Has anyone seen Shelter Cove?

You can't see it, but Shelter Cove is a bit of beach in Pacifica between Point San Pedro and a rocky cliff to the north. At one time a narrow road twisted down from today's Highway One to the beach. That road washed out in the winter of 1982 and now ends at a parking lot. Only a footpath continues down to the strip of cottages that remain there.

Back in the beginning of the 20th Century when the Ocean Shore Railroad and early auto travel opened up our coast to weekend excursions, Shelter Cove was a destination for city folk. Like Thornton, Salada and Rockaway Beaches, Shelter Cove drew people who wanted to picnic or laze on the beach for a day or two.

George Lewis owned a general store and the beachfront property at Shelter Cove. People leased pieces of the property from Lewis and built simple summer cottages on them. Lenore Lafayette wrote a book, Shelter Cove: the Early Years, that tells of the stays her family made there. She tells of the respite from City Life that Shelter Cove provided even during the depression.

Some of the early cottages were pretty rustic. They might have no electricity or indoor bathrooms. As Lenore described it, it was camping with a roof over one's head. Their Shack, as they called it, used an old wood stove and oil lamps at night.

During prohibition, Shelter Cove was a rumrunner's dream. The total isolation of the spot was perfect for landing contraband liquor. There was an old railroad tunnel between the cove and Devil's Slide. The illegal booze was smuggled ashore at the beach and hidden in the tunnel until it could be transported into the city or to the coastal "speakeasies." The government revenuers eventually blasted the tunnel closed.

World War II affected the beach as gas rationing limited recreational auto travel. There was also a concern about coastal security from enemy invasion. Lights were kept dim in coastal towns and the threat of an air raid was always there. The holiday atmosphere of Shelter Cove changed.

Feb. 9, 1960, a bad storm hit the coast and high waves damaged some of the homes in the cove. Then that storm of 1982 cut off Shelter Cove's only access road. People still live down there, though. Seventeen cottages remain, owned by one landowner and rented out to a select few. After being open to the public for generations, Shelter Cove was posted as private property in 1975 and only residents and their guests are allowed access. Considering the difficulty in getting down there now, that is understandable.

The word is that when people move in or out, they arrange to sell their furniture and belongings to one another, since transporting large items is out of the question. Residents park their cars at the end of the old road and walk the rest of the way.

It's hard to believe that such an exclusive enclave can exist in today's highly urban world. One can only imagine at how rustic living in Shelter Cove is today. Hardly anyone has seen it.

Rediscovering the Peninsula appears in the Monday edition of the Daily Journal. For more information on this or related topics, visit the San Mateo County History Museum, 777 Hamilton St., Redwood City.