(Photo: In the 1960s Ed Bauer was the editor/publisher of the Half Moon Bay Review)
“Hikers Scoff At Law While Climbing Steep Cliffs in Devil’s Slide Area”
By Ed Bauer, Half Moon Bay Review, circa 1965
“The history of the ill-fated Ocean Shore Railroad tells of the problems that the slide caused. The line was blocked and heavy cost problems came as a result of locating the route through the area. Old pioneers said that the line should ‘have gone over the top of Pedro Mountain’ as did the original coast highway.
“Former Supervisor Alvin S. Hatch declares that the Devil’s Slide has been a problem in many ways. ‘To keep the Devil’s Slide open cost many thousands of dollars. The gravel and rocks keep sliding down on the highway. It was a problem for Highway District 9,’ said Hatch.
“Geologists who have studied the Devil’s Slide claim that it is a result of ‘Block Faulting’ which occurred millions of years ago. At one time there was no Golden Gate. The interior of California was a gigantic lake surrounded by tropical forests. Dinosaurs and Dugongs (sea-cows) were in what is now San Francisco Bay.”
…to be continued…