Rags to riches: John Daly's story

John Daly rose from being a penniless orphan to the generous and prosperous businessman for whom Daly City was named. He and his mother traveled from Boston to California in 1854. They were coming by the route across Panama. While making that crossing, John's mother contracted Yellow Fever and died. John had no choice but to continue to San Francisco even though he was then only 13. After arriving, John supported himself with odd jobs. One of his first was "riding the mail" from W. D. M. Howard's office in San Francisco to his ranch on the Peninsula and back. Eventually John found himself working for dairies in San Mateo County. This is where he learned the dairy business. He saved his money, and was finally able to buy his own land. He purchased 250 acres on a hill where the old Mission Road met San Jose Avenue. Daly's San Mateo Dairy Company was established in the late 1860s, just south of San Francisco. Daly prospered as a dairyman and became a political power of the Republican Party in the northern part of the county. Daly moved his family into a large home on Guerrero Street in San Francisco around 1880, but continued his close association with San Mateo County and his dairy business. Then, in 1906, the earthquake and fire devastated much of San Francisco. Refugees walked out the Mission Road. Locals opened their homes to them, and provided them with food. John Daly provided milk to everyone, and let people camp in his fields. Many San Franciscans first camped in tents in parks. Before winter, emergency shelters were built by the Red Cross and rented to the refugees at four or six dollars a month, depending on size. These shacks were 14 feet by 18 feet and divided into two or three rooms. They could be used for one year only. After that, the occupants had the opportunity to purchase the structures at a nominal cost. They would have to relocate them, however, to residential sites. Daly subdivided his farm into lots. He had already been in the real estate and banking business, so this was a natural step for him to take. His hillside was within easy hauling distance to the city. Moving the earthquake houses became a popular and specialized business, costing $25 per house. Daly sold his lots for $400. They could be purchased at $10 down and $10 per month until paid for. From the beginning, the area was home for working people of modest means. Daly was ready to retire from dairying. A new post office was built where his cow barn had been. The community that developed in the area around Daly's farm was called Vista Grande. Soon, a few businesses were established to serve the community. Overnight, it seemed, the area became a boomtown. Merchants turned Mission Street into a shopping center near "the top of the hill." In 1911, the citizens voted 138 to 136 to incorporate into a town. Several variations on the Vista Grande name were debated without a consensus. Finally a compromise was reached and the town was named Daly City in honor of their benefactor. Of course, the John Daly family never actually lived in the town that was named for him. 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.