Yolanda Station, 1912
Yolanda Station, 2010
The Yolanda area of San Anselmo was a popular destination for summer visitors.
Yolanda Station was the first stop added within San Anselmo west of the downtown railroad depot; it opened in 1905. The station, shown here circa 1912, was never more than a covered shelter. Freight cars ran on the narrow-gauge rails and passenger cars on the broad gauge rails. In 1908, the line was electrified (see the third rail along the right side of the track after the intersection); the line was double-tracked in 1925.
Like other areas in San Anselmo, Yolanda was a popular destination for summer visitors. San Anselmo’s location along the route of the railroad and its temperate climate drew San Francisco residents for a sunny break from summertime fog. Parents found the little town a safe place for their children, and businessmen found San Anselmo a suitable place to enjoy a vacation with their families as a return to the office was an easy trip on the train and ferry to San Francisco.
Peter Autzen’s Cottage Grocery, on the left in the photograph, was on the corner of San Anselmo Avenue and Redwood Road. The grocery catered to the summer vacationers by selling groceries and fresh produce, and having an open-air ice cream parlor. The sign above the motorcycle on the left reads “Summer Visitors Register Here So Your Friends Can Find You.”
Bernard Brennfleck owned 8 acres to the right of the tracks where he operated the San Anselmo Nursery and a campground along the creek with water piped to every campsite. Brennfleck began to subdivide and put lots on the market in 1912.
Property in Yolanda was advertised for sale as summer or permanent homes, with many buyers paying their mortgages by renting cottages or camping privileges on their property. The San Anselmo Herald reported in January 1912 that practically all the bungalows and cottages for rent in the area had already been leased for the summer. A seven room bungalow with sleeping porch rented for $125 per month.
Over the years, there were several neighborhood grocery stores at Yolanda near the station. A branch of the San Anselmo Post Office opened there in Lavaroni Brother’s Grocery in 1924.
The trains, tracks, grocery stores and tents are long gone. Today, a concrete marker along Center Boulevard, at the intersection of San Anselmo Avenue and Redwood Road, commemorates Yolanda Station.