Coyote Point has an interesting history

The marshland to the east of the 65-foot high isolated protrusion by the Bay (Samphire Marsh) prevented the Spanish and Mexicans easy access to the hill except by boat. In 1824, a Russian captain, Otto von Kotzebue, landed on the point and observed that it was covered with grassland and oak trees. The point was then called "the Coyote” after the Aztec word coyotl which means "prairie wolf.” The native Ohlone Indians believed the wolf was given the "Spirit of a Creation” and although, he was a pesky animal, they revered him and his spirit. From the surrounding marshes Tule reeds were collected and used to make their huts as well as their boats, which they used to ply the waters along the shore for hunting and fishing.

Shell deposits abounded around the "point,” which indicated that the Ohlone Indians visited there to obtain shellfish. The shells were collected by a Mr. Donald for use as walkways around the Captain Macondray’s estate (later called Baywood) along the San Mateo Creek.

The area was acquired by the Howard estate in 1860, but it was not developed or used except as a picnic area. By 1889, a landing was built to the west of the point, and was called San Mateo Point for a time. The landing for boats and paths to the point allowed Peninsulans to use the area for picnicking and fishing. A small hard trail that allowed overland travel to the point was developed from Poplar Avenue. Eucalyptus trees grew enthusiastically along the trails. A 30-room bathhouse was constructed along the beach to the northeast of the point.

In the early 1920s, an amusement park called Pacific City was built after the marsh was filled in and the point became a favorite destination spot to enjoy a view of the park. In 1932, a federal finance project by the WPA was begun to drain the marsh south of the Point, allowing a golf course to be laid out. In 1937, a firing range was authorized there.

In 1940, the area now called Coyote Point, was purchased by the city of San Mateo for recreation use, and a yacht club was formed in 1941.The outbreak of World War II pushed the use of Coyote Point into another unforeseen direction. The government developed a Merchant Marine Academy on the hill site and proceeded to train more than 5,000 men for the merchant marines over the next five years. In May of 1946, the Point reverted back to the use of the city.

By 1947, the San Mateo Junior College was bursting at its seams with returning WW II veterans, and the still-standing quonset huts became temporary classrooms for the college.

Although it was considered as a campus for the rapidly-expanding College of San Mateo in 1957, due to too much airplane noise, limited space and the possibility of using landfill to expand, it was rejected as a site for a campus. In 1953, the Jr. Museum began using a quonset hut and a warehouse for a limited museum. By 1976 a new museum was needed, and in 1978, the San Mateo County supervisors approved a plan for new facilities, although the county was not going to fund the operation of the facilities. In 1981, the new museum opened and in 1991 a wildlife center was added to the museum. Recently the museum has experienced some controversy, but with new directors and a new and a new mission, appears to be heading to a viable and valuable future.

Coyote Point has been developed into a wonderful recreation area with a park accessible for picnicking, a marina for boats and the entire area useable for hiking.

Rediscovering the Peninsula appears in the Monday edition of the Daily Journal.