In the first days of San Francisco, there was only one road out of town, and that was El Camino Real. Later a second road was added skirting the other side of the mountain and was called the San Bruno Toll Road. The two roads merged at what is today San Mateo Avenue and El Camino in San Bruno.
Several roadhouses were built, including one called the San Bruno House that was run by a man named Richard Cunningham. The railroad came in 1863, intersecting the Toll Road at Cunningham's He expanded his roadhouse to include a train station. Cunningham then became the stationmaster and later the post master. The area became known as San Bruno.
The name of San Bruno is one of the oldest on the peninsula, but the town itself is a relative newcomer. One of the early Spanish explorers named Bruno Heceta passed through in 1775, and probably was the one who named San Bruno Mountain after his patron saint.
The flat swampy land near the roads stretched up to the grassy hills that separated the bay from the ocean. It was an ideal environment for grazing dairy cattle. This was recognized by Richard Sneath, who arrived in 1875. He built up a dairy herd and bought land until he controlled 3000 acres. By 1900 he operated a prosperous business that extended to three ranches and took 75 men to run. Sneath merged his operation with that of John Daly and others, creating the Dairy Development Company. This syndicate was later absorbed by the Borden Company.
In 1906, there was still not much here but dairies, a railroad station, post office and some roadhouses. Then, in the aftermath of the earthquake and fire in San Francisco, refugees poured out along the two exits from The City. Where the two roads met, a temporary camp was set up to provide shelter for the homeless.
Many of the people displaced by this historic event decided to stay in San Mateo County. The population of many towns exploded. Since there was really no town at San Bruno, the community didn't quite boom, but some people did settle here.
An early function of the settlement at San Bruno was to provide for the entertainment of San Franciscans. Various activities that were illegal in The City were available here. Gambling, hunting, and certain sports were promoted. There was a rifle range in back of Cunningham's place. The mudflats were ideal for hunting duck and geese. Prize fights were held at some roadhouses and Tanforan Track had opened in 1899 for horse racing. During brief periods when betting on horses was prohibited by State Law, auto and motorcycle racing flourished. Aerial shows were presented here, as Tanforan's center field was also a landing strip.
The convergence of the roads, as well as the convenient train station, trolley and a boat dock made this a natural gathering place for "sportsmen." In 1912, the state paved a section of El Camino Real through San Bruno as the demands of the automobile began the California highway system.
By 1914, the population of San Bruno reached 1,000, and they incorporated into a town. Since that time, the San Francisco International Airport and BART have added a modern spin to the story of transportation that still explains San Bruno.
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.
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