The Bells of El Camino Real-- Part 1

From the Dec. 21, 2009, San Mateo County Cal) Daily Journal "Rediscovering the Peninsula: El Camino Real bells" by Darold Frederick.

Back in the early 1900s, Mrs. A.S.C. Forbers of Los Angeles, an early auto fan, took a trip to the San Francisco Peninsula visiting old missions along the El Camino Real. She was greatly confused by conflicting and poor directions and wrong roads and vowed to do something about it.

The El Camino Real, The Royal Road, was built in the 1700s and connected the old Spanish missions. A member of the Native Sons and Daughters of the Golden West, she began placing 100-pound clapperless bell replicas on a 7-foot tall gooseneck iron pipe to mark the way. These bells were the only markers along the route, there were no signs or numbers yet.

On April 15, 1906, te first bell was erected at Plaza Church in Los Angeles. The next one was put up in 1909 in Redwood City, San Mateo County. Bells along the whole 700 mile stretch were completed by 1913 even though some wanted a bell every mile. The El Camino Real Association also was involved in the project.

More to Come. --RoadDog