When: Year round, but check San Mateo County Parks for docent availability hours
Who: All ages
Cost: Free
Our group recently visited Sanchez Adobe as part of San Mateo County's summer Jr. Ranger Challenge. Initially, those of us who had been to Sanchez Adobe's Homeschool Day thought it would cover the same material, but we were pleasantly surprised there was more to discover. There were no other groups the day we went, and docent Elizabeth led us on a tour.
We started with the native garden at the entrance, where she pointed out various herbs and useful plants. Of particular interest was the soap plant - with its long, unkempt leaves it looked like a weed but the native Americans made full use of its parts. In particular, the bulb contains saponins which can be used for soap; the saponin also is a mild poison so the natives would toss it into a stream, causing the fish to float to the surface for easy harvesting.
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| Flowers of soap plant. Credit: US Forest Service |
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| Plant foliage, the bulb is usually deep in the ground. Credit: US Forest Service |
Prior to the late 1700s, the Ohlone ranged over an area including Sanchez Adobe. The docent mentioned that middens (dumps/piles) of oyster shells were the usual signs that the area had been inhabited by the Native Americans. Inside the adobe building, there were also artifacts typical of the Ohlone period.
We then strolled forward in time, as we approached a cross in the middle of the field. This represented the mission outpost period. Mission Dolores in San Francisco had been founded in 1776, but the soil there was poor. Hence, the Sanchez site, then called Mission San Pedro y San Pablo, was used as a site to grow crops, such as corn and wheat, which were then transported to Mission Dolores. Elizabeth remarked wryly, "It may not seem like it, but this spot is actually one of the best places to have a farm, since it receives more sun and is sheltered with its valley location." Indeed, our photos of that day show Pacifica's typical coastal fog - most of us had come from places along the Peninsula which were a good twenty degrees warmer.
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| Photo credit: dotpolka@Flickr using Creative Commons License |
In 1839. Rancho San Pedro was granted to Don Francisco Sanchez who built a home using adobe bricks and raised cattle. By now, Mexico had won independence from Spain and the area was considered part of Alta California, and its inhabitants Californios. The rooms on the bottom floor of the Rancho were filled with typical rancho equipment: cattle brands, whetstones.
A plaque on the wall described the Battle of Santa Clara where Don Sanchez fought on behalf of the Californios. This battle was also the only Northern Californian site involved in the Mexican American War. The war ended in 1848, with California being ceded to the United States.
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| Details on a wooden bench, a contrast with the simplicity of the rancho tools |
Elizabeth then brought us upstairs to see another chapter in Sanchez Adobe's history. After Don Sanchez's death, the site was sold, extended and used as a hotel. The furnishings were impressive, given how difficult it was to import heavy European furniture to a remote outpost. Also, the peace and quiet of the surroundings made it easy to imagine why this was a popular hotel - people then wanted to get away, as much as they do now (they just didn't have Instagram).
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| Docent: Stay close to the stair handrail, to preserve the adobe |
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| Adobe brick showing its earthy origin |
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| Elaborate wardrobe |
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| Piano in the sitting area |
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| We are homeschoolers after all - we want to know what books they read! |
Incidentally, the San Mateo County History website mentions that the hotel was also used as a speakeasy during the Prohibition era. This wasn't mentioned during the tour, probably since there were young children in our group, but their magazine La Peninsula has more details.
At the end of the tour, we stood at the second floor with its views of the site and the hills beyond, and contemplated how a quiet corner of Pacifica could have had such a colorful history. Our times are indeed in His hand!
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