Pillar Point Harbor is a boat

harbor A harbor (American English), harbour (British English; see spelling differences), or haven is a sheltered body of water where ships, boats, and barges can be docked. The term ''harbor'' is often used interchangeably with ''port'', which is a ...

created by a riprap breakwater in

San Mateo County, California San Mateo County ( ), officially the County of San Mateo, is a county (United States), county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 764,442. Redwood City, California, Redwoo ...

immediately north of

Half Moon Bay Half Moon Bay is a coastal city in San Mateo County, California, United States, approximately south of San Francisco. Its population was 11,795 as of the 2020 census. Immediately at the north of Half Moon Bay is Pillar Point Harbor and the un ...

. It is used by both pleasure craft and small commercial fishing boats. The

Ohlone The Ohlone, formerly known as Costanoans (from Spanish meaning 'coast dweller'), are a Native American people of the Northern California coast. When Spanish explorers and missionaries arrived in the late 18th century, the Ohlone inhabited the ...

people inhabited the region into much of the 19th century, and a number of recorded shipwrecks occurred in the immediate area. The modern harbor facilities were constructed between 1959 and 1982. The harbor facilities are managed by the San Mateo County Harbor District.

Location

The harbor is situated at the north end of the semicircular bay called

, and is at the extreme north edge of the city of

, the southwest edge of the town of El Granada and the southern edge of the unincorporated community of Princeton-by-the-Sea. The

big wave surfing Big wave surfing is a discipline within surfing in which experienced surfers paddle into, or are towed into, waves which are at least 20 feet (6.2 m) high, on surf boards known as "guns" or towboards. Sizes of the board needed to successfully su ...

location in

Mavericks Maverick, Maveric or Maverik may refer to: History * Maverick (animal), an unbranded range animal, derived from U.S. cattleman Samuel Maverick Aviation * AEA Maverick, an Australian single-seat sportsplane design * General Aviation Design Bureau ...

is about a half mile (1 km) outside Pillar Point Harbor.

History

Early history

Before European contact, and through much of the 19th century, the

tribe lived in the region, especially in the

riparian zone A riparian zone or riparian area is the interface between land and a river or stream. Riparian is also the proper nomenclature for one of the terrestrial biomes of the Earth. Plant habitats and communities along the river margins and banks ar ...

of El Granada Creek. The

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

indicates an Ohlone

archaeological Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...

site, Archeological Site SMA-151, in this immediate area. The first European land exploration of

Alta California Alta California ('Upper California'), also known as ('New California') among other names, was a province of New Spain, formally established in 1804. Along with the Baja California peninsula, it had previously comprised the province of , but ...

, the Spanish Portolà expedition, passed through the area on its way north, camping just south of the harbor on October 28, 1769. In his expedition diary, missionary

Juan Crespi ''Juan'' is a given name, the Spanish and Manx versions of ''John''. It is very common in Spain and in other Spanish-speaking communities around the world and in the Philippines, and also (pronounced differently) in the Isle of Man. In Spanish, t ...

described Pillar Point.

19th century

By the early 19th century

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

fur Fur is a thick growth of hair that covers the skin of mammals. It consists of a combination of oily guard hair on top and thick underfur beneath. The guard hair keeps moisture from reaching the skin; the underfur acts as an insulating blanket t ...

trapper Animal trapping, or simply trapping or gin, is the use of a device to remotely catch an animal. Animals may be trapped for a variety of purposes, including food, the fur trade, hunting, pest control, and wildlife management. History Neolithic ...

s plied this portion of the

Northern California Northern California (colloquially known as NorCal) is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. Spanning the state's northernmost 48 counties, its main population centers incl ...

coast. By 1859 part of the area was owned by James G. Denniston, a California state assemblyman who represented San Mateo County. He built a deep-water landing at Pillar Point which for many years was a key port for lumber, produce and other material destined for San Francisco. Many

shipwreck A shipwreck is the wreckage of a ship that is located either beached on land or sunken to the bottom of a body of water. Shipwrecking may be intentional or unintentional. Angela Croome reported in January 1999 that there were approximately ...

s and other nautical accidents occurred in this area of the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

coast The coast, also known as the coastline or seashore, is defined as the area where land meets the ocean, or as a line that forms the boundary between the land and the coastline. The Earth has around of coastline. Coasts are important zones in n ...

line. The ship ''Rydal Hall'' was wrecked in October 1876 near Pillar Point while carrying coal destined for San Francisco. In 1971 the ship's anchor was recovered and is still on display outside a nearby restaurant.

20th century

In the twentieth century the harbor was used by small fishing boats, though fierce winter storms sometimes destroyed boats even when in the harbor. From 1959 to 1961, the Army Corps of Engineers constructed a riprap breakwater to protect the harbor. At that time a pier, the Harbor Master's office, and other facilities were also built, and a foghorn was installed. However it was soon found that the breakwater did not provide protection from southwesterly storm waves, which surged through the breakwater opening. In 1967 the western arm of the breakwater was extended by in an attempt to block such waves. That solution also proved inadequate, so in 1982 an inner breakwater was built. The outer breakwater diverts storm waves to nearby shores, increasing erosion drastically in some places. A line of nearby bluffs eroded back in the 35 years after the breakwater was built, despite an attempt in the 1960s to shield the bluffs with a riprap barrier. The San Mateo County Harbor District has maintained a Harbor Master's Office and rescue station there since 1970. For almost twenty years (1978–1996) the Harbor Master, Robert McMahon and his various crews, achieved recognition from the Coast Guard for being the first responders and saving hundreds of lives.

References

{{reflist, 30em

External links

San Mateo County Harbor District official siteMidcoast Community Council site for Pillar Point HarborHalf Moon Bay Seafood Marketing Association site
Half Moon Bay, California Geography of San Mateo County, California Ports and harbors in the San Francisco Bay Area