EnviroHorse

August 1, 1996

EQUESTRIAN TRAIL HISTORY OF EDGEWOOD PARK

By Adda Quinn

Since before the beginning of the century, equestrians have used trails through what is known today as Edgewood County Park and Natural Preserve-A San Mateo County Park at the corner of Edgewood and Canada Roads. A string of private and commercial stables ran the length of San Mateo County for riders to access the area. Some of their names were: Carolands (Hillsborough), the Polo Grounds, Walter Johnson's, the Gymkana Club, House on the Hill, Tobin-Clark, Bar Pasture, Borel Estate (San Mateo), Green Briar, Lazy J and H&H (Belmont), Buck Marsh, Pat Lenfoot, Outlaw Ranch (Redwood City), Lazy Day Ranch (Portola Valley), the Circus Club (Menlo Park), Cavanaugh Ranch and the Stanford Farms (Palo Alto). With civilization accumulating along the El Camino Real and Alameda de las Pulgas, these nearby stables in the foothills provided both transportation and recreation into the beautiful Santa Marina Mountains west of mid-peninsula urban settlements. Equestrians from Daly City to Palo Alto frequented trails up the Farm Hill, Skyline Road and 42nd Avenue to take in the spectacular views afforded by the numerous ridges, then continued on to picnics in the watershed (then owned by the Spring Valley Water Company), or for further westward adventures. Despite the encroachment of civilization and subdivisions in the county foothills, many of the original barns continued in operation until the mid-1950s.

Because it was open property (except for intermittent fencing for livestock containment) and adjacent to both Canada Road and Edgewood Roads, Edgewood was often used as a dumping ground throughout its history. Equestrians learned very early in the century the importance of sticking strictly to well established trails in order to avoid hidden hazards in the Edgewood grasslands.

After World War I, Californians passed a series of bond issues for the "erection of concrete auto highways" which were a standard feature in the County by the mid-1920s to accommodate the rapidly accepted "motor de luxe" which had soon replaced the horse as the preferred form of transportation.1 Cattle raised on the San Francisco peninsula were still being "driven" to the slaughterhouse at Hunters Point in the 1930s by cowboys who stopped at Olson Nolte Saddlery and Tack Store to repair and reprovision their gear. 2 The Woodside Trail Club was a going concern by the early 1930s founded by the families of Judge Chamberlain, William Roth of Filoli, and others. By 1939, it had a well developed series of equestrian trails throughout the private property of their friends in the Edgewood/Woodside area, including the Folgers and the Spreckles. 3 The San Mateo Horsemen's Association was founded in 1940 for the promotion of equestrian events and interests. 4

When World War II began Olson Nolte Saddlery was impressed into provisioning the US Army Cavalry with belts, and gas masks were still being made by others for mules! During the War, parts of the Santa Marina Mountains were closed to equestrian traffic because the government was using large tracts of land to train attack dogs, notably the ridge just above the "poor farm" north of Edgewood. 5 The Mounted Patrol of San Mateo County was founded during the war in 1942, to watch for invaders and provide security in the western hills which were too rugged for vehicles to patrol. Manpower was in critical short supply at that time. They were specifically invited by the San Francisco Water Department into watershed property and provided with keys to gates to allow access to property which had been closed to the public after its purchase from Spring Valley. The Mounted Patrol continues to provide volunteer search and rescue activities throughout remote portions of the Bay Area to this date. 6

After the war, local equestrians were active in creation of the Statewide Trails Program which became the backbone of the present day trail systems in many of our public lands. They also secured permission for "right to pass" from private property owners and the Watershed. One equestrian who rode in Edgewood in 1949 reports: "We crossed what is now Edgewood Park's Southwest section and exited a gate at the top of Emerald Hill's backside, around Rocky Way or Hillcrest Way. We rode to Buck Marsh's barn. Picked up a horse and ponyed it over to Pat Lenfoot's (DVM) barn where Roy (Swineger) sold the horse to Peggy Schuman. The horse was a palomino mare called 'Penny'. We then delivered the horse to the Carolands Barn in Hillsborough", again crossing Edgewood. 7

Aerial photographs obtained from the USGS and made available during the Edgewood Master Plan process in 1996 and subsequently donated to the County, clearly show well established trails across Edgewood in 1948, 1956 and 1968. The Town of Woodside (southern neighbor of the current park) incorporated in November 1956. During the 1950's and 1960's, the people in Woodside liked to joke that its population of over 5000 horses exceeded the human head count. 8 Many of these horses were stabled around this parcel and were amongst its most frequent users. The property, which was to become Edgewood County Park and Natural Preserve, was owned by a succession of private land holders until 1960-1970, when the State of California acquired most of it as a prospective site for a school campus. 9

In 1966-1968, when Highway 280 was under construction, equestrians and the Town of Woodside successfully negotiated the construction of a number of tunnels to allow equestrian crossing under 280, including the overpass on the West border of the Park contiguous with one side of the Watershed's "Triangle" with CalTrans and the State of California in order to allow equestrians continued safe access on the historic route from Palomar Park across the north side of the property overlooking Edgewood Road to its intersection at Canada Road. 10 In the mid 1970's, a 4-H equestrian club which stabled at the Outlaw Ranch (by the Watershed aqueduct right-of-way bordering Edgewood Road) further negotiated with state and county agencies for permitted access along this same historic route. In 1977, a Trail Day was attended by 30 people marking the first coordinated effort which brought awareness of the importance of the Edgewood property to public attention. 11 In 1980, San Mateo County concluded financing and negotiations which secured Edgewood as a Park, and the Edgewood Trail is frequently used by both hikers and horsemen today.

The Town of Woodside was an active participant in development of the Environmental Impact Report prepared for the first Edgewood Master Plan of 1982. Woodside specifically requested four formal entrances: Canada Road, Edgewood Road, Hillcrest Way and at the Old Stage Day Camp where existing trails already linked the horse community at the top of the hills around Edgewood with Woodside, barns (now predominantly to the South), and connected to park trails in Huddert, Wunderlich, Pescadero Creek, Memorial, Junipero Serra, the Woodside Trail Club and the Watershed. The trail system in Edgewood also has served as a potential escape route for residents in the event of off-shore wind driven fires such as struck Oakland in 1970 and 1991.12

Once the park was secured, it took over three months for the County to clean up litter. Truckload after truckload of broken pipe, rusted barbed wire, garbage, and over 200 abandoned cars were hauled away. In 1982, the present trails system was laid out by the County in consultation with scientists from Stanford, the California Native Plant Society, and equestrians. Equestrians have participated in trail maintenance activities annually since creation of the Park.

The Clarkia Trail was flagged by Harry Dean and E. R. Sheehan at its present location to provide a buffer zone between wetlands/chaparral and the grasslands and replaced previous historic routes on the south side of the property. Tractoring to lay trail tread was begun in 1983, but had to be suspended due to wet weather. Work resumed in 1984, but was impeded by vandals who attacked the tractor rig when it was left overnight. Horsemen stayed with the tractor until wee morning hours subsequently and prevented further damage. Because of this cooperation, the Clarkia Trail was then finished very rapidly. Its construction cost $20,000. 13 As a result of the type of problem experienced here and occurring in other open space properties in the Bay Area, a need was evident for help in the growing park system. The Volunteer Horse Patrol was created in 1985. 14 Equestrian volunteers sought training and began to provide San Mateo County with a responsible presence in its parks to augment limited county staff. Today with nearly 15,000 acres of public lands, horsemen continue to provide this valuable service to both the County and the Watershed.

In the 1980's, equestrians joined a coalition of citizens interested in preserving the grasslands of the Park from development as a golf course. Through a series of public hearings and environmental reviews, this coalition was successful in demonstrating the value of this property for recreation and preservation, as well as the economic unfeasibility of trying to plant grass on infertile soil produced by serpentine. The golf course concept was defeated and the Edgewood charter amended in 1993 to include a Natural Preserve.

Today, increasing urban development on the hills around Edgewood has resulted in paved streets and automobile traffic dangerous for equestrian access to the Park's trails via Hillcrest Way. Because of the trails, barns and services available now primarily to the South, the Clarkia Trail has become of critical importance. Equestrians are exploring new connector routes with the County to try to obtain safe access to the existing trail system which is environmentally protective of the Park.

With almost a century of historic use, being one of the first groups to bring its potential for recreational purposes to the County's attention, and with active interest in operation and maintenance pertinent to present day trails as connecting corridors to the rest of the County, equestrians have long had a special relationship with Edgewood. Fortunately, San Mateo County Master Plan for Edgewood Park and Natural Preserve adopted May 1997, was able to retain access to and improve trails in Edgewood for use by both hikers and equestrians.

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