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the passengers were greeted by Mr. Dannman, “the saloon man” at Shelter Cove (?).

Here E.H. Dannman (the cute little man in the center) poses with Rudy Brandt (at far left) and Lorin Silleman (at far right). Photo courtesy of railroad historian John Schmale.

I actually met Rudy Brandt, whose father had invested in Ocean Shore Railroad stock and did not take the eventual bankruptcy well.

Rudy Brandt was a real character; in the 1970s he lived in a spartan room or apartment in the Tenderloin in San Francisco and always carried a handgun with him. His life was centered on the Ocean Shore Railroad and he had a great collection of vintage photographs.

Rudolph Brandt is featured in my documentary “The Mystery of Half Moon Bay.” To view the show, click here

(Photo: The railroad’s freight yard at Granada–which I consider a kind of 3rd station because I’m sure passengers did get off there.)

Two years later in 1918 the Ocean Shore Railroad had turned into a dinosaur.

Why?

Many reasons: Devil’s Slide could not be conquered. The engineering work that had been done there by the Ocean Shore Company, the dynamiting through the “rock” barriers, had not solved the problem of the Coastside’s classic isolation.

More and more often– as the train passed through– boulders rolled onto the tracks–and if the rocks were too big to clear quickly– the train was forced to back up all the way to Pacifica.

But that wasn’t so bad because the friendly saloon owner was ready to serve the stranded passengers rounds of stiff drinks, sometimes keeping them there all night long.

….to be continued….

(Photo by Leon Kunke)

named by John Vonderlin, read more here

San Francisco to the Coastside during the Ocean Shore Railroad era.

(Photo courtesy Marian Miramontes)

Another popular place was the El Granada Hotel–which once stood in front of, and was originally part of the El Granada Motel [now the site of apartments]. Although 17 stats had voted for Prohibition by 1916, California had not, and liquor flowed freely on the Coastside, and at the El Granada Hotel. There guests danced to tunes provided by the Half Moon Bay Orchestra.

[The red haired madam Maymie Cowley, who is believed to have built the Miramar Beach Inn about this time, also owned the El Granada Hotel. Maymie was a streetwise gal from the MidWest and she cashed in on the Prohibition to come to the Coastside].

……to be continued……

(Note: I wrote this in 1977, although I am doing some editing now).

As late as 1916 [and when the Ocean Shore was four years from bankruptcy), it wasn’t unusual to see six trains whisking passengers down the coast on weekdays. On Sundays picnickers lined up to fill space on as many as eight trains.

Competing with the Ocean Shore was the Red Star Auto Stage, a “chauffer” service which kept five autos in their garage with a furnished waiting room in San Francisco.

They came to the Coastside to consider building vacation homes and to enjoy the climate and surf bathing. Surf bathing became all the rage leading the owner of a bath house on the cliffs of Granada Beach to add 40 more dressing rooms to his building to keep up with the demand of new “bathers.”

In 1916, on Sundays, as many as 3,000 autos were counted rolling down the coast, stopping here and there to catch a special ocean view. On one busy weekend, owners of the Mabey Hotel in North Granada publicized the grand opening of their establishment catering to visitors wanting to fish, hunt or boat.

………….to be continued……….

Burt and I went on a pumpkin adventure this morning, walking around Half Moon Bay looking for everything big and orange.

(Photo below: Michelle Walford)

We watched an arty scarecrow contest being set-up on Main Street and met Michelle Walford who works for a local law firm.

Half Moon Bay High, the “Half Moon Bay Review,” the Rotary Club, individuals and organizations submitted their best version of a scarecrow. Here’s a couple of samples–the one with the camera is entitled “Half Moon Bay Tourist.” Very funny.

(Photo Leon Kunke)

(Photo courtesy Spanishtown Historical Society)

[Note: I wrote this in 1977]

Granada’s two depots–maybe three, if you count the platform at the southern end of the Ocean Shore’s showplace–were impressive. The elegant one greeted passengers at North Granada [in 1977 home to Lane Realty], the other had a homey look and stood near the present-day post office.

[And here’s some place-name gossip: The “El” was added to Granada when locals stopped taking the Spanish language seriously. Correct usage is La Granada. Other locals told me that when the madam Maymie Cowley ran the local hotel, her live-in macho lover changed the name of Granada to the more male sounding “El Granada,” in honor of himself.]

Of course not everybody who arrived in Granada aboard the Ocean Shore bought lots. Many enjoyed the beautiful ocean views, fresh air and lonely stretches of deserted beach.

The advertised adventurousness of the train ride attracted all kinds of people who looked forward to visiting the Coastside at a time before major subdivisions cut through the agricultural land.

….to be continued….