Created by June Morrall
Once known as the Moss Beach Club, this one-story wooden building
was a popular gathering place, owned by the well known Angelo Martini family of Moss Beach, who later sold it to the Russian Nuns. Today the Russian Orthodox Monastery, is distinguished by a small “onion” dome and Russian Cross on its roof–and is concealed from the road by a green wall of Cypress trees.
The Bathhouse at El Granada beach
was built during the Ocean Shore Railroad era, in anticipation of serving beach-going visitors, but when the iron road failed, the Bathhouse became home for the Mearini family. This is the first I’d heard of anyone living in the Bathhouse–that no longer stands at El Granada Beach.
From the email I received today:
” Gino Mearini was a teenager, and helped to bring the whiskey ashore [during Prohibition] after it was unloaded from the boats that were anchored out in the bay. He and his family lived at the “Bath House” in El Granada. He can tell you about a high tide that caused waves to slam against the house, and wash away some of the out buildings and chicken coops into the artichoke fields, etc. etc…”
The El Granada Observer looks forward to visiting Mr. Mearini soon!
in an earlier post. On the right stands Dante Dianda, the “Artichoke King” whose ranch was located in El Granada. But I did not know who the man beside him was. The photo was given to me by Mr. Vellutini, a wonderful man, who told me tales of rumrunning in Princeton. As a younger fellow, he had worked for Giovanni Patroni at the Patroni House, a Prohibition-era roadhouse.
Today the mystery of the unidentified man was solved in an email:
“Regarding the two pictures of Dante Dianda, the Artichoke King; the unknown man in the two pictures is my grandfather, Alessio Mearini, born in Arezzo, Italy and immigrated to the US in 1914. He was a partner and cook at the ranch. This information was given to me by my father, Gino Mearini, who is 95 years old and lives in Cupertino, CA.”
Today I received another message, this one from Ron and Judi Schmidt, also related to Dante Dianda, El Granada’s “Artichoke King.”
“Great News
“I also have news.
“My contact in Lucca, Italy, Diano Dianda, has informed me that his grandfather will take us, on our visit to Italy in April, to the town of Cassiano A Vico where my grandfather Dante Dianda was born.
“The home in which he was born is still there and we will be introduced to the people now living in the home.
“How is that for news, Ron”
The “yard” at Granada may have served as a third Ocean Shore Railroad station. The other two were located at North Granada, where the much remodeled building still stands, and in central Granada, now a private residence, which was moved several hundred yards from its original location.
This is the bottom of page 142 where two photos of homes are displayed. Which one belonged to J. Mason Wiegel?
In 1979, after publication of “Half Moon Bay Memories: The Coastside’s Colorful Past,” I received this letter from J. Mason Wiegel. Mr. Wiegel, an attorney, was also the publisher and editor of the Weekly Law Digest, headquartered in San Francisco’s Mills Building on Montgomery Street.
He wrote:
“…I lived in the house in the canyon that you picture at the bottom of your page 142 [see above photo] for a number of years ending in 1920. My father had purchased the wooded hills back of El Granada form the subdividers a few years earlier. I graduated from Miramar Grammar School in 1920, where one teacher taught all eight grades. We moved to S.F. when the railroad service terminated, and he sold the property in 1921.”
My best wishes, Sincerely J. Mason Wiegel
To see original, Click here
Mexican Land Grants
San Mateo County
| Grant Number | Name | Patentee | Patent Date | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 150 | Buri Buri | Sanchez | 10/17/1872 | 14,639.19 |
| 191 | Butano | Rodriquez | 04/30/1866 | 4,439.67 |
| 151 | Canada de Guadalupe la Visitacion y Rodeo Viejo | Payson | 12/15/1865 | 5,473.47 |
| 152 | Canada de Guadalupe y Rodeo Viejo | Pierce | 09/22/1865 | 942.93 |
| 168 | Canada de Raymundo | Greer &Coppinger | 07/18/1859 | 12,545.10 |
| 170 | Canada de Verede y Arroyo de la Purisima | Alviso | 12/15/1865 | 8,905.58 |
| 551 | Canada del Corte de Madera | Thurn & Carpentier | 06/13/1882 | 3,565.91 |
| 165 | Corral de Tierra | Palomares | 04/07/1866 | 7,766.35 |
| 166 | Corral de Tierra | Vasquez | 01/06/1873 | 4,436.18 |
| 173 | El Corte de Madera | Martinez | 06/19/1858 | 13,316.05 |
| 153 | Rincon de las Salinas y Potreo Viejo | Bernal | 12/31/1857 | 4,446.40 |
| 154 | San Miguel | Noe | 03/30/1857 | 4,443.38 |
| 167 | Feliz | Feliz | 06/21/1873 | 4,448.27 |
| 163 (map) | Laguna de la Merced | Haro | 09/10/1872 | 2,219.33 |
| 169 | Arroyo de los Pilarcitos or Miramontes | Miramontes | 07/21/1882 | 4,424.12 |
| 148 | Pulgas | Arguello | 10/02/1857 | 35,240.47 |
| 205 | Punta de Ano Nuevo | Castro | 12/.3/1857 | 17,753.15 |
| 190 | San Antonio or Pescadero | Gonzalez | 06/07/1866 | 3,282.32 |
| 174 | San Francisquito | Rodriguez | 06/08/1868 | 1,471 |
| 172 | San Gregorio | Castro | 02/19/1861 | 4,439.31 |
| 171 | San Gregorio | Rodriguez | 02/19/1861 | 13,344.15 |
| 149 | San Mateo | Howard | 11/18/1857 | 6,438.80 |
| 164 | San Pedro | Sanchez | 11/08/1870 | 8,926.46 |
| 551 | Canada del Corte de Madera | Thurn & Carpentier | 06/13/1882 | 3,565.91 |
(Who’s in the Circle: Rosella and King Parrotts. Photo by Matthew Watt.)
Burt feels sorry for the parrot (at right) outside the circle! Me, too.
Members of the Young Democrats Club pose for the camera in October 1883 in Half Moon Bay.
Left to Right: (top row) Patricio Silva, John Murray Frank Vasquez, Joe Gonzales “Crooked Neck” George and John H. Pitcher.
Middle Row: George Burston, Adolphe Pitcher, Ed Mullen, Archie McGinty, George Wyman.
Bottom Row: Ben Zaballa, Peter Zaballa, Richard Campbell, Charles Bowman, Peter Burke.
