Golden Gate - Mori Point

Mori Point National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Golden Gate National Recreation Area Painting courtesy Arthur Shilstone A Little Place by the Sea For nearly a century, Mori Point served as a haven for settlers, travelers, boot-leggers and diners. Today, after a generation of development battles, this spectacular place serves as a haven for walkers and wildlife and is a link to national parklands on Sweeney Ridge and Milagra Ridge along the San Mateo coast. Ranch to Roadhouse Stefano Mori and his family emigrated from Italy in the 1870s, starting a farm and building a ranchhouse on this land. The Mori family grazed cattle and horses, and raised brussels sprouts, cabbage and artichokes. A kitchen built to feed ranch hands and rooms built to house them eventually developed into the Mori Point Inn. The inn became a welcome roadhouse for travelers on the long road between San Francisco and Half Moon Bay. When Prohibition banned alcohol consumption in the U.S. during the 1920s, Stefano’s son Jack turned from tavern keeper to bootlegger, running Canadian scotch from smugglers’ ships off the point. Mori’s era as a speakeasy ended in 1923 when federal agents arrested Jack Mori and confiscated 24,000 cases of whiskey from his farm. Stefano’s other son Ray, and Ray’s wife Marie, rescued the roadhouse in 1932, reviving it as a restaurant, hotel, and dance hall. The restaurant and dance hall kept its lively reputation until 1965, when it was condemned as a safety hazard, and its final owner, Doug Hart, was led away in handcuffs for refusing to abandon it. Shortly thereafter, Mori’s burned to the ground. “Down the long hall of the rambling 21 room farmhouse, one passes…a veritable Italian grocery store with cheeses, salami hung from the ceiling, shelves of necessary sauces and foods that go into the making of the Mori meals... The odor of cooking sauces, soups and meats drifts through the house...The bar itself is picturesque. Great barrels which carried rare wines from Portugal to San Francisco compose part of it and around their tops are brass rails.” —Ruth Thompson & Chef Louis Hanges San Francisco News, 1937 “Historic old Mori’s, not to be outdone by the wrecker’s hammer, went out in a blaze of glory...the old landmark died the way she lived—in a bawdy and spectacular fashion.” —Pay Lynn, Pacifica Tribune 1966 Mori Point Inn, circa 1950s (rev. 12/07) Palm etto Ave G Francisco Beach Blvd SHARP PARK BEACH 1 Gate Ave 1 B Levee City of San Francisco San Wheelchair access MARSH che z Parking Danger– Cliffs OCEAN Br O C E A N Mori Calera Path 1 D RE h Bi ke R VALLEMAR 0 P R I VAT E Point of Contention Aven ue 1 To Pacifica State Beach (Linda Mar Beach) & Pedro Point 0 R O C K AWAY Fassler Rockaway Point 40 SamTrans #110 & 112 BEACH Upper 280 Crystal 35 Springs Redwood City PHLEGER ESTATE 84 Reservoir HUDDART PARK Woodside KINGS MTN. ROAD 35 1 Mori Point is located in Pacifica just west of Highway 1, and directly south of Sharp Park Golf Course. Trailheads are found at the south end of Bradford Way and at the southwest corner of Sharp Park, near the south end of the levee protecting Sharp Park Golf Course. PA C I F I C A Pacifica Chamber of Commerce/ GGNRA Visitor Center R Be ock ac aw h ROCKAWAY Bl ay vd 92 Half Moon Bay Finding Your Way P R I VAT E 10 North 200 Creek Reina del Mar Avenu e Pat MA ES TO Old Danger– Quarry Cliffs Half Moon Bay To Sweeney Ridge RSH P A C I F I C P R I VAT E Bik e 20 0 Shelldance Nursery Wastwater Treatment Facility ail Tr Ridge (LIMITED ACCESS) 1 L 250' 101 EA MORI POINT SWEENEY RIDGE PENINSULA WATERSHED R Danger– Cliffs FITZGERALD MARINE RESERVE 92 O adford Streets/sidewalks 82 San Mateo IN Road 280 Lower Crystal Springs Reservoir M Point Ridgeway Dr San Andreas Lake A H A B I TAT SNEATH LANE SWEENEY Millbrae RIDGE FASSLER AVE. PACIFIC San Bruno 380 MORI POINT Pedestrian/bicycle underpass 5 Miles C Mori Point FA I R WAY SamTrans PA R K #110, 112 eek 5 Kilometers EL Mori Wy Fairway Dr SENSITIVE ay Fishing COLLEGE AVE. SHARP PARK ROAD Cr 0 0 WESTBOROUGH BLVD. MILAGRA RIDGE d Roa Way dy Lun SHARP PARK c co Sharp vd Bl Picnic area an 101 Pacifica Park Sharp Park Municipal Golf Course Daly City 35 Laguna Salada Hiking Only Trail (subject to change) Fr 880 is To Skyline College & Westborough Blvd Multi-Use Trail (hiking and bicycling) n 280 FORT FUNSTON GGNRA lands and boundary Sa San Francisco OCEAN BEACH 100 580 Oakland 101 P R I VAT E Other parks and public lands 980 80 LANDS END S H A R P PA R K Clarendon 0.25 Miles 0 n ol d e PRESIDIO 0.25 Kilometers 0 ALCATRAZ To Pacific Manor District & Daly City Municipal Fishing Pier North Cattle Hill 800' SWEENEY RIDGE Since the early 1900s, real estate developers have been promoting coastside homes within an easy commute to San Francisco. After the Mori Point Restaurant was destroyed, developers had many visions for Mori: a seven story conference center, a golf course, a sixty-home housing development and a card gambling club. In the 1970s, highway planners proposed an extension to Interstate 380 through Mori Point. For nearly twenty years, Pacificans wrestled over protection of Mori Point. They wrote letters, and formed Pacificans for Mori Point, Friends of Pacifica, and the Pacifica Land Trust. Finally, in September 2000, Congress enacted legislation to purchase and add Mori Point to the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Proposed Mori conference center and golf course. WZMH Architects Protecting the Point At least two rare species—the endangered San Francisco garter snake and the threatened red-legged frog—find protection in Mori Point’s native coastal prairie vegetation. Wildlife at Mori Point, especially its endangered species, rely on the efforts of volun- teers to ensure their survival and ongoing health. Volunteer efforts organized through the Site Stewardship Program offer drop-in volunteer workdays and special projects. Call (415) 561-3067 for directions and a calendar of events. Enjoy a Safe Visit Please continue to protect Mori Point by staying on trails and picking up litter. Dogs on leash are welcome. Please protect yourself from the elements. Spring and Fall offer the best weather, but fog may appear year-round, so wear layered clothing and bring sunscreen and water. For More Information Pacifica Visitor Center (650) 355-4122 www.pacificachamber.com Site Stewardship Program (415) 561-3067 www.parksconservancy.org Presidio Visitor Center (415) 561-4323 www.nps.gov/prsf For disabled access call (415) 556-8371 Printed on recycled paper. EXPERIENCE YOUR AMERICA www.nps.gov/goga/