown Association. In 1986, San Mateo County ceded the jail and barn to the city of Half Moon Bay on the condition that they be used for purposes historical. Half Moon Bay was first inhabited by the Ohlone people, who lived along its coastline for thousands of years before the arrival of Europeans. Half Moon Bay's modern development has been largely shaped by the city's commitment to preserving its natural beauty and historic roots.
It hosts a variety of events throughout the year, such as the annual Art & Pumpkin festival and the Half Moon Bay Brewing Company's Beach Beer Festival. What they discovered was the story of James Johnston, one of the first Americans to enter the forerunner city of Half Moon Bay, a Mexican town that Americans called Spanishtown. We'll also examine the unique features that make Half Moon Bay so special, such as its beaches, natural beauty, and unique culture. The racial makeup of Half Moon Bay was 8,580 (75.8%) white, 82 (0.7%) African American, 71 (0.6%) Native American, 490 (4.3%) Asian, 9 (0.1%) Pacific Islanders, 1710 (15.1%) from other races, and 382 (3.4%) from two or more races.
Half Moon Bay's economy is dominated by a handful of companies, the largest of which is the Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay, which employs 500 people and is a major source of property tax and tourism revenues for the city. This means that the City will be able to fully finance the cost of daily operations and services in Half Moon Bay for the next five years with a healthy annual surplus that can be used to cover the cost of desired Capital Improvement Program projects and other needs. When Candelario Miramontes, owner of a Mexican land grant, put his ranch up for sale in 1853, Johnston was left with more than 1,000 acres extending south from what is now Half Moon Bay.
