Coyote Point Park, California
Just ten minutes drive from our base in Foster City, San Mateo is Coyote Point Park and last Sunday we decided to go and check it out. The distinctive point, covered by a grove of trees, can be seen from airplanes approaching San Francisco International Airport
It was a lovely sunny warm day…when isn’t it in California? The Bay was like a mill pond and there were only and handful of other people visiting the park, so was beautiful, still and quiet.
There was a lot of picnic/barbecue areas so it looks like it’s a very popular place to visit in the summer, though when we there it was a very pleasant 18C.
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.
In 1922, a group of promoters created the “Pacific City Amusement Park” on about 90 acres of land along the beach. The park included a boardwalk, children’s playground, scenic railway, merry-go-round, Ferris wheel, dancing pavilion and several food concessions.
In 1942, the federal government purchased the original Coyote Point for a Merchant Marine Cadet School. In 1946, the buildings were purchased by the College of San Mateo, and this became the college campus until the land was acquired by San Mateo County in 1962
Below are a few images taken at Coyote Point Park.
