San Sebastian Avenue

by

John Presco

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

After four years of trying to get the City of Belmont, and its exclusive Historic Society, to get my family History – right – and correct the egregious mistreatment of their Founding Family, I am bid by my deceased to raise them, and our history – from the dead……and do what I will!

I havea taken the liberty to rename Belmont, Jankeville, after my great, great, grandfather, Carl Jake, who I suspect was ruined by Leland Stanford who is title a ‘Robber Baron’. Leland and his greedy wife ay be responsible for the demise of Mezeville.

There are so many ways to treat my family history. One way is th author a script for a cable series that will be titled……’JANKEVILLE’

Like any worthy Western, it will begin with the Janke Stage traverse the new road from Belmont to Halfmoon Bay, with newlyweds on board. Willian Stuttmeister, and Augustus Janke were married at Ralston Hall once owned by William Ralston ‘The Man Who Built San Francisco’. When William came to Belmont, he purchased the portable house that Count Leonetti Cipriani had put together with 5,000 screws. This was one of the home Carl Janke brought around the Cape in 1848. This home s described as a “farmhouse” around which Ralston Hall was built.

With the appearance of the Heritage Masterplan, being promoted by a convicted felon on trial for Insurrection, I was found INNOCENT! Family and friends – betrayed me! I found myself…..

STANDING ALONE!

And the whistle blow. It’s high noon. Here come Leland Stanford’s half mile long train bringing 1,500 Odd Fellows to Tanforan, the German Wonderland that Carl built around an ancient oak and bay tree.

Mezesville

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The discovery of gold at Sutter’s Fort in 1848 ushered in a period of rapid change in California as thousands of immigrants flooded into the state and the non-native population grew from 20,000 to 100,000 in one year.

Mexico ceded California to the United States in 1848 and California became the 31st state in 1850. The arrival of large numbers of settlers put Mexican land titles at risk and members of the Argüello family, holders of the vast Rancho de las Pulgas, were forced to defend their land titles in court. Attorney Simon Mezes successfully defended the claim for the Argüellos and was paid for his services with nearly 7,000 acres, much of what is now Redwood City.

The building boom that resulted from the Gold Rush created a demand for lumber and over two dozen sawmills were established in the Santa Cruz Mountains to supply redwood and Douglas fir. Much of this lumber was transported to Redwood Creek and then shipped by barges on San Francisco Bay.

About a mile southeast of Mezesville was Sweeny Ranch, first owned by Myles Sweeny beginning in the late 1800s. Stanford Redwood City is located within the former ranch lands. Myles Sweeny was an Irish immigrant who made his fortune as a liquor importer and distributor in San Francisco and then became president of Hibernia Bank. The Sweenys lived in San Francisco and maintained the land in Redwood City for growing hay and grazing cattle. After his death, Sweeny’s daughters sold the ranch.

By the end of the century Redwood City had grown into a small town of some 1,600 residents. At the opening of Stanford Redwood City in 2019, the city had grown to nearly 90,000.

Wells Fargo Art & Mural Program

Posted on June 13, 2021 by Royal Rosamond Press

I was looking at the black and white photographs of Oakland’s Produce Market I just posted, and knew I had to do do something to get them persevered in another place then MY very successful Art Magazine, which I need to promote – comparing it to other underground art magazines. I googled Wells Fargo and Art, and struck pay-dirt. They have a program for creating public murals. These market pics need to be put on a wall in Jack London Square. I am going to write MY bank and see if they will back this idea – and others I have. We might be in litigation. There is arbitration. I will see if they want to back my own sober programs, and ideas for small businesses. We can do a mural on Jack London in Belmont with Janke family history, complete with our stagecoach. I have to copyright MY idea, due to thieves and bushwhackers.

I can’t let my enemies negate any of my projects because I own an IVESTIGATIVE NEWSPAPER and thus they want to label and disqualify me as…..’Not a team player’. Enough! Freedom of the Press has to celebrated – not punished! Down with Big Buckism!

John Presco

President: Royal Rosamond Press ‘A Newspaper For The Arts’

Copyright 2021

INSIDE THE STAGECOACH February 14, 2020

‘Sharing the wealth’: Wells Fargo’s art collection

Wells Fargo’s art collection includes about 10,000 pieces — including some by Andy Warhol — and has been shared in more than 100 communities.

When people think of working for a bank, they probably wouldn’t think of managing artwork. But that’s exactly what Piper Hutson does. Hutson is the curator for Wells Fargo’s Corporate Art Resources department in St. Louis. The department is responsible for managing Wells Fargo’s art collection, and its duties range from bringing the art into local communities, to inventorying pieces, to placing art in high-visibility locations for customers and team members.

“If art is involved, it’s usually through us,” Hutson said. “Everything is in-house. We pick the pieces, condition them, map them, frame them, and sometimes write materials that go with them.”

Hutson estimates there are about 10,000 pieces across Wells Fargo. About half of the artwork came when Wachovia, now Wells Fargo, merged in 2007 with A.G. Edwards & Sons, a brokerage firm in St. Louis. In the 1980s, the company hired a curator to inventory and manage the art. During that time, artwork was loaned for public displays, and in 1991, a formal loan program was established.

Community Mural Program – Who We Are – Wells Fargo Wells Fargo Community Murals celebrate the legacy of the communities we serve, highlighting the geography, industry, and cultural diversity that give each community its unique character and sense of place. From small towns to big cities, we have installed custom community murals in over 2,300 Wells Fargo locations nationwide. ‘Sharing the wealth’: Wells Fargo’s art collection (wf.com)Jack London Slept (and Worked) Here (sfgate.com)

THROUGH THE REDWOODS

A Scenic Drive

A picturesque route guides you through breathtaking scenery with numerous stops along the way. Highway 35 packs bucketloads of scenery as it winds along the forested ridge of the Santa Cruz Mountains with opportunities to explore redwood groves, chow down at historic eateries, and enjoy thrilling vistas of the Pacific and San Francisco Bay.

Also known as Skyline Boulevard, the highway is a staple among local cyclists and motorcycle enthusiasts, but you don’t need two wheels to enjoy its vivid scenery. Linked with three connecting highways, the route forms a wildly scenic loop through a variety of dazzling landscapes—from forests and farmlands to vineyards and beaches—that are worth getting revved up for.

HIGHWAY 92

To begin your journey, start in Half Moon Bay and head east on Highway 92. The popular thoroughfare leisurely winds through the region’s many farms and nurseries including Ouroboros Farms, a fascinating aquaponics facility that grows sustainable and chemical- free produce without soil. Stop by to tour its grounds and nab fresh produce from its vibrant farm stand. At the adjacent Yerba Buena Nursery, you’ll browse one of Northern California’s largest collections of native plants, from manzanita trees to vibrant, flowering mimulus. If the kids are in tow, stop for the fair-like rides and attractions at Lemos Farms, a western-themed destination that transforms into a pumpkin-filled paradise in the fall. At La Nebbia, epicures can swirl wine, nibble cheese, and enjoy a round of bocce ball in a pleasant garden setting.

HIGHWAY 35

At the junction of Highways 92 and 35, a vista point offers peeks of the serene Crystal Springs Reservoir which supplies drinking water to San Francisco and the Peninsula. The artificial lake is the result of a rift valley forged by the San Andreas fault and filled, in part, with water transported via gravity-powered aqueduct from Yosemite’s Hetch Hetchy reservoir.

As the sun-dappled highway wends its way up the mountain, you’ll note the dense forest flanking the road. In the 1880s, the area’s coastal redwoods were logged extensively to fuel a booming, post-Gold Rush San Francisco. At Purisima Creek Redwoods Preserve, historical logging roads have been repurposed as hiking trails where the scent of pine trees is strong and cell service is gloriously weak. Stretch your legs along the North Ridge Trail which traverses the fern-lined slopes of the Santa Cruz Mountains before dipping into the lush, creek-filled redwood groves of Purisima Creek Canyon.

Nearby, the 2,817-acre El Corte de Madera Creek Preserve is a mountain bike mecca with thrilling multi-use trails that snake through lichen-shrouded tanoak and redwood forests. If single track downhills aren’t your thing, check out the tafoni sandstone formations found along the Tafoni Trail. The intricate honeycomblike webbing that graces massive boulders is the result of thousands of years of erosion.

One of the area’s biggest attractions— literally—sits just a few steps from the road. At 14 feet in diameter, the old growth Methuselah Tree is the largest redwood on the north Peninsula and estimated to be over 1,800 years old. To marvel at its mighty burl-gnarled trunk, follow the short path that leads from a roadside turnout—noted by gate CM02—roughly one-half mile south of the Skeggs Point parking lot.

Back on the road, you’ll soon arrive at a prominent intersection at Highway 84, made famous by the beloved Alice’s Restaurant. The destination roadhouse-like eatery sports cowhide stools, backyard hitching posts, and a parking lot full of revving motorcycles. The family-owned restaurant predates the famous Woody Guthrie tune, having originally opened as a lumberjack general store in the early 1900s before becoming a restaurant in the 1950s. Join the families, tourists, and bikers swapping riding tips and hiking recs over breakfast and BBQ plates on the lively outdoor deck. Try the Farmer’s Burger that’s made with local, grass-fed beef from the Markegard ranch just down the way.

To return to the coast, you’ll head southwest on Highway 84 (La Honda Road), but for a noteworthy detour, continue southeast on Highway 35 to Thomas Fogarty Winery & Vineyards, a hilltop winery whose gorgeous grounds with sweeping views of the San Francisco Bay has served as a backdrop for countless weddings. Bring a designated driver or do like the pros and use the spittoon, just don’t miss a chance to sample their crisp whites and luscious reds including an especially smooth barbera.

HIGHWAY 84

In the 1960s, the secluded, former logging town of La Honda became a bohemian hideaway when writer Ken Kesey, who penned “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” settled into a log cabin and hosted raucous shindigs with counterculture celebs such as The Grateful Dead and Hunter S. Thompson. Today, the good times continue at Apple Jack’s, a 1879 blacksmith shop turned roadside saloon and music venue. The historic watering hole boasts history and scenery with a charming wood-shingle facade, creaky wooden floors, and a sunny outdoor deck perched above a lush, overgrown creek.

As the forest gives way to open farmland and rolling hills, you’ll arrive at the historic stagecoach stop of San Gregorio. Situated at the corner of Highway 84 and Stage Road—a former stagecoach route that stretched from San Francisco to Santa Cruz—the San Gregorio General Store remains a popular pitstop for modern daytrippers. Operating since 1889, the time capsule store features a pot belly stove-warmed saloon, micro post office, and a seemingly endless supply of goods, from cast iron pans to philosophy books, packed into its vast interior. A regular schedule of toe-tapping live music keeps things lively on the weekends.

HIGHWAY 1

Highway 84 soon delivers you back to Highway 1 at the dramatically scenic San Gregorio State Beach. The driftwood-strewn shore features a large estuary teeming with shorebirds, and tall grassy bluffs with sweeping vistas of the pristine coastline. It’s the same magnificent coastline that you’ll trail alongside heading north back into town via the famously scenic Highway 1, a fitting cap to a day exploring the diverse scenery of the Coastside.