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58-549: It sits atop the former location of the San Francisco Calvary Cemetery. Graves in this cemetery, along with all graves in San Francisco, were moved in the 1930s and 1940s to Colma after burials in San Francisco were banned in 1902 at all but two cemeteries to increase available real estate. Anza Vista is located between Geary Boulevard to the north, Turk Street to the south, Masonic Avenue to

116-845: A Catholic school for preschool through 8th grade. Colma belongs to the Jefferson Elementary School District , which has two schools in Colma: Garden Village Elementary (grades K–5) and Benjamin Franklin Intermediate (grades 6–8). High school students typically attend Westmoor High School in the Jefferson Union High School District . Informally, as of 2006 Colma had "1,500 aboveground residents ... and 1.5 million underground". The 2010 United States Census reported that Colma had

174-505: A blow to the jaw, but Kelly recovered quickly and fought well defensively. There was a shower of blows in the fourth, followed by more clinching in the fifth, as the boxers recovered from fatigue. The final four rounds were close, but the referee decided in favor of Papke at the bell in the tenth. Papke's management successfully used the win as a stepping stone to a world middleweight title match with Stanley Ketchel ten weeks later. On May 15, 1909, Papke would defeat Kelly more decisively in

232-589: A branch line to move coffins to Colma. Decades later, the right-of-way for the branch line through Colma was purchased by BART for use in the San Francisco International Airport extension project. An early effort to incorporate in 1903 was condemned by the San Francisco Call as "a scheme whereby the town of Colma is to be made a plague spot of vice" to benefit gamblers and crooked politicians. The Town of Lawndale

290-429: A convincing twelve round technical knockout, and impressively took the world middleweight title from the reigning champion. The referee was the thirty-three year old boxing legend and former heavyweight champion James J. Jeffries . According to legend, Papke helped his chances of winning the fight by punching Ketchel in the face or throat unexpectedly when Ketchel stepped forward with his right hand extended to shake at

348-471: A female householder with no husband present, and 25.5% were non-families. 17.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.47 and the average family size was 3.92. In the town the population was spread out, with 24.7% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 31.7% from 25 to 44, 19.1% from 45 to 64, and 15.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age

406-561: A first round knockout in Colma , California . Papke's first meeting with Stanley Ketchel resulted in loss by 10-round points decision, on June 4, 1908, in Milwaukee , Wisconsin . It was the first of Papke's four fights with the reigning Middleweight champion. Papke won the second fight with Ketchel in an upset at Jeffrie's Arena in Vernon , near Los Angeles , on September 7, 1908, in

464-564: A match with Ketchel after the bout, but it was never to be. After Ketchel's murder at age 24, on October 15, 1910, while training at a Cattle Ranch in Conway, Missouri , Papke became one of several middleweights contesting the world middleweight title. On February 11, 1911, Papke lost to Cyclone Johnny Thompson in Sydney, Australia in a twenty round points decision, with Thompson subsequently claiming Papke's world middleweight title. The bout

522-438: A population of 1,792. The population density was 938.6 inhabitants per square mile (362.4/km ). The racial makeup of Colma was 620 (34.6%) White , 59 (3.3%) African American , 7 (0.4%) Native American , 619 (34.5%) Asian , 9 (0.5%) Pacific Islander , 366 (20.4%) from other races , and 112 (6.3%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 708 persons (39.5%). The Census reported that 1,763 people (98.4% of

580-430: A re-spelling of an ancient Uralic word meaning death, a reference to James Macpherson 's Songs of Selma , and two Ohlone possibilities, one meaning "moon" and one meaning "springs". Before 1872, Colma was designated as "Station" or " School House Station ", the name of its post office in 1869. The community of Colma was formed in the 19th century as a collection of homes and small businesses along El Camino Real and

638-673: A three round exhibition with heavyweight "Fireman" Jim Flynn, the only boxer who ever knocked out Jack Dempsey. He had lost to Flynn earlier in a newspaper decision in March 1909 in Pasadena. In his retirement near Los Angeles, he benefited from his real estate investments. He appeared in at least three boxing-themed movies; The Prince of Broadway (1926) which featured boxers Leach Cross, Frankie Genaro , and Ad Wolgast, Madison Square Garden (1932), where he appeared as himself as did other boxers and sports writers, and The Prizefighter and

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696-546: A variety of retail businesses and automobile dealerships has brought more sales tax revenue to the town government. In 1986, 280 Metro Center opened for business in Colma; it is now recognized as the world's first power center . According to the United States Census Bureau , the town has a total area of 1.9 sq mi (4.9 km ), all land. The town's 17 cemeteries comprise approximately 73% of

754-597: Is also the location of a Kaiser Permanente hospital on Geary Boulevard at St. Joseph's Avenue, and the Raoul Wallenberg Traditional High School on Nido Avenue. 37°46′51″N 122°26′35″W  /  37.78087°N 122.44319°W  / 37.78087; -122.44319 Colma, California Colma ( Ohlone for "Springs") is a small incorporated town in San Mateo County, California , United States, on

812-661: The Mission District ; which resulted in many mortuaries and funeral homes in this location for quick access to Colma. Approximately 150,000 bodies were moved between 1920 and 1941, at a cost of $ 10 per grave and marker. Many of the remains in Colma came from the Lone Mountain Cemetery complex. Those for whom no one paid the fee were reburied in mass graves, and the markers were recycled in various San Francisco public works. Some examples include drain gutters at Buena Vista Park and bolstering breakwater near

870-622: The San Francisco Peninsula in the San Francisco Bay Area . The population was 1,507 at the 2020 census . The town was founded as a necropolis in 1924. With most of Colma's land dedicated to cemeteries , the population of the dead—not specifically known but speculated to be around 1.5 million —outnumbers that of the living by a ratio of nearly a thousand to one. This has led to Colma being called "the City of

928-599: The Santa Cruz Mountain Range . The foothills and eastern flanks of the range are composed largely of poorly consolidated Pliocene - Quaternary freshwater and shallow marine sediments that include the Colma and Merced Formations, recent slope wash, ravine fill, colluvium , and alluvium . These surficial deposits unconformably overlay the much older Jurassic to Cretaceous-aged Franciscan Assemblage. The Junipero Serra Landfill , which closed in 1983 and extended approximately 135 ft (41 m) deep,

986-578: The St. Francis Yacht Club . They can be seen at low tide on Ocean Beach. The completion of the relocation was delayed until after World War II . The main rail line between San Francisco and San Jose running through Colma had been bypassed by the Bayshore Cutoff , completed in 1907 and providing a route closer to the San Francisco Bay shoreline, and the former main line was repurposed as

1044-421: The census of 2000, there were 1,191 people, 329 households, and 245 families residing in the town. The population density was 624.6 inhabitants per square mile (241.2/km ). There were 342 housing units at an average density of 179.4 per square mile (69.3/km ). There were 329 households, out of which 36.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.1% were married couples living together, 11.9% had

1102-551: The poverty line , including 4.8% of those under age 18 and 3.7% of those age 65 or over. Billy Papke Billy Papke (born William Papke , and known as "The Illinois Thunderbolt") (September 17, 1886 – November 26, 1936) was an American boxer who held the World Middleweight Championship from September 7 to November 26, 1908. In 1910-12, he also took the Australian and British versions of

1160-661: The Australian Middleweight Championship. On August 22, 1911, Papke had a surprising loss to Sailor Burke , at St. Nicholas Arena in New York City in a newspaper decision of the New York Times . Papke was defending his World Middleweight title which he took at London's Palladium in a ninth round knockout from Jim Sullivan two months earlier on June 8, 1911. Burke battered Papke, but used little science in his approach. Attending

1218-552: The Lady (1933), which starred heavyweight champion Max Baer (boxer) . Near the time of his death, he was working as a "host" at Jim Flynn's Cafe in Los Angeles, a beer hall named after the heavyweight boxer. He had recently refereed a boxing match. Papke died on November 27, 1936, by suicide, after first killing his wife. The violent incident may have been a result of undiagnosed brain dementia suffered from years of trauma in

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1276-552: The Mission Street Arena in Colma, including two world middleweight title bouts against Billy Papke and a world heavyweight title bout against Jack Johnson . Colma became the site for numerous cemeteries after San Francisco outlawed new interments within its city limits in 1900, then evicted most existing cemeteries in 1912. In the 1910s, many of the roads to Colma were not maintained. Bodies were transported by street cars in San Francisco down Valencia Street in

1334-806: The Silent" and has given rise to a humorous motto, formerly featured on the city's website: "It's great to be alive in Colma". The most commonly proposed origin of the name "Colma" is the Ohlone word mean "springs" or "many springs". There are several other proposed origins of Colma. Erwin Gudde's California Place Names states seven possible sources of the town's being called Colma: William T. Coleman (a local landowner), Thomas Coleman (a local resident), misspelling of Colmar in France, misspelling of Colima in Mexico,

1392-518: The World Middleweight Championship, though American boxing historians generally take less note of these titles. With a solid and efficient punch, 70 percent of his better publicized career wins by decision were from knockouts, and roughly 40% of his reported fights were as well. Papke was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2001. Sportswriter Nat Fleischer, original owner of "Ring" Magazine, ranked Papke as

1450-419: The adjacent San Francisco and San Jose Railroad line. Several churches, including Holy Angels Catholic Church, were founded in these early years. The community founded its own fire district, which serves the unincorporated area of Colma north of the town limits, as well as the area that became a town in 1924. Heinrich (Henry) von Kempf moved his wholesale nursery here in the early part of the 20th century, from

1508-561: The beginning of the bout. This legend has been dis-proven by boxing historians, as neither the combatants, nor ringside newspaper reporters, corner men, or other eyewitnesses ever attested to or made record of the incident. A few newspapers including the Record Argus of Greenville, Pennsylvania , perpetuated the legend of the sucker punch at the handshake, though the myth may have had its origin in Papke's furious attack very early in

1566-721: The center of Colma by Serramonte Boulevard. In the California State Legislature , Colma is in the 11th Senate District , represented by Democrat Scott Wiener , and in the 19th Assembly District , represented by Democrat Phil Ting . In the United States House of Representatives , Colma is in California's 15th congressional district , represented by Democrat Kevin Mullin . Colma has one private school, Holy Angels School,

1624-456: The eighteenth round. Papke was beaten by an American, Pennsylvania middleweight Frank Klaus on March 5, 1913, at France's Cirque de Paris. The referee warned Papke and called fouls and breaks repeatedly in the late rounds for wrestling, head-butting, and low blows. In frustration, the referee called his last foul in the fifteenth round for a low blow which Papke had been called on in the previous two rounds, disqualifying Papke and ending both

1682-423: The eighth, Carpentier's right eye was closed, and he fought more cautiously. Though staging a comeback in the fifteenth and sixteenth, Carpentier was floored in the opening of the seventeenth round, when Papke struck him with a left hook, likely taking advantage of the reduced vision on his opponent's right side. Carpentier attempted to fight on but gave up after consulting with his corner men, and did not return for

1740-415: The eleventh for a count of nine, and not long after arising was struck by a left to the chin that ended the bout. Papke lost the fourth and final meeting by unanimous decision before a large crowd in Colma, California, near San Francisco, on July 5, 1909. It was a particularly savage encounter and lasted 20 rounds. One source wrote that of all their fights it was "the bloodiest and most grueling". Ketchel

1798-588: The fight, and likely disappointed, was the Scottish reporter Percy Douglas, 10th Marquess of Queensberry , a member of the royal line and son of the 9th Marquess, who had endorsed the modern boxing rules published by Welshman John Graham Chambers in 1867. The title did not pass hands as both men were over the middleweight weight limit of 160, and weighing nearer 165. After an October, 1911 loss in Boston to Bob Moha , he briefly retired, but he would soon return to

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1856-426: The final blows in the twelfth delivering a right swing followed by a powerful hook. In their third meeting, two months later on November 26, 1908, Papke lost his title to Ketchel in an eleventh round knockout in Colma, California, and received a terrific beating in the process. Papke's own wife did not recognize him after the bout was over. Ketchel led the bout through most of the first ten rounds. Papke went down in

1914-626: The first and five times in the third. Connolly tried to clinch in the early rounds to avoid his aggressive and better skilled opponent. In his career, Connolly would defeat the great Joe Walcott , and box in Great Britain. In a well publicized bout On November 14, 1907, Papke defeated Tony Caponi in their first bout in a second round knockout at the Peoria Club in Peoria , Illinois . After only two minutes and ten seconds of fighting in

1972-421: The first round and the not infrequent habit of a few boxing reporters of the era to embellish their reporting. Even reporting on his death in 1936, a newspaper perpetuated the myth of Papke's first blow coming as Ketchel extended his hand to shake. A California newspaper, likely using the account of a ringside reporter, inferred the fighting did not commence until after the opening bell, and that both men entered

2030-401: The fourth, and sending Papke through the ropes in the sixth. Papke traveled to Paris where he beat future champion Georges Carpentier in an eighteenth round technical knockout on October 23, 1912. It became a non-championship fight when Papke exceeded the middle-weight limit at the pre-fight weigh-in. Papke's infighting or close range techniques baffled the skilled Carpentier. At the end of

2088-494: The land where the Palace of Fine Arts currently sits. The business was growing, and thus required more space for von Kempf's plants and trees. Von Kempf then began petitioning to turn the Colma community into an agricultural township. He succeeded and became the town of Colma's first treasurer. In the early 20th century, Colma was the site of many major boxing events. Middleweight world champion Stanley Ketchel fought six bouts at

2146-532: The match and Papke's title hopes. After his October 14, 1913, loss to Marty Rowan in St. Louis, Papke took a three year hiatus from the ring, before returning in 1916, and facing his last few opponents. He continued fighting until 1919, losing a four rounder to the prolific boxer and contender Soldier Bartfield in San Francisco in April 1919. On November 22, 1932, Papke came out of his 1919 boxing retirement to stage

2204-540: The next few years. In an important early bout on September 14, 1907, Papke knocked out Terry Martin in the third round at the National Athletic Club in Philadelphia . The win led several reporters to view Papke as a middleweight title contender. On November 22, 1907, Papke defeated Bartley Connolly in a fourth round technical knockout. In a one sided bout, Papke floored his opponent once in

2262-625: The population) lived in households, 0 (0%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 29 (1.6%) were institutionalized. There were 564 households, out of which 217 (38.5%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 271 (48.0%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 110 (19.5%) had a female householder with no husband present, 42 (7.4%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 44 (7.8%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships , and 8 (1.4%) same-sex married couples or partnerships . 91 households (16.1%) were made up of individuals, and 31 (5.5%) had someone living alone who

2320-476: The previous August. On March 16, 1908, Papke defeated Hugo Kelly at the Hippodrome in Milwaukee in a ten round points decision that was billed as the world and American 158 pound middleweight championship, though it was not a universally sanctioned bout. There was a significant amount of clinching, and some butting in the match mostly attributed to Papke. Papke put Kelly on the mat in the first round with

2378-419: The ring in perfect condition, but that within one minute and twenty seconds, Papke had mounted an attack that determined the outcome of the bout. Ketchel was down three times in the first round, and Papke seemed to have the upper hand throughout the fierce and furious bout. The match became so one-sided in favor of Papke by the close, that the crowd yelled for referee Jeffries to stop the fight. Papke dealt

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2436-543: The ring. On February 22, 1912, Papke lost to American world middleweight contender Frank Mantell in Sacramento in a twenty round points decision. It was a slow bout with much vertical wrestling while the contestants weakly attempted to score blows during the clinches. After the bout, Mantell tried to claim Papke's former British world middleweight title of June 11, 1911, taken from Jim Sullivan in London. Mantell's claim

2494-573: The ring. It occurred at his wife Edna's residence on Balboa Island, part of Newport Beach, south of Los Angeles in Southern California. Papke was disappointed about his wife's recent divorce and was hoping for a reconciliation. Both he and his wife were buried at Mt. View Cemetery in Altadena, California , slightly North of Pasadena and Los Angeles. He left three sons with whom he lived, Robert, Clifford, and William A. Papke Jr. He

2552-505: The second from a right to the jaw and continued receiving blows to the jaw in the third. Lewis came back only briefly in the fifth, and with a broken nose hung on barely til the closing bell in the sixth. In their heavily attended world welterweight championship bout in Paris, Papke demonstrated superior hitting ability, speed, and defense throughout the match, and was the aggressor through all three rounds. Papke tried to have his agent arrange

2610-455: The second, Papke put Caponi down for the count with a strong right uppercut to the jaw immediately after breaking from a clinch. Caponi tried to rise, but went back down and stayed on the mat. The two had fought two draws the previous May and June, with Papke holding a slight lead during the more recent match. Adding to the interest in the contest was Caponi's unsuccessful attempt at Hugo Kelly's World and American 158 lb. middleweight championship

2668-781: The seventh best middleweight of all time. Announcer Charley Rose ranked him as the tenth greatest middleweight in boxing history. He was elected to the Ring Boxing Hall of Fame in 1972. Papke was born on September 17, 1886, in Spring Valley, Illinois. He began his boxing career in 1906, eventually winning 40 fights by decision and drawing six times. He worked as a miner during his years in Illinois and occasionally boxed with fellow miners. His earliest fights in 1906 took place near Spring Valley or Peoria where he had moved by 1907, though he traveled frequently North to box in

2726-609: The third week of September 1912 at the Olympia Athletic Club in Philadelphia in a six round newspaper decision. The first two rounds were slow, with Papke staging a comeback in the third which was marred by his tossing Houck around in the clinches and refusing to break at the referee's request. His clinching may have signaled his fatigue from the repeated blows of his opponent. In the final three rounds, Houck dominated, throwing several swift blows with no return in

2784-536: The town's land area. It borders Daly City (to the north and west, separated by Junipero Serra Boulevard ), South San Francisco (to the south, separated by Arlington, Mission, and Lawndale), and San Bruno Mountain State Park (to the east). Colma is situated on the San Francisco Peninsula at the highest point of the Merced Valley , a gap between San Bruno Mountain and the northernmost foothills of

2842-559: The well-known people who died in San Francisco since the first cemeteries opened there have been buried or reburied in Colma, with an additional large number of such burials in Oakland's Mountain View Cemetery . Some notable people interred in Colma include: Originally, Colma's residents were primarily employed in occupations related to the many cemeteries in the town. Since the 1980s, however, Colma has become more diversified, and

2900-580: The west and Divisadero Street to the east. Some of the surrounding areas between The Presidio , Golden Gate Park , the Panhandle , and the Western Addition may sometimes be referred to as part of the Anza Vista neighborhood. A Target anchored shopping center, The City Center, is located on Geary Boulevard and Masonic Avenue in the north-western corner of the neighborhood. Anza Vista

2958-507: Was 36.4 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.9 males. There were 586 housing units at an average density of 306.9 per square mile (118.5/km ), of which 224 (39.7%) were owner-occupied, and 340 (60.3%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.7%; the rental vacancy rate was 2.3%. 738 people (41.2% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 1,025 people (57.2%) lived in rental housing units. In

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3016-417: Was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.9 males. The median income for a household in the town was US$ 58,750, and the median income for a family was US$ 60,556. Males had a median income of US$ 32,059 versus US$ 29,934 for females. The per capita income for the town was US$ 20,241. About 3.4% of families and 5.2% of the population were below

3074-407: Was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.13. There were 423 families (75.0% of all households); the average family size was 3.45. The population was spread out, with 390 people (21.8%) under the age of 18, 178 people (9.9%) aged 18 to 24, 532 people (29.7%) aged 25 to 44, 488 people (27.2%) aged 45 to 64, and 204 people (11.4%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age

3132-659: Was developed and reopened as the 260,000 sq ft (24,000 m ) mixed-use Metro Center. Colma Creek flows through the city as it makes its way from San Bruno Mountain to San Francisco Bay . BART has two stations serving Colma: Colma , at the northern border near Daly City, and South San Francisco , just across the southern border. In addition, SamTrans buses serve the city with public transportation. There are three primary north-south roads for automobile and truck traffic through Colma; from west to east, they are Junipero Serra Boulevard , El Camino Real , and Hillside Boulevard. They are connected approximately through

3190-532: Was incorporated in 1924, primarily at the behest of the cemetery owners with the cooperation of the handful of residents who lived closest to the cemeteries. The residential and business areas immediately to the north continued to be known as Colma. As another California city named Lawndale already existed, in Los Angeles County , the post office retained the Colma designation, and the town changed its name back to Colma in 1941. Many, if not most, of

3248-627: Was one of four well-attended bouts he fought for the Australian version of the Middleweight Championship at Sydney Stadium, which included a win against Ed Williams as well as a win by TKO and a loss by DQ to Dave Smith. In Papke's TKO victory against Smith, Smith led through six rounds, but went down three times before his seconds threw in the towel. Smith would later take the Australian Light Heavyweight and Heavyweight Championships, as well as compete for

3306-459: Was reported to have broken his right hand in the sixth, and Papke a bone in his left. On October 8, 1909, and March 19, 1910, Papke impressively defeated American welterweight contender Willie Lewis in Pittsburgh in a six round newspaper decision, and in France's Cirque de Paris in a third round knockout. In their well attended Pittsburgh match, Lewis was down for a nine count as early as

3364-462: Was weak, however, as Papke claimed he did not make weight for the match. On June 29, 1912, Papke, defending his June, 1911 world middleweight title, defeated Marcel Moreau at France's Cirque de Paris in a sixteenth round technical knockout. Papke was down in the first, while Moreau was knocked down twice in the fifteenth by left and right hooks before failing to show for the final round. Papke lost to middle and welterweight contender Leo Houck in

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