Bellvale, California

Bellvale is a populated place in San Mateo County, located at 37°18′43″N122°19′12″W / 37.31194°N 122.32000°W / 37.31194; -122.32000 . The small community is on Highway 84 (La Honda Road) between San Gregorio and La Honda, at 240 feet above sea level. ^[1]

Bellvale was named for the Bell family, who settled in the area in the mid-nineteenth century. James Bell paid for construction of a schoolhouse in 1869, which served children from nearby La Honda. ^[2] Although Bellvale once had a post office, the community is now only sparsely settled with homes and farms. ^[3] The Bellvale post office, located 2.25 miles west of La Honda, opened in 1897 and was discontinued in 1922. ^[4] U.S. Geological Survey maps show oil wells in the area, tapping a relatively small pool of petroleum that was first identified in the nineteenth century. ^[5]

References

1. Bellvale, California: Bellvale, California Latitude and Longitude
2. Dougherty, Bob (2007). La Honda. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing. pp. 29–31. ISBN   9780738547381.
3. "37.31194,-122.32 - Google Maps". Google Maps. Retrieved January 4, 2015.
4. Durham, D.L. (1998). California's Geographic Names: A Gazetteer of Historic & Modern Names of the State. Word Dancer Press. p. 601. ISBN   9781884995149 . Retrieved January 4, 2015.
5. "Bellvale USGS La Honda Quad, California, Topographic Map". Archived from the original on October 11, 2012. Retrieved January 4, 2015.