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History
The City of Souls, Colma
All
of
the
land
between
San
Francisco’s
southern
border
and
the
South
San
Francisco
northern
border,
the
Pacific
Ocean
and
San
Bruno
Mountain
was
once
known
as
“Colma.”
Many
changes
to
the
community’s
boundaries
happened
over
the
years
with
annexations
of
what
was
considered
Colma
land
into
newly
developed
cities,
such
as
Daly
City
in
1911.
Today
the
2.2-
square
mile
Town
of
Colma,
originally
known
as
Lawndale,
is
the
area
that
was
incorporated
in
1924.
There
are
other
parts
of
northern
San
Mateo
County
nearby
that
are
known
as
“Unincorporated
Colma”
which
were not included in the town’s boundaries at the time of incorporation.
“Colma”
is
believed
to
be
a
Ramaytush
Ohlone
Indian
word
meaning
"moon,”
however,
the
significance
of
the
area
being
called
“Colma”
is
not
known.
There
were
Ohlone
Indian
settlements
immediately
north
and
south
of
Colma
in
the
current
cities
of
San
Francisco
and
South
San
Francisco.
Spanish
settlers
used
this
area
for
farming
and
ranching
beginning
in
the
late
1700’s,
and
this
continued
well
into
the
20
th
century
by
people from all over the world.
Events
that
led
up
to
the
incorporation
of
the
Town
of
Lawndale
(as
it
was
originally
named)
in
1924)
began
75
years
before.
In
1849
the
gold
rush
brought
hundreds
of
thousands
of
people
to
San
Francisco.
The
greater
Colma
area
with
its
agricultural,
dairy
farming,
and
ranching
enterprises
fed
San
Francisco
and
its
surrounding
cities.
The
San
Francisco
and
San
Jose
railroad
was
built
through
Colma
in
1862
.
A
small
depot
(now
part
of
the
Colma
Historical
Park)
was
constructed
circa
1863-1865
near
present
day
Washington
St.
between
San
Pedro
Road
and
Junipero
Serra
Blvd.
Freight
carried
from
Colma
during
just
the
four
months
of
June-September
of
1864
consisted
of
206,618
lbs.
of
vegetables,
100
tons
of
grain,
and
1000
pigs.
Flower
fields
also
appeared
and
supplied
the
San
Francisco
flower
market,
the
Expositions,
and
eastern
USA
markets
between
1894
through 1940.
With
California’s
Gold
Rush
and
the
explosion
of
the
population,
disease
led
to
a
high
death
rate.
Twenty-six
cemeteries
had
been
established
in
San
Francisco
and
by
1880
most
of
those
remaining
were
close
to
capacity.
Cemetery
owners
started
looking
for
new
property
to
bury
their
dead,
and
the
City
would
not
let
them
expand.
In
1886
the
Catholic
Archdiocese
of
San
Francisco
purchased
300
acres
of
formerly
agricultural
(cabbages
and
potatoes)
land
for
Holy
Cross
Catholic
Cemetery.
It
was
just
5
miles
south
of
the
San
Francisco
County
line
at
the
southern
end
of
what
was
then
known
as
Colma.
It
was
chosen
because
it
was
convenient
to
reach
from
the
city.
There
was
access
by
horse
and
carriage
and
by
street
cars
along
Mission
Street.
Trains
also
traveled
south
from
San
Francisco
and
stopped
at
most
of
the
cemeteries.
It
was
a
one-day
round
trip
to
bury
or
visit a loved one.
On
June
3,
1887,
the
Roman
Catholic
Archdiocese
opened
the
first
cemetery
in
Colma,
Holy
Cross
Catholic
Cemetery.
Seven
cemeteries
were
established
by
1900
and
another
six
by
1910.
Four
have
been
opened
since
then,
including
a
pet
cemetery.
Colma
became
famous
as
a
“cemetery
city,” and flower shops and monument businesses sprang up.
In
1883
the
Brooksville
Hotel
was
built
on
Mission
Road
as
a
hotel,
restaurant,
and
bar
for
local
workers.
It
became
Molloy’s
Tavern
in
1937
and
is
the
oldest
commercial
establishment
in
continuous
operation
in
Colma.
It
was
also
a
stagecoach
stop
and
is
still
a
gathering
place
for
locals
and
for funeral parties. It has an extensive collection of vintage photographs displayed on its walls.
On
March
26,
1900,
the
City
and
County
of
San
Francisco
passed
an
ordinance
that
there
were
to
be
no
more
burials
allowed,
as
the
limited
amount of land within its boundaries was too valuable to be wasted on cemeteries. The land was needed for the living.
The
population
of
the
larger
area
known
as
Colma
grew
in
the
years
following
the
1906
San
Francisco
earthquake
and
fire,
with
the
population
in
1910 numbering around 650 people. Colma also became world-famous as a boxing venue.
On
January
14,
1914,
eviction
notices
were
sent
to
all
San
Francisco
cemeteries
ordering
them
to
remove
their
bodies
and
monuments.
The
Masonic
and
Odd
Fellows
Cemeteries
began
to
move
their
underground
residents
in
the
late
1920s.
After
many
years
of
court
battles,
the
San
Francisco
voter-approved
eviction
notice
became
official
in
1937.
Disinterment
of
bodies
from
the
remaining
San
Francisco
cemeteries
began
in
early
1940.
Colma
then
inherited
hundreds
of
thousands
of
new
underground
residents.
Many
went
into
mass
graves
if
there
were
no
relatives
to
purchase new burial plots.
On
August
5,
1924,
the
town
of
Lawndale
(the
name
selected
by
the
founders)
became
an
incorporated
city
of
2.2
square
miles.
The
14
Associated
Cemeteries
in
Lawndale
came
together
to
accomplish
this.
It
was
headed
by
Mattrup
Jensen,
Superintendent
of
Mount
Olivet
Memorial
Park,
who
was
elected
Mayor.
Joe
Cavalli,
the
town
blacksmith,
was
made
Marshal.
This
Association,
in
the
words
of
Mayor
Jensen
in
1941,
“drew
a
line
around
the
cemeteries
situated
within
this
Colma
area
and
proceeded
to
incorporate
that
area
into
a
town,
so
as
to
preserve
it
against
any
future
invasion, should San Francisco desire to extend its city limits, in years to come.”
Lawndale’s
first
city
hall
was
built
in
1938
on
El
Camino
Real.
It
also
served
as
a
traffic
court,
post
office,
and
health
department.
It
was
leased
to
the
Army
Corp
of
Engineers
during
World
War
II
from
October
1943-October
1944.
It
was
expanded
in
the
1980s
and
again
between
2014-2018
with the original section being preserved.
In
late
1941,
the
town’s
name
was
changed
from
Lawndale
to
Colma.
Prior
to
that
time
the
town
was
able
to
use
the
name
Lawndale
without
repercussion.
All
residents
and
businesses
received
their
mail
at
the
Colma
Post
Office
with
a
box
number
for
delivery
addresses.
When
home
and
business
deliveries
began
in
Lawndale,
the
U.S.
Post
Office
determined
the
name
“Lawndale”
could
not
be
used
because
there
was
another
post
office called Lawndale in Southern California and the name could not be used by two post offices. (Zip codes were not in existence at that time.)
In
1950,
construction
of
about
260
ranch-style
homes
began
in
the
Sterling
Park
subdivision.
Most
of
this
property
was
originally
the
Rosaia
Ranch,
some
of
which
was
in
Unincorporated
Colma.
World
War
II
veterans
purchased
many
of
the
homes
for
$8950
with
GI
loans
and
moved
in
with
their families, forming a close-knit community. The population of Colma in 1950 was 295.
Colma’s
first
mayor
Mattrup
Jensen
passed
away
at
his
home
on
D
St.
in
1957
at
the
age
of
84.
He
served
3
terms
as
Mayor
and
was
a
resident
of
Colma for almost 55 years.
In
1960
Councilmember
Rena
Vallerga
became
the
first
female
mayor
of
Colma.
She
was
also
the
first
female
mayor
of
Italian
descent
in
California.
In January 1962 the 18-hole Cypress Hills Golf Club opened.
Retail
sales
in
Colma
took
off
in
the
1970s
and
1980s
with
the
opening
of
Colma’s
first
shopping
center,
“Serra
Center,”
and
a
second
shopping
center,
“280 Metro Center,” both on Junipero Serra Blvd.
Colma’s “Auto Row” was created in the 1970s in the heart of town on Serramonte Blvd.
The environmental review process for a new BART station in Colma began in 1980.
The
1990s
saw
the
opening
of
the
Lucky
Chances
cardroom,
the
building
of
Creekside
Village
Apartments
for
seniors,
the
construction
of
Sterling
Park Recreation Center, and the celebration of Colma’s 75
th
Anniversary.
The
Colma
Historical
Association
was
founded
in
1993
with
the
mission
to
collect,
preserve
and
display
documents
and
artifacts
and
disseminate
information relating to the History of the Town of Colma. It was initially housed in the Town Hall and later in a trailer adjacent to Town Hall.
Construction
on
Colma’s
BART
station
began
in
1993.
It
opened
for
service
in
February
1996
on
the
line
that
eventually
extended
to
Millbrae
and
San Francisco Airport.
Between
1995
and
1999
major
improvements
to
the
Sterling
Park
residential
area
were
made
–
wiring
was
“undergrounded;”
electrical
and
cable
connections to houses were upgraded; paving stones were installed for the sidewalks and streets; and vintage style streetlights were installed.
More civic improvements were added with the turn of the 21
st
century. 2000-2010:
New condo unit housing was completed in 2003 – Hoffman Court on Hoffman St. and Verano Townhouse Complex on Old Mission Rd.
In
2004
Colma’s
new
Community
Center
building
was
built
on
Hillside
Blvd.,
and
the
former
Olivet
Cemetery
office
building
was
renovated
to
house the Colma Historical Museum and Park. This is located on property donated to the city by Cypress Abbey Company in 1993.
A new police station opened on El Camino Real in 2006
.
Prior to that the Police Station was located in Town Hall.
In
2008
Councilmember
Joanne
Del
Rosario
became
the
first
Filipina
American
mayor
of
Colma.
She
is
also
the
first
Filipina
American
to
serve
as
a
mayor in the nine counties in the San Francisco Bay Area.
2011-2020:
Colma/Lawndale
celebrated
its
90
th
Anniversary
of
incorporation
in
2014.
The
Colma
Historical
Association
and
Kingston
Media
produced
Colma: A Journey of Souls
, a DVD chronicling the town’s history.
Colma’s Town Hall was expanded and modernized in 2018.
In
October
2019
Colma
Veterans
Village
was
dedicated.
It
is
a
66-apartment
complex
built
by
Mercy
Housing
to
provide
a
home
for
veterans
who
formerly
had
no
housing.
In
cooperation
with
Brilliant
Corners
and
the
U.S.
Department
of
Veterans
Affairs
it
provides
a
vibrant
community
with
many supportive services.
The population of Colma reported in the April 1, 2020, Federal Census was 1502.
Colma was certified as an Age-Friendly City in September 2020 by the World Health Organization.
2021-2022
Mission
Road
was
improved
in
2021
with
resurfacing
and
the
inclusion
of
bike
lanes,
cross
walks,
new
curbs,
and
benches.
There
are
plans
for
future improvements to El Camino Real as it runs through Colma.
Plans are in progress for celebrating in 2024 the 100
th
anniversary of incorporation of Lawndale/Colma – “a once in a lifetime event.”
As our town motto proclaims, “IT’S GREAT TO BE ALIVE IN COLMA.”
Colma Cemeteries
Holy Cross Cemetery
Catholic
1887
Home of Peace
Hills of Eternity & Salem
Jewish
1889-1891
Cypress Lawn
Non Denominational
1892
Olivet
Non Denominational
1896
Italian Cemetery
Italian
1899
Serbian
Serbian
1901
Japanese Cemetery
Japanese
1901
Eternal Home
Jewish
1901
Greenlawn
Non Denominational
1903
Woodlawn
Non Denominational
1904
Sunset View
Not Active
1907
Greek Orthodox
Greek
1935
Pet’s Rest Cemetery
Pets
1947
Hoy Sun
Chinese
1988
Golden Hills
Chinese
1994
The museum now has the records for:
Sunset View Cemetery (Colma) , 1901-1948
Valente, Marini, Perata & Co. Mortuary (San Francisco) 1888-1993,1996-2006
COLMA
HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION