- fJll'.'im'T LIBRARY, 1110 ALA, 1EnA - BEUIO::r, CALIF. 94002 :L - - Vol. 11 CARLMONT HI STORY By Russel A. Estep - 1992-1993 - INDEX 1. Early People in Belmont. ? The Reid School In Belmont. 3:About Some Belmont Subdivisions. 4. Early Club Fundraisers. 5. An early Belmonter Visits Hawaii in 1881. 6. Prohibition Comes to Belmont. 7. When Moffett Field Was Built in 1931. 8. Mrs. Alpheus Bull Purchased the Ralston Estate. 9. Some Large Fires in Belmont. 10. Ham Radio Operators helped Belmont. 11. Medical Help In Early Belmont. 12. Bnsiness Licenses in Early Belmont. 13�Constructing Early Homes in Belmont. 14. f ourth of July Parade in Belmont. 15. Belmont was the First County Seat. 16. Goint to Half Moon Bay In Early Days. 17. Ivan F. Phipps came Here and Made Exchanges of Property. 18. Hauling Hay With Rattlesnakes In It .. 19. Belmont Was Called WAterview At First. 20. At torney Mezes Fee For Clearinq Titles. 21, Morgan Oyster Company. ') , L,. - • Kinq Kalakua Stays At The Ralston House. 23. Man-' Birds in Belmont. 24. Vi�iting the Hawaii CApitol. 25. When a Large Chicken House Burned. 26. Dr. Lee Gambitz Lived In Belmont. 27. Brewers Island Became Foster City. 28. A Large House on Lake Street Became California Sanitarium. 29. c rystal Springs Lake West of Belmont. 30. Activities at 125 Dale Avenue in San Carlos. 31. Ralston Helped Sharon Become a Director of his Bank. 32. There is Shallow Hardpan Under Belmont. 33. Wagons Were Greased With Bear Grease in Belmont. 34. Coming West in 1854. 35. A baloon Lands in Belmont. 36. When Lions Roared in Bffilmont. 37. Train Whistles Disturb Belmonters. 38. A Parade in Belmont. INDEX CONTINUED 39· Arguello lived where San Carlos is now. 40. Annette Alexander helped many Belmont people. 41. Belmont's incorporation was set aside for a few years. 42. A new barn 60x60 blew down in Belmont. 43. A visit to Salton City. 44. A Belmont couple visits Hawaii in 1860. 45. Several small Airports. 46. First School in Belmont. 47. Small Belmont Businesses in Early Days. 48. From Belmont to San Jose in Earlu Days. 49. The Angelo Hotel. SO. Belmont's Picnic Grounds. 51. Belmont Was Once a Governor's Residence. 5: .. Dirt Roads to the Twentieth Century. 53. Advantages of Living in Belmont. -1- :,.,,,:.-·"'�, ,, ___; ,-------------------...... c=rlmont history by Russ Estep WhenBelmont was first set­ fences. tled its first inhabitants bui.it Old reports state that the Ar­ fences - not to keep their ani­ guello family had 10,000 cattle mals in, but to keep their neigh­ and 2,000 hogs. Mission Dolores bors' animals out. Cattle were also was reported to have had everywhere. several thousand head of cattle The first fences built were rail and hundreds of hogs. All of fences. One type was called them ran loose over the coun - worm fencing. tryside. A few of the pioneers started Doris Vannier's mother businesses making rails. They passed away many years ago cut doi;l;n trees near Woodside, when she was in her 80s. She and then split the logs into rails. had been here in the late 1800s One type was laid so that it zig­ and told me that as a child she zagged. This was called a had to watch for wildcattle. She "worm fence." always kept a tree or fence in Another type was when rails sight to climb if chased. were set between two points. With so many cattle and hogs This type was a straight fence raised back then, you would and didn't take up as much have thought the beef and pork , ground. It also looked better. would provide an immense in­ The rails were al\vays the same come. But they did not. length - 10 feet. Wedges were There was a small local mar­ used to split the logs. An ax sim­ ket for both, yet no way to keep ply was not enough. Some rail the meat if shipped east on sail­ spli:ters became experts in the ing ships. Anin1als hides only \Vor:-:. They made a meager liv­ brought a few dollars each, ac­ ing. :ut they subsisted on their cording to old records. smill vegetable gardens. How­ Henry Dana's book, "T,vo e\"er, they needed some money Years Before the Mast," tells to pt.:rchase salt, baking pow­ about sailing around Cape Horn der-, sugar, flour, their boots or to returnto the East Coast with shoes occasionally and new hides. They were used for many j2a.-.s or a blue denim s:::....-: ::-,o•.v t::i"'.6s requiring leather, bi..:t and then. mainly forshoe leather. Some wrote to their families When in Boston, I was inter­ in the East that they were in ested in its many shoe factories. '·business" and expected to send They still operate there. One for theirfamilies very soon. far.tor,; w�s so olrl. it w�s on Because cattle and hogs ran loose over the countryside, they "Milk Street," where, presum­ had to be kept out of vegetable ably, an early dairy had been lo­ gardens. Some hogs were very cated. Milk Street was down­ persistent and rooted under the town in the business district. 'l -(:.,,- carlmont history by Ru11 l!st•p A College of San Mateo stu­ fornia Sanitarium. Here is a dent recently approached me, quote about it from an old Red­ asking when the Reid School wood City Tribune: was established in Belmont. He "The California Sanitarium was preparing a paperabout it. I was first the home of C.R. Spli­ suggestedhe go to the Redwood valo, owner ofa macaroni facto­ City Library and look up old ry in S:m Francisco. In 1910, af­ Redwood City Tribunes. He ter Mr. Splivalo's death, his came back with an article place was purchased by Dr. Har­ which states: ry C. Warren and Max Roth­ "Across the road from the child, who established the Cali­ Mezes home, Mr. William R. fornia Sanitarium. Dr. Warren, Reid established in the early a specialist in pulmonary dis­ 1890s an institution that was eases, was the owner and direc­ known for many years as the tor of the institution. As an ad­ Reid School. It was built with junct to it, through a gift of money given by Moses Hopkins Charles S. Howard, a free prev­ of Redwood City a!"d operated entorium for children with tu­ under the auspices of the Con­ berculosis tendencies was es­ gregational Church as a semi­ tablished. The public school military boarding school. Boys system provided instruction for J were sent to this school from all the young patients." parts of the country and, when When the St. Joseph Military graduated, were admitted to the Academy was in operation. the nation's leading universities. boys at the school wore semi­ After the death of Mr. Reid, the military uniforms. One uniform school was operated for some is on display at the Belmont Mu­ time by his son, and was finally seum in Twin Pines Park. It is sold about 1919 to the Catholic fitted onto a dummy which Archbishop of Sa:n Fraricisco makes it quite realistic. and became St. Joseph Military There are also some excellent Academy. photos of the school and proper­ Some of the old Reid buildings ty surrounding it in the muse­ are still in use at the corner of um. The school's football field Ralston A venue and Alameda was located where we pres1>ntly de las Pulgas. find the shopping center. In earlier years, there was Belmont continually changes. considerable activity at that lo­ People who were born here, cation. Now strangers some­ such as Doris Vannier and Bert times ask, "Where is the down­ Johnson, must wonder what town in Belmont? Is it changes Belmont will have in downtown, or way out here?" the future. Belmont will contin­ In an old Redwood City Tri­ ue to grow and there might bune, one item states, "By 1919 come a time when San Francis­ the town had began to move co will become one of our sub- west of the tracks. At that time a urbs. site was purchased fora school (Editor's note: Russell Es­ on WaltermireStreet." tep, a long-time Belmont and But there was activity in the San Carlos resident, is the of­ Carlmont area also. A sanitari­ ficial historian for the city of um that was established Belmont. His column is pub­ brought many people to lished each week in the F:n­ Carltnnnt. It w:1s rnllPd tlw r::lll quirPr-lltllft•fir,.) -J- carlmont history by Russ l!step Past investors and specula­ homes across from Carlmont torshave helped make Belmont High School.He was killedin an what it is today. accident north of Bakersfield In 1947 the upper portion of when someMexican farm work­ the large hillwest of El Camino ersdrove intohis carin a dense Real came on the market Louis fog when they were11'aveling on S. Mortondecided to purchaseit the highway inthe wrong lane. and he put a $5,000deposit to be­ Another developer built the gin his purchase.When the Bel· Homeview subdivision. Those mont County Water District houseswere of two plani;. Every couldn'tfurnish water economi­ other house had an upstairs.All cally to the hilltop, Morton had perimeterfoundations. changed his mind yet forfeited The Sterling Downs' houses his $5,000. all had concrete floors, three Someone else put a deposit of bedrooms and two-cargarages. the property and San Carlos The Bay View Heights subdi­ agreed to furnish water.