GC3R2M8 Cooley Landing, Phase I (Traditional Cache) in California, United States created by Wildbun

This cache has been archived.

Geobun: I stopped by today to check on the cache and was sad to see the MROSD had abandoned this park. The gate was locked and the weeds are taking over. I did not feel safe walking out there alone even in the middle of the day. I would not subject another cacher to any potential risk, so this one needs to go. Thank you to everyone who stopped by, and my apologies to those who looked for it after it went missing.

GC3R2M8 ▼

A cache by Wildbun Message this owner

Hidden : 7/23/2012

Difficulty:

Terrain:

Size: Size: micro (micro)

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Geocache Description:

Welcome to the newly renovated Cooley Landing in the Ravenswood Open Space Preserve, operated by the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District. Open from sunrise to sunset so please only visit during open hours. Bring a pen, and tweezers just in case.

Cooley Landing was created in the mid-1800s by Dennis Martin, an Irishman who purchased a Spanish land grant that extended from the bay up into the redwood canyons above Woodside and Portola Valley. It was then called Martin's Landing. It was used to ship lumber, redwood shingles, wheat, and wool north to San Francisco and other cities, originally in flat-bottomed sailing barges.

The name “Cooley Landing” comes from Lester Cooley who purchased the nearly abandoned land in 1868 and built an estate there. Then, from 1932 -1960, the landing became a San Mateo County dump, with open burning of refuse. The artificial peninsula that exists today was built up from the landfill at the dump. Then Mr. Carl Schoof bought it in 1960 and started Palo Alto Boat Works, which operated until the late 1990s.

In 1998, Mr. Schoof sold the 6.75-acre area to the Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST), which has kept it as a nature conservation area. The area owned by POST actually includes only the center part of Cooley Landing and the area extending out into the Bay. The land on either side is already owned by the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District. Only the center is within the City of East Palo Alto; the side areas are part of Menlo Park.

Now, After many years of planning, environmental cleanup, and construction on Phase 1 of the Cooley Landing Park Project, it is finally complete. Future project phases will include an outdoor classroom and renovation of the former boathouse for use as a Nature and Education Facility.

For some great photos and more information about Cooley Landing and other parts of the Bay Trail, check out STP Ron's Bay Trail: Ravenswood Area