South San Francisco started as a cattle town

When gold was discovered in 1848, the sudden surge in population created a huge market for beef. Grazing had been common on the peninsula for generations, but now herds of dairy and beef cattle appeared. In 1852, 150,000 head were driven from the Midwest to California to upgrade stock to produce more meat.

Henry Miller was born Heinrich Alfred Kreiser in Germany. He learned cattle raising and butchering from his father, and immigrated to the United States. He lived in New York when the gold rush came, and he had a friend, Henry Miller, who bought a ticket to California. Henry Miller changed his mind at the last minute and insisted that Kreiser use his ticket. Thus, Heinrich Kreiser became Henry Miller.

Charles Lux was born in Alsace to a family of German origin. He, too, learned the butcher trade and ended up in San Francisco. He ran a retail butcher shop. Lux bought property south of San Francisco to use for a "maturing ranch" for fattening the cattle before slaughter. He built a large home for his family there, also. The area became known as Baden.

Miller also began to buy up land to raise beef cattle, including some property just next to Lux's. Miller decided to go into the wholesale business in 1857, and he approached Lux, his biggest competitor, to create a partnership. This partnership lasted 30 years, making them both rich. Miller took care of production and land acquisition. Lux took care of butchering and marketing. The land owned by their company extended the length of California and more.

Cattle were raised throughout the state and driven along routes owned or leased by the firm up the Central Valley and over to the peninsula. The arrival of railroads facilitated transportation of cattle. The Miller and Lux slaughterhouses were located in San Francisco along Islais Creek. Lux died in 1887 and Miller died in 1916. In the meantime, other meat companies moved in.

Gustavus Swift saw the advantages of the area known as Baden Crossing where Lux had settled. It was accessible to rail and sea transportation. The location of the bay and the prevailing winds meant that offensive odors would dissipate, minimizing complaints. Swift represented the established meat barons from the East. They became major investors in the South San Francisco Land and Improvement Company, along with the surviving Henry Miller and others.

Western Meat Company was followed by other industries locating here. The newly incorporated town was called South San Francisco in 1908. It became known as "The Industrial City" as it had 14 major industries. Until the '20s, cattle were still being shipped to Redwood City and driven up Jefferson Avenue to ranges west of town for fattening before shipping north to slaughter.

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.