Marin County CA Archives History - Books .....History Of San Rafael Township, Part 1 1880
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Book Title: History Of Marin County

SAN RAFAEL TOWNSHIP.

SAN RAFAEL.

  GEOGRAPHY.-San Rafael township lies in the south-eastern portion of Marin
county, being bounded on the south by Saucelito township, on the west by Bolinas
and Nicasio townships, on the north by Novato township, and on the east by San
Pablo bay.

  CLIMATE.-The following remarks on the climate of the San Rafael valley are
from the pen of H. A. DuBois, M. D., and appeared in the transactions of the
Medical Society of the State of California. Unhappily the tables referred to
therein we were unable to procure, still so clear is Dr. DuBois exposition of
the sanitary advantages of the district that figures are not needed to prove his
case :-

  "We desire briefly to call the attention of the profession to the valley of
San Rafael as a sanitarium for chronic diseases, especially of the lungs, as its
situation, being only a little over one hour in time from San Francisco, makes
it much more convenient, than more distant and less accessible places, for many
invalids and invalid families. This very nearness to San Francisco is apt to
interfere with a correct idea of its climate. Invalids arriving in San Francisco
are almost certain to seek for the climate that they desire much further south,
and to think that several hundred miles in that direction must separate the cool
and stimulating atmosphere of the city from the warm, equable climate in which
they desire to spend all their time in the open air. Strangers do not know that
general climatic conditions in. California are so modified by local causes, as
within the distance of a few miles to give rise to climates the most diverse.
San Rafael possesses an equable climate-its range of temperatures is not great,
and during the hours that the invalid is able to be out of doors it is
remarkably uniform. The air is dry, but not stimulating; its elevation is but
fifty feet above the sea level. During nine months in the year there is little
or no wind, while, during March, April and May there are occasional heavy winds,
and during the greater portion of these months there is more or less air in
motion. We take it, that the chief benefit to be derived from climate by the
invalid consists in the possibility of an out-door life, and of almost constant
exposure to the sun's rays; and that that climate, as a rule, is the best, in
which the invalid can spend the greatest amount of time in the open air, free
from the danger of too great exposure. Other elements, of course, come in-as
elevation, constitution of the air, electrical condition; hut they are of
comparatively little importance compared to those conditions which allow, in the
individual case, of constant out-door life.

  "What are the facts, then, in regard to this climate? First-As to equability,
we find 'the greatest daily range of the thermometer from three daily
observations to be, for May, fourteen degrees; June, eighteen degrees; July,
seventeen degrees; August, eighteen degrees; September, eighteen degrees;
October, seventeen degrees; November, eighteen degrees; December, twenty-three
degrees; January, twenty degrees. As to extremes, during the nine months there
were ninety-nine days in which the daily range was between fifty-five and
seventy degrees Fahrenheit, and twenty-one of these were in November, and
thirteen in December, while nineteen days in the latter month fell between
forty-five and sixty degrees Fahrenheit. The highest temperature was at three P.
M., September 14th, eighty-five degrees Fahrenheit; the lowest, December 6th, at
nine A. M., forty-two degrees Fahrenheit - the greatest difference between the
extremes for the whole nine months, being thus only forty-three degrees
Fahrenheit.' (Article by writer in New York Medical Record, No. 150 and 151, for
May, 1872.) 'As to rain and wind, there were only thirty-four days of rain,
while at Mentone, eighty are reported as the yearly average, but though the
rainy days are few in number, yet the quantity of rain that falls amounts to
some forty-four inches. Only eleven days are reported as cloudy, and no rain;
five as sultry, owing to there being little air, and the temperature upwards of
eighty degrees Fahrenheit; one hundred and eighty-four days in which the wind
was light, twenty-four in which it was brisk, and twenty-five in which there was
a strong wind. On two hundred and thirty-one days a northwest wind is noted, on
twenty-six a south-east, on two east, and on nine a south-west wind.' As to
moisture, we find (one thousand being saturation) that the mean for June was
seven hundred and forty-eight; for July, seven hundred and seventy-three;
August, eight hundred and thirteen; September, eight hundred and sixty-five;
October, seven hundred and eighty-six; November, eight hundred and twenty-seven;
December, eight hundred and eighty-six; January, eight hundred and eighty-three;
February, eight hundred and fifty-four; March, eight hundred and sixty-eight;
April, eight hundred and seven; May, seven hundred and seventy-nine. How does
this climate compare with others? It corresponds closely with that of Mentone in
the south of France, that is to say, during the Autumn and Winter months, but it
is dryer, more equable, and has more days that the invalid can spend out of
doors. On the other hand, it is more foggy and windy. As to scenery, they are
nearly equal, but Mentone possesses fine walks and drives, and old associations
render everything more interesting to the invalid. A foreign language and
people, however, more than counterbalance these advantages. The accommodations
in both places are good, but the food in Mentone is little varied, and the
market illy supplied, while the nearness of San Rafael to San Francisco enables
persons residing there to obtain everything that a delicate palate may crave.

  " To sum up, we would say that Mentone is a more stimulating but a less
equable climate than San Rafael. While the former answers admirably in cases not
too far gone, the latter is better adapted to relieve the sufferings of those in
the last stages of many chronic diseases, particularly pulmonary phthisis,
Bright's disease and chronic diseases of the heart and liver, accompanied by
dropsy. (A more extended account of the climates of these two places will be
found in the article already referred to.)

  "Compared with that of Santa Barbara, the climate of San Rafael has a general
similarity, but it is not quite so warm, is not subject to as sudden changes,
and has fewer wind storms. On the other hand, it does not, like Mentone and
Santa Barbara, have a splendid sea beach. The invalid is confined to a valley
only half a mile wide by a few miles in length, while at Santa Barbara he has a
more extensive range, more amusements and a larger circle of society, but he has
to encounter a tiresome stage journey, or take the chances of a night landing in
small boats should he go by steamer.* With Los Angeles, San Rafael has few
points of comparison; while the former is warm, moist and excessively relaxing,
the latter is dry, and while not decidedly bracing, is yet anything but
relaxing. Los Angeles, in my opinion, is an unsuitable climate for pulmonary
disease, without it be some forms of chronic bronchitis-the same as improve when
sent to a warm, moist climate, as the Sandwich Islands. Dr. Griffin, who has
resided there some twenty years, informed me that he considered the climate one
of the worst; that could be selected by an invalid suffering from disease of the
lungs. These remarks do not apply to the country fifteen to thirty miles inland.
Compared with San Diego, San Rafael is not so warm or so dry. While the former
is, probably, one of the dryest climates on the Pacific coast, and may in that
and other respects be compared with Egypt, San Rafael is only moderately dry. We
think that especially in the months of March, April and May, the invalid, if
able to travel, would find San Diego preferable to San Rafael. The
accommodations are good, and the landing is directly on the wharf.

    * We believe these inconveniences do not now exist.

  "With Denver, while all of the above places are better suited to the more
advanced stages of chronic disease, Colorado and Minnesota are adapted to the
earlier stages. Denver and its neighborhood are between five thousand and six
thousand feet above the sea. The climate is bracing and stimulating to all the
organs. It is dry, and subject to sudden changes; it is well adapted to restore
vitality, and to cause every organ to do its full work, but it is a climate that
only carefully selected cases should be sent to. Unfortunately, the physician is
seldom consulted as to habitation early in chronic disease, when Colorado would,
indeed, form a sanitarium. The climate is peculiarly adapted to asthma, whether
the result of premature birth, of a gouty diathesis, or other cause. San Rafael
also answers well in this respect, as the numerous asthmatics, now residents,
sufficiently prove, but I do not think it is as deserving of praise as Denver in
this complaint. Its nearness to a large city, however, may often give it the
preference.

  "With Minnesota, St. Paul, Minneapolis, the pineries-all have the most
stimulating of climates, and are still more subject to sudden changes than those
of Colorado. They are well adapted to picked cases, but only to these to the
early stages, to give permanent homes to those inclined to disease of the lungs,
but as yet unaffected. To those in the latter stages of phthisis a residence,
generally, means one under ground.

  "With New Mexico, there are many climates in Mew Mexico; some, as Santa Fe,
possessing equability, with moderate warmth, great dryness and considerable
elevation, entire freedom from fogs and strong winds. They are, I believe, the
most perfect climates for the class of cases that generally ask advice of a
physician as to residence, those whose organs are seriously involved, but in
whom the powers of life are still moderately strong. Unfortunately, these
climates are for the present unavailable, except at the cost of great fatigue,
and the accommodations are of the poorest, and the food still worse, while there
is an entire absence of the society which is often as needful to the invalid as
climate. Appended will be found a carefully prepared table of temperatures,
moisture, force and direction of wind, clearness or cloudiness of sky, and
amount of rainfall, the result of those daily observations made during 1873-4
under my observation. I would remark that this year was one of the most rainy
that has occurred during my residence, now some six years.

  "I have thus briefly called your attention to this climate as one possessing
certain advantages over most others, and have tried to mention some of the
differences between it and others, having in every case written after actual
residence, except with respect to San Diego.

  "During the last ten years I have had the opportunity of watching the effect
of several of these climates on chronic diseases, so that I can write with more
confidence than I otherwise could do. If physicians residing in other health
resorts will place on record in our 'Transactions' a similar table to that
appended, giving an accurate record of the climate for one year, and will note
briefly their observations of its effects in chronic diseases, especially of the
lungs, they will enable the profession generally to select suitable climates for
their patients, which at present it is, from want of the necessary local
knowledge, difficult or impossible for them to do with anything like skill."

  DESCRIPTIVE.-Whithersoever Spain, in the days of her greatest enterprise and
glory, dispatched her flag on voyages of maritime discovery, the missionary zeal
of the Church of Rome contemporaneously sent the heralds of the cross. The State
and Church in these enterprises acted in concert: the object of the one being to
add lustre to the crown and grandeur to the kingdom by planting prosperous
colonies in the territories of the New World; the purpose of the other was to
superadd power to the See of Rome by achieving new conquests for the church of
Christ. These intelligent missionaries became, in their turn, great explorers;
they searched out countries discovered (by the crown); and with an eye to
utility as well as a taste for natural beauty, they planted their missions
precisely in those spots where nature had been most lavish in her beneficent
gifts. Under the guidance and discrimination of such men a mission was
established at San Rafael, a sweet little valley, nestled in a surrounding
frame-work of hills, like a lovely picture judiciously set in a frame of
tasteful ornamentation. There are still standing rows of stately old pear trees,
planted by the old missionaries, which are witnesses of their own antiquity as
well as that of the mission itself; and here also are to be seen the huge stumps
of their now neglected vineyard.

  A run of something less than an hour by steam ferry across the Bay of San
Francisco lands you at Point San Quentin, twelve miles distant; whence about ten
minutes more, by rail, brings you to the picturesque village of San Rafael,
situated in the valley of that name. From the Point we get a first glimpse of
the lower edge of the village, across the stretch of the bay, like a gem pendant
in the ear of beauty.

  The valley of San Rafael proper will average about a mile in width, by about
four miles, stretching out longitudinally in very nearly a direct east and west
course, the eastern end opening out upon the bay. The surrounding hills
constituting the immediate framework of the valley, of a magnitude a little less
than mountains, are covered from bottom to top with luxuriant herbage,
furnishing nutritious pasturage; while the green surface is well dotted with the
evergreen live-oak, laurels and other indigenous arborescent growth.

  Looking away toward the south-west the eye is attracted by the towering
majesty of Mount Tamalpais, which, lifting its ambitious head high above its
neighbors, reaches an altitude of two thousand seven hundred feet. It is a grand
sight in the background of the picturesque scene. Tamalpais is the monarch of a
mountain range stretching away to the south-west and west towards the coast,
constituting the outer moulding of the framework of the valley. The rocks upon
the apex of Tamalpais are so disposed that, viewed from the village, they
resemble the upturned face of a huge giant, reposing upon his back. Nor is this
resemblance the result of an overstrained imagination, it is real. It was not
difficult for the savage mind to imagine that this was the face of the guardian
genius of the scene, ever watching with sleepless vigilance over the welfare of
the charming valley below.

  We have used the expression San Rafael valley proper, to distinguish it from
other valleys which, with their principal one constitute a system. Passes
between the hills, sometimes not distinctly discernable until a near approach,
lead into other valleys, each possessed of qualities and charms peculiar to
itself, the whole constituting a delightful variety.

  The most extensive of these lateral vales is called "Magnolia valley,"
(formerly Irwin's) though it would be more correct to say that this is really an
extension, in a north-west direction, of the valley of San Rafael itself, the
lower or eastern end of the village being built over its southern extremity. A
drive along the Petaluma avenue leads through Magnolia valley. Tue road, like
all the drives around the village, is in excellent condition; the weather
delightful; the scene enchanting. The spots of level plain; the gentle
undulations; the graceful slopes; the abrupt acclivities of the hills, all
carpeted with the soft green sward, which was bedecked and bespangled with an
endless variety of brilliant wild flowers intermingled with those of more modest
hue, but not therefore less beautiful; the surface dotted here and there with
copses of native shrubbery, the flowering madrona, the evergreen oak, the lofty
and wide-spreading laurel; all these constitute an extended and lovely parterre
which gratifies the eye, and constantly appeals with an irresistible charm to
the innate sense of the beautiful.

  This valley is the property of William T. Coleman, a commission merchant of
San Francisco. He is expending liberally, to add new charms to what nature
originally made so beautiful. Former owners of this property, for the purpose of
utilizing the valuable timber and to adapt the fertile soil to the plow, had
denuded large tracts of the valley and side hills of trees. Mr. Coleman resolved
not only to restore what nature originally had done, but, if possible, to
improve upon her handiwork.

  With this purpose he planted an extensive nursery, composed in part of that
fine evergreen exotic the eucalyptus or Australian gum, which grows with such
wonderful rapidity, and which, with its broad leaves and graceful top, makes so
admirable a shade and ornamental tree. But to furnish variety, and to leave
nothing to be desired in this regard, he also supplied the nursery with the
pepper tree, the magnolia, orange, lemon, almond, accacia, ash, chestnut,
cypress, maple, the pine, the walnut, and various other ornamental and fruit
trees, all of which flourish in the valley. From this extensive nursery he has
transplanted and is yearly transplanting tens of thousands along the hills and
vales of Magnolia valley and its surroundings. The ground occupied by this
nursery is twelve acres, designed to be reserved as a public park after it shall
have fulfilled present purposes.

  In laying out his extensive property in lots, ranging from half an acre up to
twenty acres each, suitable for family residences, Mr. Coleman employed ħhat
most competent engineer, Mr. Hammond Hall, of the Golden Gate Park, San
Francisco, whom he directed to consult the lay of the land without reference to
the mere direction of the avenues, so that the lots should occupy the elevated
sites, while the avenues should wind along the lower grounds, affording sure and
natural drainage.

  The topography of the ground, not the cardinal points of the compass, was
therefore consulted. The happy consequences are, that instead of uniform,
monotonous, straight lines, there is a variety, some straight, others curved,
while the tedious labor and heavy expense of deep cutting, and filling and
costly walling, to attain desirable grades and drainage, are avoided; the lots
occupy the most desirable situations; we look up at, instead of down upon the
residences, and the natural beauty is preserved; nature herself, in such cases,
being the best engineer. The whole valley is enclosed with excellent fencing.
Grand avenue, bordered on either side with trees, occupying a width of about one
hundred feet, winds along the foot of the slopes for about one mile and a half.
It affords a charming drive.

  These lots to which allusion has already been made, the larger of which afford
ample space for pasturage and gardening, are being purchased and improved by
merchants and professional men, whose business is in San Francisco. The
proximity of San Rafael to the city; the means of ready intercommunication; the
loveliness and heath fulness of the valley, with other considerations which
shall presently be the subject of remark, make it a very attractive place for
family residences, especially when children are to be reared and educated.

  Laurel Grove, a secluded and shady nook, is situated in the southwest part of
the main valley. This is a place of frequent resort on account of its peculiar
charms for picnic parties from the city, village and surrounding country. Here
is a grove of stately laurel trees, some of extraordinary diameter, whose wide
spreading branches make a dense shade. Under these monarchs of the forest Mr.
Coleman has constructed a platform, surrounded by seats and other conveniences,
of perhaps a hundred by a hundred and fifty feet in superficial area, for the
accommodation of dancing parties, where thousands throng in the Spring-time in
joyous freshness and hilarity.

  One of the enjoyable drives is that around Ross' Hill, which is reached by
entering Ross' Valley at the western extremity of the village, and after a drive
deflecting to the left, where the road, of easy grade, begins the ascent of the
hill.

  The Shore or North Pacific Coast Railroad, beginning at Saucelito on the bay,
opposite San Francisco, and extending thence via San Rafael, runs a freight
branch along Ross' Valley. After ascending Ross' Hill by a smooth and gradual
elevation, we presently descend by a like easy grade into the suburbs of the
village, having encompassed the hill in the course of the drive. The scenery
along the drive is very fine. A portion of the way is shrouded in dense shade by
the grand* old laurel trees, whose giant arms extend above one's head, from one
side of the road to the other, and also by the growth of the young redwoods,
among both of which are interspersed live oaks and the flowering madrona, with
other varieties of indigenous shrubbery.

  As we were descending the acclivity, two deer trotted out of a copse near at
hand, in the valley, upon the right. Seeing us they halted, and after gazing for
a time, they turned and bounded off. At another turn of the road they came again
in sight, and still so near that we could have shot either of them with a pistol.

  As we drove down the declivity into the village, the scene before us recalled
to my mind a couple of stanzas from one of Moore's Irish melodies, and certainly
the lines are as applicable to the valley of San Rafael as to the valley of Avoca:-

    "There is not in this wide world a valley so sweet,
    As the vale in whose bosom the bright waters meet;
    O! the last ray of feeling and life must depart,
    Ere the bloom of that valley shall fade from my heart,

    Sweet vale of Avoca! how calm would I rest
    In thy bosom of shade with the friends I love best;
    There the storms that we feel in this cold world should cease,
    And our hearts like thy waters be mingled in peace."

  Tradition has it that the old missionaries pitched upon San Rafael, not alone
because of its natural loveliness, but also for sanitary reasons. It was thought
to be what experience has proved it, the most healthy locality anywhere along
this region of the coast. Hither came invalids from the settlements and other
remote missions, when afflicted with any of the thousand natural shocks that
flesh is heir to. Current history justifies these traditions. San Rafael has
been frequently designated by old Californians as "The Sanitarium."

  The equability of the climate is as remarkable as it is peculiar. The valley
is rarely visited by any of those rough winds which sweep over San Francisco,
the bay and the adjacent coast; gentle zephyrs only, bearing healing on their
wings, prevail b}^ day, and the nights are pervaded by a delicious coolness,
which makes sleep under woolen covering refreshing, imparts vigor to the frame,
and acts as a tonic upon the invalid. Nor are the fogs which sometimes envelop
the city, the bay and the coast, ever seen here. The reason for these
exemptions, when stated, are obvious. San Francisco is on a narrow peninsula
only six miles wide, while the opposite or northern peninsula is much wider on
the line of the trade and fog winds. San Rafael is twenty-five miles from the
ocean, with several ranges of hills and the Tamalpais mountain and spurs, and
several fine forests between.

  Added to all the conditions just mentioned is the clear, sweet, soft water
from the mountain springs, free from any deleterious salts; and now we ask is it
any wonder that persons in feeble health constantly resort to this sanitarium to
recover their impaired physical vigor?

  SAN RAFAEL.-San Rafael is cozily ensconsed in a small but beautiful valley,
surrounded on all sides, except the east, by low hills, which, at the time of
writing, add a charm to the place that none but a sojourner can appreciate. A
short distance in the west, Tamalpais rears his lofty peak and like a faithful
sentinel, from his cloud-capped head, signals the approach of the rain storm, or
by his broad shoulders breasts the fierceness or freshness of the wind or
sea-breeze. The fury of the blast is turned aside, and gentle zephyrs fan at
noon-day the dwellers of the valley below. To the east lie the San Pablo
straits, through which flows the water of the San Pablo and Suisun bays, the San
Joaquin and Sacramento rivers, with their tributaries. Here in full view pass
and repass, daily and hourly, all kinds of craft, from the purring ocean steamer
and ship-of-war to the tiny sail boat or bungo. Beyond lie the hills of Contra
Costa, studded with beautiful homesteads, with their orchards and grain fields.
Then the foot-hills rising in the distance, and off on the horizon the grim
visage of Mount Diablo and the ^coast range of mountains closes the scene.

  But San Rafael is the charmed center of this the loveliest landscape in the
world. The balmy, salubrious atmosphere laden with the aroma of shrubbery and
flowers that carpet the hills and valleys, gives to existence here and
indescribable luxury. Its importance as a place of residence cannot be
exaggerated. The sanitary influence of the pure air and equable climate
-sufficiently remote from the bustle and excitement of the crowded city, renders
it a place where families may dwell and revel in the delights of peaceful and
social retirement. The town stands about two miles from the water and fourteen
in a north-westerly direction from San Francisco.

  It is not one's duty, however, to give to the reader a description of the -San
Rafael of to-day, so much as that we should furnish him with the record of its
earliest times bringing him up to date.

  We have elsewhere shown that the Mission San Rafael was established in 1817,
and told of what manner was its buildings and offices. It stood on the site of
the present Catholic church, in fact, the altar now in use occupies the position
of the one in the ancient mission, while the remains of the garden and orchard
are still to be seen. Standing at the lower end of the town, a little below the
court house, are a dozen or more trees, gnarled in appearance, grey with time
and bowed with age, which, without their clothing of foliage, have all the
appearance of good old oaks that have stood the brunt of battle with many a
fierce gale. These are the remains of the pear trees which formerly stood in the
ancient mission orchard. A short distance beyond them are the remnants of
stunted vines, long since bereft of their symmetrical beauty, but now netted in
the intricacies of an impenetrable maze. The lot whereon they stand is still the
property of the Catholic church, and is occasionally the camping ground for a
stray family of gypsies. Were these trees but able to talk, what a chapter of
remembrances of the past they could relate! We may almost imagine that they
would even now speak of the tolling of the bell for prayers or pastime, for the
commencement of toil and the cessation from labor. They could tell of the
difficulties encountered by Padre Fortuni and the other founders of the mission;
of how the roving Indian, at first, rebelled against the constraints of
civilization, but under the influence of kind treatment and excellent example,
he soon became to assume an almost perfect culture. Again, they might revert to
the time when the mission with its several hundreds of converts was the scene of
a scourge which reduced their number to as many tens, and of how the exemplary
patience of the good fathers obtained the highest enconiums from the fevered
tongues and partially opened hearts of the stricken aboriginal. But why pursue
this imagery. There do these trees stand living examples of the
all-but-forgotten past. May no utilitarian hand touch them, no ruthless ax
destroy them, and, though they may have ceased to be useful or ornamental, still
they should be preserved, for are they not monumental links riveting the chain
which binds the days to come with those gone by.

  Don Timoteo Murphy, of whom we have already spoken, was the first to build a
house within what is now the town of San Rafael. In 1845 it was occupied by Don
Antonio Osio, the owner of a portion of the Point Reyes rancho, while Murphy
himself resided in the Mission buildings. Than these there were no other
buildings within the present limits. The Murphy house, as it was called, stood
on the site of Oliver Irwin's bank, and lasted for a long time, doing business
as a court house for many years-but more of this hereafter. The second private
house, and the third building, was an addition to a structure belonging to the
Mission, which occupied the north-east corner of the court house block, and was
erected by Jacob and J. O. B. Short. These buildings have all made way for
others of a more substantial character. With these few structures San Rafael
would appear to have had its commencement, and save for the occasional visits of
wood choppers, trappers and other transient guests, pursued the even tenor of
its lonely way. With the discovery of gold, many of those who came in search of
the metal found their way to the spot. The Virginia and Baltimore companies were
established at no great distance from the Mission, the adjacent forests
commenced to show signs of succumbing to the woodman's ax, diminutive craft had
already found a navigable creek, a few settlers had located in the convenient
fertile valleys, their cattle, sheep and horses fed on the pastoral hillsides,
and the adaptability of the county for dairying purposes was daily making itself
more manifest. With the locating of strangers it was found necessary that a
store be established to supply their wants the more readily, and thus avert the
necessity of crossing the too often boisterous bay in a small whale-boat, to the
risk of damage to life and property. To John A. Davis and Daniel T. Taylor
belong the honor of first foreseeing this want and acting upon it. These
gentlemen had, as we have before remarked, come out to this coast with the
Baltimore company, but severed their connection with it in the month of April,
1850, when that society was disbanded. In the following November, Davis & Taylor
opened a little store and stocked it with supplies transported in small sloops
from San Francisco, which, we have already said, plied regularly between that
city and San Rafael. The building, which was a one-story frame, containing two
rooms, stood on C street on the ground now occupied as a shoemaker's shop by
Blankinberger, and from here they were wont to supply residents, composed
principally of rancheros and a large floating population of wood choppers,
within a radius of twenty miles. Thus was the nucleus of the town started. In
1850 a survey was made of the site by Myers & McCullough, and a town laid out in
blocks of three hundred feet square. About this time there were standing-in San
Rafael twelve structures, including stables, barns, etc. Of these only a few
remain entirely undemolished, viz., the residence of W. T. Coleman, used at the
time of which we write by Thomas Duncan as a boarding-house; the building owned
by Mrs. Scott, which adjoins the Catholic church, in which Ted Parker had a
grocery store. On the ground now occupied by the newly completed magnificent
block of U. M. Gordon stood the old San Rafael Hotel, a house of entertainment
kept by two Narragansett Indians from Connecticut, named Bennett and Pagan, and
which they occupied for several years, but in the course of time they failed,
when their cook, Joseph Angelotte, became its proprietor. He made additions to
the original small building until it assumed the proportions which it now has,
as may be witnessed as it to-day stands, on the corner of D street, across the
bridge. A portion of the old residence of Banker Irwin was then the rendezvous
for a number of Indians and their squaws; where the residence of George W.
Stilwell now is there stood a frame house imported from China and familiarly
known as "The Junk;" on the corner of what is now Fourth and A streets there was
an old frame building owned by James Miller, while there were, in addition, the
houses already mentioned as being occupied by the Mission, Don T. Murphy, the
Short Brothers and Davis & Taylor. In those days tide-water came up to Second
and as far as C street, at which point an old whale boat lay for many years. In
1851 mails were received from San Francisco by the rather tortuous route of
Benicia, Napa and Sonoma; they were carried on horseback, the rider being a few
years later-say 1853-4-Dick Lambert, afterwards Washington correspondent to the
Daily Evening Post, of San Francisco. The first postmaster was Moses Stoppard,
who had come out to the coast with Stevenson's regiment. He received his
appointment November 6, 1851. On the organization of the county the first courts
were held in that portion of the Mission buildings known to the Spaniards as the
"Juzgardo" or Hall of Justice, where now stands the Catholic church. The first
lawyers admitted to practice were Walter Skidmore and J. H. Shelton. The first
named gentleman had commenced his career in San Rafael as a schoolmaster in
1850, and was, it is presumed, the second individual to instruct the youth of
the town. The building occupied for this purpose was the one we have already
mentioned as being owned by James Miller, who erected it in 1849. It was the
first frame building in San Rafael, and was built for school purposes, and
therein taught Father Dobette, one of the missionaries, and the original
preceptor of Marin county. The first physicians were Doctors Shorb and
Taliaferro, the first of whom was also the first County Judge. In the year 1853
the Court House was moved to the adobe of Timothy Murphy, which the county had
purchased on his death, and whither were also taken the records and offices of
the officials.

  Of those who were residents of San Rafael at that time there now only remain
J. O. B. and Jacob Short, Doctor Taliaferro, T. J. Mahon, D. T. Taylor, Ai
Barney, Mrs. Merrener and her daughter, Mrs. U. M. Gordon.

  The Virginia Company, of which Dr. Taliaferro is the only survivor residing in
San Rafael, here engaged in agriculture and cultivated that tract of land where
now is situated the residence and beautifully laid-out grounds of Robert Watt
and the ground beyond, as also that portion of the town known as Saunder's
addition. Their residences were an old adobe and a two-storied frame building
situated on the banks of the creek, which was not very long ago occupied by
Oliver Irwin. A full history of the Virginia Company, and the Baltimore Company
as well will, however, be found elsewhere.

In those early times the principal trade of San Rafael was shipping cattle. Long
horned Spanish steers roamed over the adjacent hills in thousands and were the
only meat procurable in the country. Clark & Moylan (the firm being Robert
Clark, William and Thomas Moylan, and George Scribner, now of Oakland,) built a
slaughter house on the site of Rice's wharf, on the San Rafael creek, and there
killed cattle and transported their carcasses to San Francisco where they owned
two markets, and besides supplied the steamers of the Pacific Mail Company. It
is said that in some weeks as many as one hundred head of steers were killed and
shipped to the city. They were transported across the bay in the old sloop
"Boston," commanded by Captain Higgins, which made the trip four times a week,
the journey as a rule occupying as much as from three to four hours. At the
period of which we speak Spanish steers cost in the neighborhood of twenty-five
dollars per head, and required about twenty horsemen to deliver a band of sixty
or seventy. These were mostly obtained from the Murphy and Black ranchos, and
latterly from the Short Brothers, who had commenced stock-raising in the Bull
Tail valley, near the Nicasio rancheria.

  Thus far have we been able to follow the doings of the town of San Rafael.
That its progress was at first slow is to be regretted; however, it advanced in
power for the first decade of its age. From being merely the site of a mission
and the headquarters of wealthy rancheros, it had blossomed into a considerable
town; it had become the centre of an industrious population, and had assumed the
responsibilities of places of larger growth; and thus we bring the reader to the
year 1861.

  Let us commence the records of this year with that great power of good- the
establishment of a newspaper. The first periodical of this nature was named The
Marin County Journal, and was issued on March 23, 1861, it being published every
Saturday by Jerome A. Barney, from the office in San Rafael. It makes its bow in
the second number to the public in the following well-chosen sentences: "In
launching our bark upon the ocean of journalism on Saturday last, a want of
time, and the drawback necessarily consequent upon the first issue of a
newspaper, prevented us from addressing our readers as fully as we intended.
To-day we again spread our sails to the popular breeze with the modest
expectation of a favorable reception. The responsibilities of a journalist are
best known to the experienced; hut every intelligent reader must understand that
those responsibilities are great, and very often embarrassing. And in making our
bow to the residents of Marin county, and the public, it would be vain in us not
to acknowledge the difficulties that surround this new field of enterprise. It
can hardly be expected that we can please all classes of our readers; however,
we intend to do. as far as is consistent with a due regard to firmness, candor,
and impartiality. With these our intentions on this point, we leave the rest to
a generous, liberal and enlightened public. As residents of the county of Marin,
we have long contemplated some means by which its best interests might be
promoted, and we cherish the hope that the course adopted in the establishment
of this journal, will effectually secure that object. It cannot fail, we are
persuaded, if the people of Marin county will encourage our undertaking. To do
so, will be to promote their own interests, no less than ours.

  "Under its present conductors, the Journal will be independent of clique,
party or sect, doing justice to all, and favor to none. Its chief aim will be to
encourage the development of the resources of the county, especially its
agricultural advantages and interests. We shall contribute our advice and
support to every laudable undertaking or measure that may be calculated to
advance the prosperity of the community; and unhesitatingly oppose every scheme
or project that we deem calculated to retard the progress of the county and the
prosperity of its inhabitants. We are satisfied that the county of Marin, with
its great advantages, and its favorable geographical position in relation to the
great emporium on the Pacific, ought of right to occupy a front rank among the
other counties of the State. That it has not done so as yet cannot be denied. We
will not at this time venture to assert to what the cause may be ascribed. Our
endeavors will be directed to exhibit to a discriminating people its claims to
distinction."

  The first mention we can find of any kind of corporate power being exercised
is that of a meeting being held at the Court House on May 6, 1861, for the
purpose of adopting resolutions for the better protection of property by
unlawful seizure by discharged convicts, and to pledge their honor not to
encourage them to settle in their midst, by giving them employment under any
circumstances. On motion of Dr. D'Hierry, Ai Barney was called oa the chair, and
G. A. F. Clayton requested to act as Secretary. The Chairman having explained
the purpose for which the meeting had been called, the following gentlemen were
chosen a committee to draft resolutions: V. D. Doub, Dr. D'Hierry, G. A. F.
Clayton and Oliver Irwin. The meeting then adjourned to the 8th, at which time
the committee made the following report:-

  " Your committee, in the discharge of the duties assigned them, in drafting
resolutions affecting the toleration in our midst of discharged State's Prison,
convicts, most respectfully submit the following:

  "Whereas, the citizens of Marin county, and particularly those of San Rafael
and vicinity, have for some time past been greatly annoyed by the frequent
inroads made upon them by discharged State's Prison convicts, and escaped
prisoners, and taking into consideration the great insecurity of our property in
consequence of their increasing numbers and continual presence, do hereby
Resolve, That we use our most strenuous endeavors to induce those whose business
requires the employment of laborers to refrain from employing, or giving aid in
any manner, to such discharged convicts (except those whom we are satisfied, as
shown by their acts of industry or well behavior, evince a desire to become
useful members of society), as the toleration of a majority of them in our midst
is greatly detrimental to the laboring classes, and are, moreover, a source of
continual fear and alarm, which should be abated as soon as practicable. And
furthermore, that we most respectfully request the warden of the State Prison to
use his exertions to induce any prisoner that may hereafter be discharged to
remove from this county as soon as possible (as it will greatly facilitate the
object of this meeting), by which act he will confer a lasting obligation to the
citizens of Marin county; and, Resolved, That a copy of these resolutions be
sent to the Warden of the State Prison, and that we respectfully call the
attention of the Directors to the importance of discontinuing what is known as
the system of 'trustyism' which has become a grievous evil to the citizens of
Marin county." On motion, the resolutions were adopted.

  We find nothing else of great interest to have occurred during 1861. Houses
were being rapidly erected in different parts of the beautiful environs, and San
Rafael was then said to be growing slowly but surely "like the intrepid tread of
a jackass towards a peck of oats."

  In April, 1862, the mail route between San Francisco and San Rafael was
stricken from the list. Heretofore letters had been carried by the Petaluma
steamer and landed at Point San Quentin, being conveyed thence by stage to the
post office at San Rafael under the promise that proper communication would be
made, but as this was never carried out both the steamer and stage company gave
notice that mail matter would not be conveyed by them; thus was the little town
left without a post-office, the nearest in the county to it being at Tomales, a
distance of nearly forty miles. On June 28, 1862, the Journal informs us that:
"Our town is fast becoming a place of resort for persons desiring to spend a few
days or weeks in the country. The seclusion from the busy hum of city life,
romantic scenery and delightful climate is becoming known and appreciated. The
Institute, where ladies or families can be accommodated, has been well filled
with parties since the commencement of the pleasant weather. A ride on horseback
up the valleys and among the hills affords agreeable and healthy exercise; our
mountain streams are well filled with trout, and are much resorted to by those
fond of piscatory sport."

  In November, 1863, we find that the State Telegraph Company had commenced
operations in the court house, with D. T. Taylor as operator, and in July of the
following year two stage lines were started, the first by A. Starke, to run
between San Rafael and Petaluma, and the other by Morse & Bassett, the route
being from San Rafael to Tomales, via Novato, Petaluma and Two Rock valley.

  The event of greatest consequence, which occurred in the year 1865, was
unquestionably the dastardly assassination of Abraham Lincoln in Ford's Theater,
Washington, D. C., by John Wilkes Booth, on the evening of the 14th of April.
Perhaps no calamity of a like nature had ever occurred to any nation; is it any
wonder, then, that the whole land was flooded with tears, and each mourned as if
a father had been taken, and was he not a father to the people? In him was
vested the rule and safeguard of the people, at a juncture when a wise head and
a pure heart, above all, was needed; he had labored indefatigably in their
behalf, was even then toiling to bring about an honorable peace, honorable to
friend and foe alike, and then to be cut off in the zenith of his power, is it
any wonder, we say, that the Nation, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, from the
Lakes to the Gulf, wept as one gigantic household for him who had led them
through the uncertain quicksands of statecraft. In San Rafael the intelligence
was received with every sign of respectful grief; stores were closed, business
suspended, while the Journal donned a sable garb for the occasion. Of the
catastrophe that periodical said: "As soon as the first benumbing effect of the
shock had so much abated that the mind could comprehend the atrocity of the
awful tragedy, a deep mute wail of the heart was depicted on the countenance of
every one, and an overwhelming gloom enveloped the town. Loyal men hurried to
and fro in the street, or met in knots, and in subdued tones expressed their
doubts or fears of the truth of the hellish deed. Every expression of sorrow and
anguish was manifested. Those who heretofore had prophesied, or hoped, or prayed
for the consummation of this horrid deed of blackness, seemed too awe-stricken,
that one at length had been found so bold and base as to strike the blow their
instinctive cowardice dared not face.

  "The solemn tread of a mourning nation, in procession, clad in all the
habiliments of woe and grief, slowly stepping time to the beat of a muffled drum
and the deep refrain of the funeral dirge on Wednesday, April 19, 1865, attended
the earthly remains of him who filled the hearts of his countrymen, to the
resting place of the dead. From the highest peak of the hill of Fame his spirit
soared to the Spirit-world. His name and deeds are left with us, and will be
treasured and revered as long as man shall tread the earth. No monumental pile
is needed to preserve the name and memory of ABRAHAM LINCOLN.

  "The Nation is draped in the deepest gloom of mourning. A project gendered in
the hellish conclaves of treason has been accomplished. The assassin's bullet,
by cowardly stealth, has reached the heart and fully murdered the Nation's
idolized chief. The blanched fire of discomfitted rebellion, with quivering
limbs and vengeful heart, for failure in blasting our country's expanding bud of
freedom has spat its last spite upon our country's savior. But may we not say,
and with reverence, as did the Savior of the world, when, by similar hands, in
the zenith of his glory and manhood, he was cut off from being among men-it is
finished!

  "The God that planted and cared for our Republic is still the Ruler among and
the God of Nations. His chastening road, though severe, is the sure guarantee of
His continued fatherly care and protection.

  "The work that PRESIDENT LINCOLN was appointed to, has been accomplished and
well-done, and like many others of the world's brightest benefactors, he has
fallen a martyr in the cause of humanity."

    Softly, tread softly, for on yonder low couch 
        The head of a nation is sleeping.
    Around him are gathered the chiefs of his staff,
        Who are anxiously watching and weeping.

    His pillow grows damp from the tears of old men,
        That are shed for the Statesman now dying,
    And loud thiandering curses on him who has caused
        This great grief, through the air are fast flying.

    A wife lingers over him, bathing his wound
        In the blistering tears of her sorrow;
    To-day she can claim a fond husband, but knows
        That a widow she'll be on the morrow.

    The sands of his life are fast running their course
        And the angel of death is now calling,
    While over the continent flashes the news,
        And the tears of a nation are falling.

    He hears not, he sees not these tokens of grief,
        Which as tributes are paid to his worth;
    He beholds but the swift-winged angel approach,
        Who will bear him away from the earth.

    The portals of heaven are opening to him,
        And the clouds that envelop the Throne
    Are breaking away, and beckoning forms
        Are now waiting to welcome him home.

    'Tis over, the last sand has run through the glass,
        The soul swiftly speeds to its God,
    And all that remains is but dust, which to dust
        Must return and be laid 'neath the sod.

    Thus passes away the great patriot chief,
        Stricken down in the height of his power,
    But his name shall survive in the nation's heart
        'Till crumbles the marble tower.

    He fought a good fight, and freedom has lost
        A champion noble and brave,
    But the fight shall ne'er cease till all that remains
        Of treason lies stark in the grave.

  The earthquake which created such sad havoc in San Francisco on October
8,1865, was felt in this town but save the inconvenience to the residents of a
severe shaking and the stopping of sundry clocks, no appreciable damage was
sustained.

  In March, 1866, one writer to the local prints reviews the prospects of San
Rafael in these words: "After fifteen years of whirling about and flitting up
and down the coast, and to every point of the compass inland, in search of
eligible places of resort, the pleasure-seeking public have at length discovered
that right here in San Rafael, only sixty minutes from the emporium of the
Pacific, and in its suburbs is the most desirable place in all California, for
home family residences, or for a few days, weeks or months sojourn for the
recuperation of health, or the over-taxed mental energies of those who are
compelled to pursue their callings in the pent-up city. Here all the advantages
of a quiet country life is secured as well as the inestimable luxury of inhaling
the pure unadulterated and invigorating ocean air.

  "Facilities for quick and easy communication between San Rafael and the city
are improved. The marsh road is completed and the stage time to the
steamboat-landing reduced from one hour to twenty minutes over a smooth road,
and the ferry boat will run direct from San Quentin to San Francisco twice a
day. Our hotels and boarding houses, constantly crowded to overflowing, indicate
the appreciation of our genial climate by the public, and, which is also more
substantially confirmed by the rush for lots and plats of ground for permanent
family residences. Five or six buildings are under way, or under contract to be
commenced immediately; and life and energy seems surely to be taking the place
of the dull monotony which heretofore reigned supreme in San Rafael." At the end
of the same year the writer further pursues his theme: "Within the past few
years our little town has improved very much. When we first became a resident of
this place, nearly fifteen years ago, San Rafael boasted of ten houses, besides
the Mission buildings, one store, one boarding house and one whisky mill. The
buildings were all make-shifts-not one substantial house among them except the
residence of the late Timothy Murphy, now owned and used by the county as a
Court-house. No fencing or other improvements were visible save a corral or two.
Now we have three stores, two hotels, two boarding houses, one restaurant, two
livery stables, public school, an academy, a newspaper, telegraph office, three
bootmakers, two blacksmith shops, one harnessmaker, butcher shop, clockmaker,
barber, three lawyers, a physician, etc. The town contains about seventy-five or
eighty houses, amongst which are some costly residences, with tastefully laid
out grounds, the property of new-comers who have found in our delightful valley
a desirable location for a home."

  It will thus be seen that our little town was making rapid advances towards
establishing for herself a reputation which it has since happily maintained as
the sanitarium of the coast. On May 23, 1867, an informal meeting of
Free-masons, residents in the town of San Rafael and vicinity was held for the
purpose of establishing a lodge; for this purpose, Mr. Angellotti offered to
donate a lot of ground, and Mr. Short, the use of his hall, both of which were
gladly accepted. We now remark that the accessories to a permanent state of
affairs was fast assuming shape, and the hamlet taking the proportions of a
town. What had been a few years before, a mere stopping place for persons
brought together on county business, had become a place of fashionable resort.
Good and substantial residences had been erected, so that the locality had
almost passed beyond the recognition of that peculiar myth, "The oldest
settler." In those early days of '51 and '52, the hardest work that fell to the
lot of man, was to saddle his horse for a paseata, and dine on jerked beef,
frijoles and tortillas, winding up with a whirl at a fandango at the house of
some ranchero, but now the times have changed, improvements arise on every hand,
while we find that a lumber yard was on the point of being opened by Isaac
Shaver, nearly opposite the residence of R. N. Berry, and real estate was in
great demand. It should also be mentioned, it was at this time contemplated to
establish a water company on a gigantic scale; indeed, the certificate of
incorporation of the Tamalpais Water Company was filed on January 23, 1868, the
purposes of the association being to bring water from the Lagunitas creek to San
Rafael; thence to Point Isabel; thence to the city of Oakland; thence to Yerba
Buena (Goat) Island, and thence to San Francisco. The capital stock was five
millions of dollars, divided into ten thousand shares of  five hundred dollars
each, the trustees being Oscar L. Shafter, James McM. Shafter and Charles Webb
Howard. Not only was this scheme mooted, but early in the month of March of the
same year, a survey of a railroad from Saucelito, proposed to run through Marin
county was commenced. While the question further occupied public attention, as
will be seen by certain proceedings had on January 12, 1869, for the purpose of
taking into consideration the feasibility of constructing a railroad from San
Rafael to San Quentin. The meeting was organized by calling S. V. Smith to the
chair, and C. Stevens, Secretary. A committee of nine was appointed to report as
to the cost, the procuring of right of way and other matters relating to the
ways and means of accomplishing the project. Thereafter, in February, a
committee was named to solicit subscriptions for stock, which immediately
entered upon the discharge of its duties with very favorable results. The
capital stock was fixed at fifty thousand dollars, divided into five hundred
shares of one hundred dollars each. On February 19th, a meeting of the
subscribers to the stock met at the court house, which was called to order by J.
D. Walker, who proposed that S. V. Smith, Sr., act as president. Mr. Smith upon
taking the chair, briefly explained the object which had brought them together.
Following his remarks, the name of the "San Rafael and San Quentin Railroad
Company" was adopted by the meeting, and the following named gentlemen chosen
directors: A. Mailliard, J. Short, S. V. Smith, Sr., P. K. Austin, L. A. Hinman,
J. D. Walker and James Ross. The necessary articles of incorporation were then
made out and transmitted to the Secretary of State, according to law. A.
Mailliard was chosen President of the corporation, Charles Stevens, Secretary,
and J. D. Walker, Treasurer. There was much enthusiasm exhibited on every hand,
for all appeared aware of the beneficial results likely to result from the
enterprise. The estimated cost of building and equipping the road was set at
about forty thousand dollars. Of the invaluable advantages which the San
Francisco and Humboldt Bay Railroad Company (Now the North Pacific Coast
Railroad Company.) would be, not only the district, but the whole county, would
derive from this scheme, it was deemed that no correct estimate could be made.
More especially would these benefits be felt in the value of real estate in the
bringing in of lands into the market, which were comparatively worthless from
its inaccessibility-the facility of transportation from points then isolated and
almost unapproachable-the settling of such lands and consequent rise in value,
arid the impetus that would be given to all kinds of trades and mechanical arts,
an increased demand for labor, all these tended towards offering a most
gratifying future. On May 23, 1868, it was notified that a donation had been
made to the San Francisco and Humboldt Bay Railroad Company for the purpose of
commencing the grading of the road from the company's property at Saucelito to
San Rafael whither the survey had been completed. On March 17, 1S69, an informal
meeting of the San Rafael and San Quentin Railroad Company was held for the
purpose of discussing the proposed locations for the terminus of said road.
Three sites had been proposed:-

  First, At the foot of E street, on what is called Short's addition, where
sufficient ground was offered for all purposes.

  Second, The foot of B street, a little south of W. L. Barnard's house, on the
sandy flat, and

  Third, At the foot of Second street, at the edge of the salt marsh.

  On July 10th of the same year, the proposals of Martin & Co., at nineteen
thousand eight hundred and seventy-five dollars, to build the line, was accepted
by the Directors of the San Rafael and San Quentin R. R. Co., the work was
forthwith proceeded with, and on Monday, March 21, 1870, the initiatory trip was
made, since when the line has been in working order, and what a contrast was
felt between "now, and then." Then, comers and goers to and from San Rafael had
to pack into coaches and lumbering mud wagons, pile up on top and hang to the
sides, stow away in the "boot," and then linger from one-half to three-quarters
of an hour between town and steamboat landing, according to the condition of the
roads and the pulling power of the horses, fully earning the half-dollar fare
which they were obliged to pay. Now, we trip down to the depot, a short distance
from the hotels, wait on the platform a few minutes for the last tap of the
bell, step into an elegant car, and in eight or ten minutes step off of the car
on to the steamer.

  The formal opening of the North Pacific Coast Railroad took place on Thursday,
January 7, 1875. A train, consisting of six passenger and two express cars,
drawn by two engines, conveyed the guests of the company over the entire length
of the road, from Saucelito to Tomales. The morning was dark and foggy, like the
first beginnings of the work, but as the day advanced the sun shone brightly
out, lifting and dispelling the mist, as the pluck and vim of the builders have
overcome all discouragements. Nearly three hundred guests participated in the
excursion, and the occasion was one of unalloyed enjoyment. The San Francisco
gentlemen were astonished at the rugged character of the country traversed by
the line, and charmed by the grandeur and beauty of the scenery. So thoroughly
had the company done its work, and so well had their employees managed the
arrangements that there was scarcely any delay on the way, and not the least
accident of any kind. The long train moved steadily on, with its heavy load,
with little to remind the passengers that this was the first trip. Signs of
welcome and rejoicing were given by the people all along the line, flags floated
in the breeze, and men, women and children waved their greetings from the
hilltops and the porches of their dwellings, showing that they appreciated not
only the value and importance of the great work to them, but also the magnitude
of the difficulties that had been surmounted in its completion. But, if San
Anselmo, San Geronimo, Nicasio, Olema and Marshall sounded their notes of
welcome, the honor of outdoing them all was reserved for Tomales, for when the
train came in sight of the town, the hilltops, were lined with people, flags
were flying, and the whole region had the appearance of a gay and festal time,
while cheers of triumph, good will and. rejoicing swelled over the hills and
sent their echoes to the sea. Mr. Warren Dutton, in a few happy words, welcomed
the hungry guests, in the name of the railroad company, the county, and the
people of Tomales, and then threw open the door of the monster warehouse upon
endless lines of tables, spread with turkeys, chickens, pigs, lambs, beef, with
all the et ceteras, and a profusion of pastry, and invited all to partake. The
collation was superb. Every dish had been prepared with as much care as if
designed for the finest private table in the land, and it was the universal
expression that its equal was never spread in California. The ladies of Tomales
gained great credit for themselves and their town as adepts in the culinary art,
and generous and efficient housekeepers. After the repast Mr. Dutton called the
assemblage around a stand at the end of the warehouse, and a few informal and
impromptu speeches were made.

  The final remarks on the subject of railways will be that in March, 1875, the
line of the San Rafael and San Quentin railroad was leased to the Narrow Gauge
under the following conditions:-By the terms of the lease, the Narrow Guage
agree to run three trips via San Quentin, and as early as April 1, 1876, to
commence and run two trips daily via Saucelito. The fare to be between San
Rafael and San Francisco, fifty cents.

  Let us now retrace our steps. In the month of August, 1864, we find the school
census for the San Rafael district to have been as under: Boys between four and
eighteen years of age, seventy-one; girls, of the like age, fifty-nine; total
one hundred and thirty. There were fifty-four white children under four years of
age; one between eighteen and twenty-one; one hundred and fifty white children
under twenty-one born in California; and twenty-seven between four and six years
of age, thirteen of whom were attending the public schools. The total number of
children attending public schools was sixty-three, and eleven attending private
schools; while the total number of children between six and eighteen years of
age not attending any school was thirty. There were four Indian children between
four and eighteen years.

  On September 4, 1868, a Baptist church was organized and addressed by Rev.
Doctor Thomas and others, but how long the congregation was kept together we
have been unable to gather. A certificate of incorporation was filed on the 13th
of November of this year in San Francisco by the Tamalpais Lumber Company. The
association was formed for the purchase of such real estate in Marin county as
should be necessary for carrying out their objects, and for the construction and
erection of saw-mills and workshops, and of dams and structures in connection
with mills and shops, and for the construction of wagon roads and railroads for
use in conveying lumber. and other material to and from said mills and shops,
and for the erection of docks, wharves, landings and buildings requisite for
said business, and for the purchase and construction of steamboats, barges,
sailing vessels and all other water craft requisite to carry on trade with ports
on the inland waters of the Pacific coast and with all other portions of the
world. The basis of the organization would appear to have contemplated as
extensive and unrestricted a business as the demands of Marin county, and the
rest of the world, would admit. The capital stock-one million five hundred
thousand dollars in fifteen thousand shares of one hundred dollars each. The
trustees -S. F. Butterworth, Alvinza Hayward, W. C. Ralston, Lloyd Tevis, W. E.
Barron, L. L. Robinson, and Charles Webb Howard.

  In the month of April, 1869, Messrs. Rice & Piper, late of California City,
purchased a tract of land on the southern arm of the Santa Margarita creek,
where they established a brick yard, which to-day is the property of a thriving
company and a credit to the county. In the month of May it was resolved to erect
a new Cotholic church, at a cost of from five to seven thousand dollars. The
construction was proceeded with and the building duly consecrated October 22,
1870, by Bishop Croke, of New Zealand, while we find that the Episcopal body, in
the month of August of the same year, were raising a structure of the following
dimensions: size, twenty-six by forty-six feet exclusive of the vestry. Two rows
of pews with an aisle in the centre; capacity, one hundred and fifty to one
hundred and eighty; and estimated cost four thousand five hundred dollars. The
edifice was duly completed and formally opened October 9, the services being
conducted by Reverends Dyer, Phelps and Bush. The building, which was
constructed by W. A. Boyd, is gothic in architecture, of wood, with spire and
vestry, and situated on the south-west corner of Fourth and E streets. The
interior is finished with California redwood and Oregon white pine, oiled and
varnished. The building was consecrated July 21, 1872, the officiating clergymen
being the Right Reverend Bishop Kip, Dr. Lyman, of Trinity Church, San
Francisco, and Mr. Lee. The cares of the St. Paul's Church are now in the hands
of the Reverend Mr. Nixon, a clergyman of much amiability worth, culture and
refinement. On October 28, 1869, the Articles of Incorporation of the San Rafael
Water Company were filed, the association having for its object the supplying of
the town with water. Capital, one hundred thousand dollars, divided into one
thousand shares of one hundred dollars each; time of duration of company, fifty
years; and Trustees, F, W. McCue, Joseph Roberts, Jr., and William L. Barnard.
It is presumable that the franchise was granted, for the Journal informs us,
March 18, 1871, that "J. S. McCue is laying water pipes on Fourth street, from B
to C streets, to supply the residents along the block with water from his
reservoir. He has now in course of construction a large reservoir capable of
holding sufficient water to supply the entire town."

  We now have to record the demise of District Attorney Bradley Hall, on January
8, 1870. The immediate cause of death was pneumonia, this disease having
supervened during an attack of typhoid fever, which had been ushered in by a
feverish state accompanied by considerable disturbance of the brain. Immediately
upon receipt of the information of the death of Mr. Hall a meeting of the county
officers was held at the Court House, and the following proceedings were had:
"The county officers of Marin county, having become informed of the death of
Bradley Hall, Esq., one of their number, an impromptu meeting of the officers of
said county, and of the citizens of San Rafael, immediately assembled at the
court-room, in the town of San Rafael, at two o'clock P.M. of this day (January
8, 1870), for the purpose of expressing their sorrow for so unlooked-for an
event. The meeting was called to order by E. B. Mahon, who briefly stated its
object. R. W. Osgood was appointed chairman. On motion of E. B. Mahon, seconded
by J. Short, the following resolutions were unanimously adopted: Resolved, That
we have learned with feelings of unmingled sorrow of the death of one of our
number-a brother officer; one whose presence so lately cheered and encouraged
us, has passed from this life forever. Resolved, That in the death of Bradley
Hall this community has lost one of its most intelligent and praiseworthy
citizens, the county one of its most faithful, energetic and devoted officers,
the Bar one of its brightest ornaments, and his family a true and kind
protector; that his death has left a void in our midst which time cannot
replace. Resolved, That we offer to the bereaved family of our lamented friend
our warmest and most heartfelt sympathy in this trying hour, praying that 'He
who tempers the wind to the shorn lamb' may strengthen and sustain them and make
their burden light. Resolved, That the Court House be draped in mourning for the
period of thirty days, and that the flag be placed at half-mast. Resolved, That
a copy of these resolutions be forwarded to the widow of the deceased, and that
they be published in the Marin County Journal. Meeting then adjourned. R. W.
Osgood, Chairman."

  Early in the year 1871, the question of the erection of a new school-house was
mooted, and it would seem to have taken a quick and firm hold upon the public,
for we find that about the middle of June of the same year the construction of a
wooden building of sixty-four by thirty-six feet, and two stories high, was
being proceeded with, under the direct supervision of J. T. Stocker. On the 18th
of February of this year the Methodist church was dedicated by Doctor Thomas, of
San Francisco, under favorable auspices/ The lot cost about three thousand
dollars, and the building, though small, is sufficient for the wants of the
congregation. On March 11th, a, public library was established by J. A.
Richmond, lately in charge of the public school. The situation chosen being on
Fifth street, opposite the residence of G. W. Stillwell. The local papers of
this period remark that a glance around the town will reveal the fact that it is
building up very rapidly. On almost every hand is heard the noise of the saw and
hammer, the whirr of the plane, with the merry hum of the workmen, as they toil
at their calling, in the erection of houses to supply the increasing demand for
homes. The buildings being erected are, for the most part, of a substantial
character, and as fast as completed are occupied. It is a Very hard matter to
find a vacant house at this season of the year (March), the demand being very
great. The growth of our town is steady and permanent, and bids fair to continue
so. On the 8th of April a meeting of the residents was held for the purpose of
taking steps toward the formation of a Public Library, for the benefit of the
mechanics and others of the town, U. M. Gordon in the chair, and Val. D. Doub
secretary. The object of the society was then stated, and it was resolved that
an association, to be known as the "San Rafael Mechanics' Institute," should be
incorporated, in pursuance with the laws of the State. The following gentlemen
were appointed to carry out the incorporation of the society: Isaac Shaver, W.
A. Boyd, A. C. McAllister, F. H. Pratt, S. Bear, T. Day, John O'Toole, A.
McLeod, George Bond, U. M. Gordon, Joseph Rice, H. H. Butterfield, John Sims, R.
W. Osgood, James Mullin, V. D. Doub, H. A. Du Bois, Jr., A. J. McClelland,
Ernest Schwiesan, William O. West and Rufus A. Roscoe. On the 9th of April we
find the corner-stone of the Marin County Bank was laid, and on June 3d a Hook
and Ladder Company was formed, with the following officers: C. W. J. Simpson,
Foreman; O. D. Gilbert, First Assistant; J. O. B. Williams, Second Assistant; J.
A. Barney, Secretary, and A. C. McAllister, Treasurer.

  The year 1872 was noted, among other things, for the removal of that venerable
mud pile, yclept [sic] the Court House, by Mr. Shaver, the purchaser. This was
the oldest building in San Rafael, except the Mission, and was erected in 1844
by the late Don Timoteo Murphy, for a ranch house, he then owning, as we have
heretofore remarked, the adjoining ranchos of San Pedro, Santa Margarita and Las
Gallinas. During the "Bear Flag" days, it had been occupied by Fremont as his
headquarters. In 1853, at the sale of the Murphy estate, the building and
adjoining lot three hundred feet square, was sold to Timothy Mahon for a
thousand dollars. In 1857 or 1858 he in turn disposed of the building and ground
on which it stood, with some few additional feet, to the county for five
thousand dollars. The removal of this relic was consequent on the determination
to erect a building more suited for county purposes. In our chapter on the
Legislative History of Marin County, we have entered into the official facts
which governed the determination to build the new Court House; let us here
record the ceremonies which took place at the laying of its corner-stone:-

  In accordance with previous announcement, the corner-stone of the Court House
was laid on Saturday, August 3, 1872, under the auspices of the Most Worshipful
Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of the State of California, W. M. Chas.
Stevens, Acting Grand Master, assisted by the officers and members of Marin
Lodge, No. 191, and by the Board of Supervisors of Marin county, Messrs. Chas.
A. Parsons, Thomas J. Ables and William L. Barnard. The attendance on the
occasion was very large, our county being well represented by citizens from the
interior.

  At two o'clock the procession commenced to form on B street, in front of the
Masonic Hall, headed by the San Rafael Brass Band, and marched through the
principal streets to the Court House. One of the features of the procession was
the presence of Daniel Olds, Sr., Grand Bible Bearer, the oldest Mason on the
Pacific coast, having been a member of the Order for a space of sixty-seven
years, and now aged eighty-eight years. Arriving at the Court House, after music
by the band, followed a prayer by the Grand Chaplain and the chant by the
Masonic Choir.

  Hon. John W. Dwinelle then delivered the following oration:-

  Mr. President, M. W. Grand Lodge, Ladies and Gentlemen: Man, the moment that
he emerges from the savage state, becomes a builder. His constructions mark his
progress; their very ruins indicate the degree of his civilization.

  Our remote ancestors lived in natural caverns. We find there human bones,
which had been roasted in the fire, and split to extract their marrow. We are,
then, descended from cannibals. They were inferior to their successors who
scooped out habitations in the hill-sides, as these latter were inferior to the
races which followed them, building their huts with branches of trees, or
erecting their tents in the open plain.

    "Man marks the earth with ruin."

But these very ruins record his history, and pass judgment upon him. We need no
pyramid of seventy thousand human skulls to form our estimate of Genghis Kahn;
no thirty thousand captives crucified at Tyre to pass our judgment upon
Alexander. We need only examine the architectural forms in which the people
embodied their idea of daily life.

  We look at the domestic architecture of the Aztecs-indigenous and peculiar-and
we are ready to pronounce them a mild and docile people. But we turn to their
temples, and find everywhere the horrid stone of sacrifice, where were torn out
the palpitating hearts of human victims immolated to their gods, and denounce
them as a savage and barbarous race.

  We read the history of ancient Rome, and are filled with the inspiration of
liberty. But when we go out into the Campagna, and find there the old dungeons
into which slaves were driven at night, the iron rings to which they were
chained, the pillars to which they were, bound when scourged; when we visit the
Colosseum, and see on the one side the den where tigers were confined, and on
the other the prisons where were kept the Christian captives upon whom the
tigers were let loose in the amphitheatre; when we visit the Catacombs where
Christian martyrs in darkness and in secret celebrated their holy rites, and
where in darkness and in secret they were buried after they had sealed their
faith with their blood; when we searched in vain for any vestige of an asylum
for the insane, the orphan, the old, or the poor, we reconstruct Rome as she
was-slave-holding, intolerant, proscriptive, barbarous, savage and murderous.

  So in modern times, when we behold Versailles, her palaces, groves, esplanades
and fountains, her exotics and luxurious conservatories, built with two hundred
million dollars extorted from an oppressed peasantry, who lived in hovels, we do
not wonder at the tremendous earthquake which overthrew the temples of the old
idolatry of despotism, and for a time gave France over to convulsion and anarchy.

  Let us look around upon this beautiful plain. Its native inhabitants were
savages. Fifty-five years ago, two simple-minded men came here and erected the
first building constructed in Marin county. They were conquerors; yet 'their
conquests were not founded on slaughter, nor cemented with blood. Their weapons
were not swords nor guns, nor the murderous cannon; they were spades, pickaxes,
hoes and ploughs. Their banner was not inscribed "submit or die," but blazed
with the Holy Cross, the symbol of redemption. They were missionaries of the
Catholic Church. Forty years ago they had here under their charge twelve hundred
and fifty converted native Indians. Where are they now? Their buildings have
toppled into heaps. The very bones of the missionaries and of other converts
have become absorbed into the soil. But yonder sacred spire marks the place
where the Mission of San Rafael stood. It will always remain a historical
monument of that fact; and the spot consecrated fifty-five years ago to
benevolence and religion will always be holy ground.

  And now, responding to the next instinct of a high civilization, you come here
to erect at the public expense, and consecrate a Temple of Justice. A hovel
would be ample for your jail. Your Hall of Justice a palace.

  Behold lofty Tamalpais as he rears his sublime purple front into the sky! He
looks down upon us, not with forty centuries, but perhaps with forty thousand
centuries, as

    "He rears his awful form 
High from the vale, and midday leaves the storm."

  What has he not seen? He has seen California a submerged lake, her mountains
only islands in a desert inland sea. He has seen them gradually rise until the
dry land and rivers appeared. He has heard the muttering- o0f distant volcanoes
whose ejections filled up the old, vast, Dead River of California. He has listed
to the dropping of the seed from which sprang the great trees of Calaveras and
Mariposa. He has seen the indigenous races of California come to inherit the
virgin soil. He has seen the ships of Drake, the ill-fated frigate "La Perouse,"
the corvettes of Cook, Vancouver, Beechy coasting in his shadow, and a veil of
mist mantling the fabulous Golden Gate from the Spanish caravel sent out to
explore the Bay of San Francisco. He has seen a modern civilization, young,
fresh and hopeful, supplant the effete civilization of the middle ages. He has
seen a barren waste of uncultivated land succeeded by countless harvest fields,
spreading their golden treasures to the sun. He has seen villages growing out of
barbarous mining camps, and vast cities built upon barren wastes of desert sand.
And now with a grand benignity he looks down upon us, as we look upon the sea,
and dedicate this site to Law and Justice, and write upon its granite tablets
the solemn approval of the people. So mote it be!

  The oration was listened to with earnest attention, and all seemed to realize
the importance of the occasion.

  The contents of the corner-stone were as follows: Copy of the proceedings of
the M. W. Grand Lodge of F. and A. M. of California; constitution and
regulations of the Grand Lodge; roll of officers and members of Marin Lodge No.
191, F. and A. M.; copy of invitation to the Grand Lodge; copy of invitation to
Hon. J. W. Dwinelle; copy of the Marin County Journal, Saucelito Herald, San
Francisco Bulletin, Call and Alta; iron bracelets from the Sheriff's office;
copy of the Court House bond; view of San Rafael taken in 1871; by-laws of Marin
Lodge, No. 191, F. and A. M.; by-laws of Mechanics' Institute; programme of the
Sonoma and Marin county Agricultural Society, to be held September 9, 1872;
specimen of ore from Com stock lode, valued at fifteen thousand dollars per ton;
impression in lead of county seal of Marin county; set of gold and silver coins;
lot of small coins; names of State and county officers: silver dollars, with
initials of J. H. S. and W. L. B. engraved thereon; a piece of adobe from the
old Court House erected in 1835.

  After the ceremony, a collation was spread at the Marin Hotel, which was
partaken of by citizens generally.



Additional Comments:
Extracted from:

HISTORY OF MARIN COUNTY, CALIFORNIA;
INCLUDING ITS
Geography, Geology, Topography and Climatography;
TOGETHER WITH
A Full and Particular Record of the Mexican Grants; Its Early History and
Settlement, Compiled from the most Authentic Sources; Names of Original Spanish
and American Pioneers;

A Full Record of its Organization; A Complete Political History, including a
Tabular Statement of Office-holders since the Formation of the County;

Separate Histories of Bolinas, Nicasio, Novato, Point Reyes, San Antonio, San
Rafael, Saucelito, and Tomales Townships;

Incidents of Pioneer Life, and Biographical Sketches of its Early and Prominent
Settlers and Representative Men;
ALSO
An Historical Sketch of the State of California,
In which is embodied the Raising of the Bear Flag

ILLUSTRATED.
SAN FRANCISCO, CAL. 
ALLEY, BOWEN & CO., PUBLISHERS.
1880.


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