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Founded 1959 Vol. 42, No. 1 THE LANDMARK Spring 2015 A biannual publication of the Landmarks Society The Reed Ranches and Dairies By Landmarks Archivist, Dave Gotz The Avella family at the Hilarita Dairy, circa 1940: Virginia, Joe Sr., Joe Jr., & Alice. In recognition of this year’s Walk Your man headed north to Sonoma County, History, we focus on the earliest non-native established a small ranch in the area use of open space on the Tiburon and known as the Cotate Rancho, and made an Strawberry peninsulas – the ranches and application for that land. Within a few years dairies of John Reed and his descendants. however he was driven off by the Cotate As is the case with most local history, Indians, who destroyed his improvements particularly of small communities, there and burned his crops. He stayed briefly are some facts that are relatively well in the mission in San Rafael, and then in established but many events and activities 1832 permanently located himself again in were not well documented, if at all. We Sausalito hoping to gain the rancho there. continue to find new details, especially Reed built a small house and bought a with the advent of online access to sailboat, naming her the Hilaria, after the scanned old newspapers, but the complete daughter of the Presidio commandant Jose story of our local history is still a work in Antonio Sanchez, who he had met when Inside: progress. he first arrived. The small boat became the John Thomas Reed left Dublin, Ireland first ferry to ply the Bay and, in addition Portuguese Dairy Ranchers in 1820 at the age of 15 for the Americas. to passengers, Reed carried bottled water Six years later he was on the shores of the from the Sausalito springs to San Francisco. Tiburon & Belvedere Parks San Francisco Bay in Sausalito, possibly the In 1834 Reed became a Mexican citizen Map first Irishman to permanently locate on the and applied for and received a grant to Gallows Wheels Pacific coast, and the first English-speaking the Rancho Corte Madera del Presidio resident of Marin County. He immediately (“where wood is cut for the Presidio”), Walk Your History -2015 made an application to the Mexican taking possession of the huge wilderness Government for a grant to the Sausalito on November 28, 1835. The Rancho was Rancho, but was refused because the tract about one square league (4,400 acres) and was reserved for government purposes included all of the Tiburon and Strawberry as a buffer against possible Russian peninsulas plus parts of Mill Valley and encroachments from the north. Corte Madera. It was the first Mexican land Undeterred, the adventurous young grant north of the bay. According to early continued on page 3 President’s Corner By Jim Allen Walk Your History day is The Gallows Wheels project already well planned and ready is well underway. The wheels to go. The booklet that will will be temporarily moved to a be given out that day takes location where an environmental everyone on tours of the hills, contractor will clean and ready Open Spaces, Old St Hilary’s, them for display. The Wheels will wildflowers, dairies and homes of then be moved to their permanent the area. It will be a great day. location outside of the Donahue Building (RR Museum) along Dear Members, The Board has grown by one the shoreline park. They will be in number. At the most recent 2015 is off to a very fast start. mounted in a horizontal position meeting there were 14 Board The third grade tours of all the well out of the view corridors of Members in attendance. The sites went very well with Chief the residents nearby. Alan Brune, energy and spirit and pride and Docents Captain; Jack Fiorito at Kourosh Baradaran, Peter Geissler, fun that the Board currently the China Cabin, Phil Maslin and Brooke Halsey, Phil Cassou have expresses is truly wonderful to Phil Cassou, with Bob Harrison, all worked on the complex task of be part of. Everyone is doing Dolores Mizis, Elaine Enochs, getting plans and permits. We are their part willingly, happily Becky Pringle at the Railroad fundraising right now to finish the and professionally. The newest Museum including upstairs in job. Thank you to everyone who Board Member is Liz Fluke the stationmasters home; Helen has put time and money (or both) Kerslake. Liz spent part of her Lindquist at Old St. Hilary’s; and into this work. childhood in Belvedere with her Jeanne Price at the Art and Garden parents and grandmother Ruthie As I said, 2015 is off to a fast Center. They introduced all the Hamm, who was a long time start. Please join us for all the third graders on the Peninsula to LMS volunteer. Liz will carry coming events. And please say our heritage. These delightful and on a long family tradition as her thanks to Board Members and boisterous visits are really helping parents and grandparents have Docents and Staff when you to introduce young families to the been with Landmarks for many can. fantastic collections, the hard work years. Liz will make an energetic and beautiful sites of Landmarks. and skilled contribution to LMS. Thank you, Jim Allen The idea was a great one eight years ago when the tours first started and Landmarks Society 2014 Board of Directors the execution of these tours has Jim Allen, President become professional as well as fun. Brooke Halsey , Vice President Thank you to everyone involved. Board Members In preparation for Walk Your Cathleen Andreucci, Kourosh Baradaran, Peter Brooks, Phil Cassou, History coming April 25, Leslie Peter Geissler, Gabrielle D. Keil, Liz Kerslake, Helen Lindqvist, Doyle has created a map of all the Phil Maslin, Dolores Mizis, Alan Perper, Jeff Slavitz hiking trails and Open Spaces on Andrew Allen, Legal Counsel the Tiburon Peninsula. It is so Staff complete and well done that it will Alan Brune, Executive Director quickly become the best reference Leslie Doyle, Executive Director for visitor and locals alike. It is Michelyn Russell, Office Manager Barbara Carlson, Rental Manager far and away THE BEST of maps Dave Gotz, Archivist available to us. See it on our web Landmarks Office: 415-435-1853 Archive Office: 415-435-5490 site, www.landmarkssociety.com. Email: [email protected] Congratulations and thank you, Website: www.landmarkssociety.com Leslie. Landmarks News: www.telli.com, type Landmarks in search window 2 The Reed Ranches and Dairies continued accounts bears, lions, and wolves prowled the hills, so confirmed by the California Land Commission. Hilaria Reed had to keep his small herd of Mexican cattle fenced Reed Garcia returned to the adobe and with able help of in at night. her growing children the rancho was reclaimed. The ranch prospered and the “wood for the Presidio” By the time of Hilaria’s death in 1868, the Reed heirs was cut from the mighty stands of redwood which grew had begun to develop their lands independently. How in the valleys below Mt. Tamalpais. Reed rode as far as the exact division of the Rancho among the children Fort Ross for his sawmill equipment, and with a labor was decided is not known, but the result is that John force of Indians, the young Irishman built Marin County’s Joseph had the largest ranch, being most of the Tiburon first sawmill in Cascade Canyon. On October 12, 1936, Reed married Hilaria Sanchez at the Mission Dolores; and peninsula; Hilarita got two separate areas of land the ceremony was followed by days of celebration at her (the tip of Tiburon and all of Strawberry Point) and so father’s San Mateo hacienda. established two ranches; and Inez who married Thomas Reed’s first home was a small adobe in the Locust Deffebach, a Pennsylvania native, settled on a smaller district of Mill Valley, but with a growing family he began ranch in Mill Valley and occupied the Reed adobe. construction on a larger house at what is now LaGoma During this time the ranchers all began to replace and Locke Lane (a new plaque recognizing this location the wild Mexican cattle with dairy cows from Europe. was dedicated by the Mill Valley Historical Society in As noted in the History of Marin County, California from March 2015). The hacienda was 24 by 45 feet, with three 1880, under the Saucelito (as spelled during the tme) rooms on each of two floors. The outer adobe walls were Township chapter (of which all of Reed ranches were a three feet thick, and there was a double porch five feet part): wide around the entire building. But in the spring of “The business of dairying being the principal 1843 Reed died before his house was finished. Whether occupation of the farmers of this township, the variety his illness was pneumonia or sunstroke is unknown; of products is limited to butter and milk chiefly. It is not however, his friends tried to save him by bleeding, but that the soil will not produce vegetables and cereals they did not know how to tie off the artery and that to advantage that such a condition of affairs exists, ultimately took his life. but it is owing to the fact that a great proportion of Under the prevailing laws, Rancho Corte Madera the land is topographically unfit for farming purposes, was divided four ways among Reed’s children: John, 7; and from the more potent fact that the business of Hilarita, 4; Inez, 3 and; Ricardo, 2 (who died ten years dairying pays a better profit on the investment.

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