South San Francisco, CA April 11, 2018 by SSF Library
We love local history! At Monday evening’s presentation, library patrons learned about the 7 Mile House. Among the guests was the daughter of one of the barmen.
South San Francisco can trace the roots to our very own 12 Mile House (pictured below) but we love hearing about everything surrounding the north peninsula too. Monday’s talk from Vanessa Garcia, owner of 7 Mile House, offered an entertaining overview of the life of Brisbane’s 7 Mile House as told in her book, See you at the 7: Stories from the Bay Area’s Last Original Mile House. Vanessa traces its roots from 1858, when it began as a toll gate carved along the bayside of San Bruno mountain; to a saloon, hotel, and wheelman’s exchange in the early 1900s; to an illegal gambling den in the years leading up to Prohibition; to a melting pot of carefree workers from Southern Pacific Railroad in the 1940s and S.E. Rykoff in the 1980s; to the largest illegal sports gambling syndicate West of the Mississippi; to the family and dog-friendly restaurant, sports bar, and live music venue that it is today.
Vanessa did extensive research to gather oral histories of employees and patrons of “The 7” to collect as much authentic history, while also visiting the San Francisco Public Library to view beautiful historical maps.
While it was an entertaining night for us, Vanessa was able to gather more information to add to the restaurant’s history. She has a picture of The 7’s bar and its bartenders from the 1940s and she has been trying to find family of one of the barmen. Well, last night the daughter came in to meet Vanessa and even shared her childhood memories of the restaurant and bar, which, included hanging out behind the bar as a 5 year-old, picking ice for drinks.
“Great program! She was really engaging,” exclaimed one attendee. “I can’t wait to go to the 7 Mile House,” said another. “Thanks for having all of the author talks!,” enthused a guest. A new visitor to the library told us, “I didn’t know you had author talks.” Well, we do! Usually several times per month, in fact!
The 7 mile House has a long 160 year old history, and is a success story since Vanessa bought it 14 years ago. If you have a chance, take the time to visit The 7 for lunch, dinner, live music, and Sunday brunch. We hope to see you at The 7.
SSF 12 Mile House