The Boyd Gate House 

1125 B Street San Rafael
Open:  W-F 10 am - 2 pm     Sat 11 am - 3 pm 

   History Watch   

History Watch is a regular feature in the Marin Independent Journal written by Scott Fletcher,
a volunteer at the Marin History Museum. Older articles can be viewed on our Collections Catalog.

All of the images are from the Marin History Museum collection, and can be purchased online.

Recent Articles

 The State Highway Comes to Marin County
March 20, 2023

By the end of the 1920s, motorists could traverse the county on a fully-paved roadway that passed through many of Marin’s downtown districts.

  
  Snow-capped Tamalpais Tavern
March 6, 2023

Last week’s storm brought snow to Mt. Tamalpais, and although not rare, it is an uncommon sight to see the summit of our mountain blanketed in winter white. The January 1913 storm not only covered the summit of Mt. Tamalpais but dropped six inches of snow in most of the towns at the foot of the mountain.
   
  Meagor’s Garage in Ross
February 20, 2023

In the early 20th Century, William and Isabella Meagor’s Ross Garage was a cornerstone of the downtown Ross business district. It was also a symbol of the changing times as motorized vehicles were beginning to replace horse-drawn conveyances.

   
  San Francisco’s Theological Seminary Moves to San Anselmo
February 6, 2023

Many Marin residents may wonder why the San Francisco Theological Seminary is actually located in San Anselmo. The story began in 1871 when the Pacific Presbyterian Church opened a “theological seminary such as the present wants and future interests of this coast demand.”

   
  San Rafael's Cottage Hospital
January 23, 2023

In 1905, Marin doctors William Farrington Jones, Henry Howitt, and William Wickman opened Cottage Hospital in San Rafael. The new medical facility and emergency hospital was located at the corner of 5th St. and Petaluma Ave (now Lincoln Avenue). At the time, the only other Marin hospital was the County Hospital and Poor Farm in Lucas Valley.

   
  The Dream of the “Redwood Empire”
January 9, 2023

The Redwood Empire was an idea hatched in the early 1920s by Crescent City hotelier, A.D. Lee, who wanted to promote tourism to his city and hotel. The automobile age was transforming how people traveled and Lee, along with other Northern California county business groups, collaborated to build a “Redwood Highway” from San Francisco to Grants Pass in Oregon.

   
  The Lyford's Eagle Dairy
December 26, 2022

Outside of West Marin, there are few remnants of the roughly 400 dairies that once spread over the hills and valleys of Marin County. The Lyford mansion at the center of Tiburon’s Eagle Dairy is one and can still be seen along the shore of Richardson Bay just before reaching Blackie’s Pasture.

   
  1925 Storm Wreaks Havoc
December 12, 2022

The Corte Madera Creek has overflowed its banks 25 times in the last 100 years with the floods of 1925, 1955, 1982 and 2005 causing the most damage. In this 1925 photograph a vintage automobile navigates downtown Ross during the flooding when more than seven inches of rain fell in the Ross Valley between sunset of February 10th and sunrise of February 11th.



Marin History Museum

1125 B Street
San Rafael, CA 94901

info@marinhistory.org

415-382-1182

 

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