As members of the Portola Expedition of 1769 climbed to the top of Sweeney Ridge, they looked upon what is now San Bruno, and beyond it the unspoiled beauty of the San Francisco Bay. Since that time, San Bruno has grown into a major metropolitan area and residential suburb of San Francisco. Along the way it has been home to an important U.S. Navy base, a popular horse-racing track, and a World War II Japanese internment camp.

Shown here in 200 vintage photographs is the story of San Bruno from its initial settlement of a handful of people, through the raucous early years of gambling and "watering holes," to its gradual development into a modern, commercial city.