Searsville Lake Park was home to Olympians

The county's only freshwater swimming beach and recreation area became so popular that it had to be closed. In 1976, Stanford University bought out the leases of the Searsville Lake Park and allowed the land to revert to nature. Access to the southern San Mateo County preserve is now strictly limited, and is used primarily as a research center for biological, geological and archeological study. Greta Johanson was the first female Olympic diving champion. That was in 1912, the first year that women were allowed to compete in the Olympics. Greta was from Stockholm, Sweden and won the 10 meter tower dive event. She had learned to swim and dive in Stockholm by using the free tickets to the municipal pools that she got at school. At 15, Greta became a Swedish national champion, and then at 17, won her Olympic gold medal. She married an Olympic teammate, Ernst Brandsten. The two taught swimming and diving, first in Sweden and then in the United States. In 1888, The Spring Valley Water Company felt that by damming Corte Madera Creek they could create a reservoir that would provide valuable water to the area. The massive undertaking involved relocating the entire town of Searsville and building a huge dam to trap the water in a lake where the town once stood. After completion, it became evident that the project did not live up to expectations. The water company sold the watershed to nearby Stanford University in the early 1920s. Stanford leased the Searsville Lake area to its swimming coaches, Greta and Ernst Brandsten. They began Searsville Lake Park. They offered swimming, boating and camping. A three-tier diving platform was built on the dam. It was used for National High Diving Championships. Olympic trials for the USA team were held at the resort. Ernst successfully coached four of the U.S. Olympic diving teams, and in 1928, his men won all six of the diving medals for springboard and platform diving. He was also the inventor of the tapered springboard and the movable fulcrum. White sand was imported from Santa Cruz to make an inviting beach that was featured on post cards. There were picnic grounds and refreshment stands. The Brandsens ran the resort for 27 years. After that, the park continued operation under other management. By 1976, the concessions for boating, fishing and refreshments were held by Add James and Donald Beeson. For 50 years, Searsville Lake Park had been a party place and swimming hole for San Mateo County residents. After World War II, the population boom that came to the county as well as all of California, vastly increased the use of the park. Attendance reached 600 people on weekdays and 2,500 on weekends in the summer. Damage was being done to the environment by the sheer numbers of people coming into the area. Stanford University recognized by 1968 that the land should be put under control to preserve it, but public relations problems would have resulted from trying to close such a popular public place. By 1975, however, pollution had caused it to become a public health hazard, and the park was closed. That was when Stanford was able to buy back the leases. Searsville Lake Park is now a nature preserve and wildlife habitat. The amenities of the park are gone, although a former refreshment stand is used as a classroom. 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.