The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-04-15
SKIRT THE FOOTHILLS,
Nathan G. CarnalI Tells Where
the Boulevard Should
Be.
BEAUTIFUL GAMING REAL.
Remains of the Kings Highway
From San Francisco to
San Jose.

During several years. now some time
past, much attention was given by certain
parties resident in San Mateo County to
the proposition of a great driveway or
boulevard across that county, paralleling
roughly the bay shore. The plan as con-
templated then was to open such thorough
fare from Golden Gate Park, San Francisco,
TO New Almaden, about twelve miles south
from San Jose. This road was to be foot
hill drive, that is to say, it was to traverse
the country following generally the sim
uous line described by the juncture of the
valley with the base of the coast range.
1t was to be located on elevated ground
commanding views of the landscape and
the bay, now climbing along the spurs of
the lower hills, now dropping into the
higher parts of the valley and again max
ing detour into the foothills to find an
easy grade through some low gap or con-
venlent and picturesque canyon.
There were many purposes suggested
for this road ana many needs it was to fill,
such as connecting existing county roads,
which all, except one, between San Fran
cisco and San Jose, follow the creeks and
canyons from the hill country to the bay
or to the base line road which formed the
exception.
This latter is the main county road,
known usually as the San Francisco and
san Jose road, really beautiful drive IT.
self, following practically the course of the
old Canine Real or Kings Highway of the
early Spanish settlers. And those gentle
men of the press, who toll under the mean
descent lights with pencil and brown pa
per, laboring under the delusion that there
is no boulevard to San Jose, are invited to
come one of these spring days, say the 21st
of Aror.i GE1rrho +ho L 1oaf ic
the size of the squirrels ear" and drive
with me along this royal road from the
Mission Dolores, or from Yerba Buena
even, to the Mission of Santa Clara and
beyond along the alameda to the pueblo of
San Jose. And if these same gentlemen of
the hot novels of the editorial brain shops,
as they bowl along this hundred-year-old
boulevard from San Francisco to San Jose,
through the "plain of oaks" which Gaspar
de Portals and Father Crespi first discov-
cred to white men and which excited the
admiration of Van Couver a century ago,
do not proclaim it Joy to exist, then the
drinks are on me.
But, to resume another suggestion for
the boulevard or the alameda, as it was
called, was to follow grade which would
make it practicable route for an electric
road later on.
However, it was generally maintained
by the projectors of it that it should be
preserved to the nobler purposes of such
roadway as would stimulate the Californian
to go abroad with his roadster, his wheel
or his saddle-nag, and learn that he lives
in paradise and to shake off his habit of
being, if not ''in Heaven with a broken
back" then in Eden with his eyes shut.
The dreamers of this dream of boule-
ward got further along than the stage of
''resoluting' that somebody else ought to
build it. They looked out routes for sec
tions of this great road. Some OF the more
enthusiastic traced a line for it convenient
as to neighborhood needs and as to prop
erty lines, and easy as to grades all the
way from Golden Gate Park to the New
Almaden mines, with branch to San Jose,
at convenient point OF DEPRESSION. Others
still more enterprising laid it out through
their lands and prepared it for travel. And
it can be traced in fragmentary lines-sev-
eral of them in use as travelled roads-from
San Mateo, along through the Belmont
country and the foothill region west from
Redwood City and Menlo Park, to the Stan
ford University, with some small fragments
in the high valley lands back from Noun
tain View.
This is really too noble an undertaking
to be overlooked or to be spoiled by half
doing. The boulevard should start from
Golden Gate Park in this city, following
some one of the avenues leading south, say
Eighteenth avenue, and striking the east
erly boundary of the Spring Valley Works
Lake MERGED tract about Ingleside. AT
about this point it should meet the extern
sion of Market street, and thus practically
divert that highway down the peninsula.
Thence travelling southerly it should pass
between the westerly end of Ocean View
Ridge and the easterly arm of Lake Mer-
ced, skirt along the slopes of the hills to
the west of Colma, cross the Jersey Farm
above San Bruno, the Mills and other lands
above Millbrae, the upper part of the Bur-
Hngame Tract and, passing over the Bowie
and Howard lands, reach the canyon of
San Mateo Creek at some convenient cross
ing point, possibly DEPRESSING so far to the
westward as to cross on the great dam
holding back the waters of the Spring Val
ley Company's great inland lake; thence
swinging somewhat to the eastward, it
would traverse the low hills southwest of
San Mateo and come into the upper part of
the valley back of Laurel Greek.
At this point it would connect with the
road laid out on the map of Laurel Creek
farm and strike pass through the lands
of Robert Mills and the Mezes estate, into
the Canada Diablo and the Belmont Can
yon just above the Ralston residence.
Here it would meet the end of another Sec
ton, already public road, leading past
Reds school, through the estates of Tim
othy Guy Phelps and n. J. Britain, to the
northerly line of the Redwood Farm of
the Moses Hopkins estate; crossing this,
the Robinson tract, lately sold to c. A.
Hooper, and the Schroeder homestead, it
would meet the northwestery line of the
Blinn Tract, along which one-haIf of the
boulevard was decided several years ago.
From this point the road has been
opened for several years by Alexander Cor
don, G. B. Polhemus, the late Eugene Any
and others, to connect with Santa Cruz
avenue near the upper or westerly entrance
to the Stanford University domain. Thence
to the crossing of Adobe or Yesnas Creek,
two routes are presented; one along the
county rood laid out by the late Senator
Stanford across his Palo Alto Ranch, past
the university buildings, following this
road to the upper part os the College Ter
race Tract and then striking across the
university domain to Adobe or Yesnas
Creek; the other along Santa Cruz avenue
to the vicinity of Frank Burkes La Siesta
Ranch, and thence across the Felt part of
the Stanford domain to A. p. Hotaling's
| farm and through the lands of the Taafe
family to Adobe or Yesnas Creek
From this creek the road has been opened
along the lower line of the late ]. P. Hale's
tract to the Permanente Creek. Just south
OF this stream the boulevard comes up with
asystem of county roads that carries it
alODp mast Nv T Honau,c Uof1ou U;au,