Author Archives: June Morrall

1891: The Battle Over Pretty Pebbles At Pescadero…. (2)

Loren Coburn and Joe Levy had been feuding for a decade. During the 1880s, Levy and his brothrs, Armand and Fernand, had opened a general store in the old, two-story McCormick building, near the Swanton House, once a quaint hotel … Continue reading

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1891: The Battle Over Pretty Pebbles At Pescadero…. (1)

Pebble Beach, a contrast of stark, moonscape-like rock formations, peaceful tidepools and nature’s amazing cache of colorful, smooth stones, lies between the village of Pescadero and the Pigeon Point lighthouse. More than one hundred years ago Pescadero was a remote … Continue reading

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“La Honda is a slingshot at the sky”….Ken Kesey

When I was writing a historical column for the San Mateo County Times in 1997, “One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest” author Ken Kesey put a “for sale” sign in front of his famous log cabin nestled in the redwoods … Continue reading

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A “P.S.” From John Vonderlin is NEVER Ordinary….

Story by John Vonderlin (email John: [email protected]) P.S. I went to Tunitas today and gathered up 22 tires for future carrying up the hill when the ground dries up. I’ve got 12 of them poised at the bottom of the … Continue reading

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The Ohlone: John Vonderlin Begs To Disagree

Story by John Vonderlin (email John: [email protected]) Hi June, The email I recently sent you about the rocks that were probably polished by the mud-soaked flanks of mammoths and bison rubbing against them, reminded me of another rump-rounded rock a … Continue reading

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….The town…..

Hard to believe this is Pescadero. The pole is the famous flagpole, once used to measure distances from one place to another. Photo courtesy Tony Pera.

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Good Tunnel Conversation at Duartes Tavern

Story by John Vonderlin (email John: [email protected]) Hi June, My friend Meg had dinner at Duartes’ in Pescadero last night, and it gave her a chance to talk with some of the oldtimers about the tunnels we’ve been exploring. The … Continue reading

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Chapter 21: The Coburn Mystery

[This is from the original manuscript–and contains many more details than the final, edited version.] Pressure to illuminate the hidden reefs off the coast of Pescadero intensified as more shipwrecks occurred. Lighthouse advocates argued that the heavy fog lured sailors … Continue reading

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….Gazos Creek….

From: Place Names of San Mateo County, Dr. Alan K. Brown (1976) Gazos Creek: (Coast highwy 2.4 miles S of Pigeon Point. According to Vasquez, the name “arroyo de las Garzas (Heron creek) was given because large numbers of “cranes” … Continue reading

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William Steele Moves His Cows: Story by Coastside Artist Galen Wolf

William Steele Moves His Cows by Galen Wolf Long before daybreak, the cows of William Steele were milked that memorable morning, at Steele’s barn on the shore of Tomales Bay, by milkers under weak lantern light. This was the day … Continue reading

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