Interesting honeybee facts:

A single honey bee worker produces about 1/12th of a teaspoon of honey in her lifetime. 

Honey bees can fly at speeds of up to 15 miles per hour. 

The queen honey bee lays up to 1,500 eggs per day, and may lay up to 1 million in her lifetime. 

The honey bee uses the most complex symbolic language of any animal on earth, outside of the primate family. 

Tomorrow at 1:00, beekeeper, Catherine Fraley will be discussing the history of the honeybee in San Mateo County.  Honey samples following the presentation.  

Francisco Sanchez, circa 1842.  

Francisco Sanchez, owner of Rancho San Pedro and one-time alcalde of San Francisco. Sanchez was a leader of Mexican California who led volunteers against United States forces at the Battle of Santa Clara.

Sanchez raised cattle for the hide-and-tallow trade. When ships came to California, Sanchez could trade his hides for manufactured items. Known as the “California Dollar,” hides could be made into clothes, shoes, and saddles. Tallow or cow fat was made into soap and candles.

Sanchez constructed The Sanchez Adobe between 1842 and 1846.  The Sanchez Adobe is the second oldest building in San Mateo County. 

On Saturday, August 4, 2012, the Courthouse Docket

continues as Catherine Fraley, a Montara beekeeper, will speak

about the history of the honeybee in San Mateo County and the

state of California. Fraley will discuss how the honeybee arrived

on the San Francisco Peninsula shortly after the California Gold

Rush began in 1849. She will also delve into recent threats to

honeybee populations in the state.

Besides being a beekeeper, Fraley is administrator for a local

beekeepers collective that supplies honey to communities in the

Bay Area. As a member of the San Mateo Beekeepers Guild,

she gives talks and writes articles to raise awareness about

honeybees and their positive impact on our environment.

Following the presentation, Fraley will have a sampling of her

honey that she sells at various farmers’ markets in San Mateo

County. 

Tomorrow at 1:00, author,  Janet McGovern will discuss her book, “Caltrain and the Peninsula Commute Service.”  The Caltrain rail line has been running since the 1860’s, and is the longest continually running passenger rail line in the West.  

On the Fourth of July we will be hosting An Old Fashioned Fourth.  Families can make crafts from the 1880’s and hand-crank vanilla ice cream in our historic 1910 courthouse.    

The photo is part of our massive ‘mystery’ Times Collection.  All we know is that the photo was taken in Half Moon Bay, California, in 1963.  The Patch (online news) has asked their readers if they know where/ what these Half Moon Bay policemen are investigating.  

July 4th, from 10-4:00: hand-crank ice cream and make 1880’s crafts at the History Museum

historysmc’s photostream on Flickr.

Artist, Lois White, finding inspiration at Runnymede Sculpture Farm in Woodside, CA.