Before the Railroad: When Stagecoaches Connected Belmont to the Peninsula

Historic stagecoach at the Emmett-O’Neill Store in Belmont, California, before railroad travel transformed the Peninsula

Before the trains came to Belmont, there was the stagecoach.
Long before commuters waited for trains, Belmont residents and travelers relied on horse-drawn coaches to carry passengers and even the U.S. Mail. Take a trip back to the early 1850s and the days when the Emmett-O’Neill Store at Ralston Avenue and Old County Road was a regular stagecoach stop.

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Belmont’s First School: From 17 Students to a Growing Town

Belmont’s First Schoolhouse – Historic Belmont, California

Belmont’s first students attended class in a local resident’s home. From a one-room schoolhouse and $50-a-month teacher to dead frogs in the well, discover what going to school was like in early Belmont.

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Waltermire Avenue: The Man Who Helped Build Belmont’s First Downtown

Most Belmont residents drive Waltermire Avenue without knowing the story behind the name. Discover how Edward Waltermire helped build Belmont’s first business district, operated the historic Belmont Hotel, and shaped the community before Belmont became a city.

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