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Sam McDonald and His La Honda Sanctuary was written by Half Moon Bay Coastside History Docent and Coastside Chronicler, Ellen Chiri.
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Out Pescadero Creek Road is a sign marking Sam McDonald Park—a sanctuary under the “lords of the forest,” as Sam McDonald called his beloved redwoods.
Emanuel “Sam” McDonald was born on a plantation in Louisiana in 1884. His father was a free, educated man; his mother was born into slavery.
Sam’s mother passed when he was very young, and the family moved to Southern California in 1890. In 1897 they moved to Gilroy, where Sam gained the farming and horsemanship expertise that would help guide his career.
In 1900 the family headed for Washington, but by the time they reached Oregon Sam had decided that he wanted to stay in California. “At this stage of our journey I became grievously homesick” he wrote in his memoirs, “my mind was definitely made up to return to heavenly California.”
Leaving his father and brother, 16-year-old Sam took three horses—”one for which I had traded my bicycle and the two which I had purchased with my labor”—and started the return journey south. In San Francisco he met a serviceman who was recently discharged from cavalry service in the Philippines. This serviceman encouraged Sam to join the cavalry—the famed Buffalo Soldiers of the Ninth Cavalry Regiment, of which the 3rd Squadron was garrisoned at the Presidio. Sam learned that the cavalry regiment was filled, but that there were openings in the infantry. He wasn’t inclined to join the foot soldiers, however. He preferred horses.
Sam found work aboard the steamboat Modoc, which plied the waters between San Francisco and Sacramento. After several months he began longing for Gilroy, though, and booked passage on a small steamboat that made a daily run to Alviso. He “…continued by horse-drawn bus to San Jose… once more…in the land of the happy people who dwell in the great valley of Santa Clara.”
When Sam learned that Stanford University was hiring at its horse farm, his farming and horsemanship skills came to the fore and he became a teamster. In 1903 the 19-year-old was promoted, and began work as a grounds superintendent at the University.
As Sam’s growing expertise led to more responsibility, he became superintendent of athletic grounds and buildings on the Stanford campus. He became an authority on running tracks, with universities seeking his expertise on grading, surfacing, and draining. He also became an expert on athletic fields. Today we recognize one of Sam’s contributions to athletics in the criss-cross pattern that is mowed into playing fields.
In 1919, Sam purchased “…a plot amidst the redwoods on the Alpine Creek at La Honda.” The land was 430 acres of redwood forest, where he built a cabin and created a wildlife sanctuary. He called it “an asylum to all the woodland creatures”, and refused to allow logging.
Sam’s redwood retreat was also asylum to his friends. A steady stream of guests—students, sports officials, campus staff and their families—came to enjoy his barbecued lamb and beef. And Sam became famous for his barbecues.
“From the time of my first barbecue, prepared for the Track Squad,” Sam wrote of the 1914 barbecue at Stanford that he prepared for a crowd of 200, “…I have yielded to the acclaim of my ability…in the art of roasting meat over open fires…the guests attesting to the savor of the preparation and heaping praise on the joyous occasions of our get-togethers.”
Sam was devoted to th
e Stanford Home for Convalescent Children, called Con Home, which was founded in 1919. He visited the children frequently, playing his accordion, singing, and telling stories. He ran the yearly barbeque on Con Home Day, which was later renamed Sam McDonald Day.
e Stanford Home for Convalescent Children, called Con Home, which was founded in 1919. He visited the children frequently, playing his accordion, singing, and telling stories. He ran the yearly barbeque on Con Home Day, which was later renamed Sam McDonald Day.All his adult life Sam kept a daily journal that, by 1952, totaled 1800 hand-written pages. His memoir was edited and published in 1954 as Sam McDonald’s Farm— a reference to Stanford’s nickname of The Farm, given because it was founded on the Stanford family’s Palo Alto stock farm.
At the end of his life in 1957, Sam bequeathed his land to his beloved Stanford Convalescent Home for Children. The Convalescent Home later sold it to San Mateo County, to keep as a woodland sanctuary in honor of Sam McDonald. Which it is, to this day. ◆
Visit Sam McDonald San Mateo County Park
Want to Join the Half Moon Bay Coastside History Association?
Museum behind the Jail is well on its way to being built!!!
Half Moon Bay History Association Reaches Major Milestone: New Museum Construction Begins
PRESS RELEASE.
April 19, Half Moon Bay, California. The Half Moon Bay History Association (HMBHA) has received all permits to begin construction of a state-of-the-art museum behind the old town jail at 503 Johnston Street.
The land, leased from the City of Half Moon Bay, includes a large building with century-old origins. An entirely new building will be built inside the old structure, while keeping the original historic exterior. Construction will begin immediately, and is expected to last twelve months. The new museum will meet LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards, and will include solar panels and LED lighting.
HMBHA has secured an agreement with Weldon Exhibits, the Bay Area’s nationally renowned designers and fabricators of museum exhibits. Weldon will work closely with HMBHA to create static and interactive experiences about all things historical on the Half Moon Bay Coastside. Weldon will construct exhibits offsite while the new museum is being built.
News and updates will be posted on the History Association’s website: halfmoonbayhistory.org.
For more information, please contact:
Dave Olson
Museum Project Manager, HMB History Association
650.387.3618 mobile
[email protected]
Communications Manager, HMB History Association
650.554.8467 mobile
[email protected]
Author: Coastside Buzz
Me
Thats a great story