Coyote Point Park
| Coyote Point Park | |
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Coyote Point
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| Type | Parkland, woodland, museum & zoo |
| Location | San Mateo County, California, USA |
| Coordinates | 37°35′22″N 122°19′34″W / 37.5893796°N 122.3260810°WCoordinates: 37°35′22″N 122°19′34″W / 37.5893796°N 122.3260810°W |
| Area | 670 acres (270 ha) |
| Created | 1962 |
| Operated by | San Mateo County, California |
| Open | All year |
Coyote Point Park is a 670-acre (270 ha) park in San Mateo County, California, United States. Located on San Francisco Bay, it is south of San Francisco International Airport on the border of Burlingame and San Mateo.
The distinctive point, covered by a grove of eucalyptus trees, can be seen from airplanes approaching San Francisco International Airport and is a good location for aircraft spotting and birdwatching.
Coyote Point was originally an island in San Francisco Bay with a marsh connecting it to the mainland. Because it has no fresh water, it is doubtful that Native Americans lived here, but shell mounds on the point indicate that it was at least occasionally used, possibly for special ceremonies or feasts.
Coyote Point was part of the Presidio and Mission lands until it passed to Mexico. The Governor of Mexico then granted the land to Coyetano Arenas, to which the name can probably be traced. The Arenas family sold it to the firm of Mellus and Howard, and Howard purchased it from the firm in 1850. The land remained in the Howard family until it was sold to the county and the federal government in 1942.
In the late 19th century, the Howard family built a pier at Coyote Point for lumber loading. They also reclaimed the marsh between the island and the mainland (now a golf course) to create dairy pasture. They built a bathhouse and pool on the beach in 1880, and had Eucalyptus, Cypress and Pine trees planted on the knoll.
In 1922, a group of promoters created the "Pacific City Amusement Park" on about 90 acres (36 ha) of land along the beach leased from the Howard family. The park included a boardwalk, children's playground, scenic railway, merry-go-round, Ferris wheel, dancing pavilion and several food concessions. Although it was reputed to have had one million visitors in the first season, a fire during the second season destroyed about one quarter of the development, and it never opened for a third season. The reasons given for the closure were strong afternoon winds and sewage contamination in the bay.
In 1942, the federal government purchased 10 acres (4.0 ha) of land on Coyote Point for one of three Merchant Marine Cadet Basic schools, the Pacific Coast Cadet Corps (the other two were for the Atlantic Coast Cadet Corps at Kings Point, New York and the Gulf Coast Cadet Corps at Pass Christian, Mississippi). The merchant marine training program had been shortened from 48 to 18 months, in three stages:
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