There is only one ‘Mile House’ left

In living memory, the 7 Mile House had a reputation as a seedy biker bar and gambling mecca. Going back to 1876, the place was visited by members of the Hayes Street Gang, a collection of hoodlums wanted for manslaughter and assault in San Francisco. And, of course, let’s not forget the roaring days of the Prohibition era. Quite a history to live up to — or live down.

Owner Vanessa Garcia, who took over the 7 Mile House in 2004, said that today the 7 Mile House bills itself as “a family- and dog-friendly restaurant, sports bar and live music venue.” Except for live music, all those lures were present when this writer paid a lunchtime visit on a weekday. A family with their little girl dined outdoors alongside other patrons enjoying a mild summer’s day. A dog passively gazed up at its master at an adjacent table. Inside, the bartender rushed from one end of the bar to the other pouring drinks as athletic events shouted from TV screens.

“It took a long time to get us to where we are today, but I never gave up,” said Garcia, who is writing a book about the 7 Mile House. “I hope my story will inspire other women to take smart risks and believe in their dreams.”

The stage coach doesn’t stop at the 7 Mile House anymore, but the bus does. The historic Cow Palace is a backdrop to the SamTrans shelter near the Brisbane-Daly City border.

Historians say the roadhouses were named for their distance from the San Francisco starting points of either the Ferry Building or Mission Dolores. Many of what were initially simple watering holes for both humans and horses morphed into full-fledged hotels.

In addition to the 7 Mile House, other Peninsula mile houses included: the 1 Mile House, also known as the Abbey House, in Daly City; 3 Mile House near what is now Interstate 280; 12 Mile House in South San Francisco; the 14 Mile House in San Bruno and Millbrae’s 16 Mile House.

The Millbrae stop was built in 1872 at Center Street and El Camino Real by the heirs of the Rancho Buri grantee, Jose Sanchez. It lasted until 1971 when it was demolished, despite the efforts of a group of concerned preservationists who eventually became the Millbrae Historical Society. A year later, a new 16 Mile House opened as a steakhouse at 448 Broadway, keeping its exterior as close to the original as possible. There was also a 17 Mile House at the corner of Millbrae Avenue and El Camino Real. Little is known about the place, but it is said to have served oysters taken directly from the Bay.

The 14 Mile House, the one in San Bruno, was probably the best known of the roadhouses between the mid-1800s to the mid-1900s. Dubbed “Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” it dated back to 1849 when it opened at El Camino Real and Crystal Springs Creek. The late historian Darold Fredricks called the site “a natural rest stop.”

“The creek here was wide, deep and treacherous and presented a hazard to both man and beast,” he said of the roadhouse that passed through many owners until it was torn down in 1949. Fredricks called the mile houses “indispensable,” saying travelers relied on them in emergencies, particularly in winter when creeks reached flood stage.

The beginning of the end for the roadhouses came with railroad service between San Francisco and San Jose in the 1860s, but stagecoach service to the coast continued into the early 1900s.

The San Mateo County History Museum at Courthouse Square in Redwood City features an exhibit called “Journey to Work” which has artifacts from the days of the mile houses, including the bar from the stage stop in San Gregorio. There’s also an 1857 piano and an 1897 slot machine. The main attraction, of course, is a stagecoach.

The Rear View Mirror by history columnist Jim Clifford appears in the Daily Journal every other Monday. Objects in The Mirror are closer than they appear.