The seaside community of Bolinas is considered the oldest town in coastal Marin. Looking at this tranquil photograph of the area makes it hard to imagine that at one time in history Bolinas was a bustling and populated area.
The California Gold Rush of 1849 brought thousands of people to San Francisco, spurring on local entrepreneurs to seek the opportunity to make their fortunes by filling the need for food and shelter. The landscape of Bolinas and the ridge was open grassland prairie accented with primeval oak trees. Higher up were forests containing fir, pine and alder trees. With easy access by sea, boats could be loaded with lumber and dairy products in the Bolinas Lagoon and ferried back down through the Golden Gate. San Francisco’s boom led to a boom in Bolinas, a large strip of land from the Rancho Las Baulines extending from Dogtown to the far edge of today’s Stinson Beach. The first township of Bolinas was actually at Dogtown — known as a rough logging and sawmill town. After sawmills sprang up overnight at Dogtown, Bolinas became a bustling maritime settlement. By the 1860s, ranches, hotels and saloons were flourishing. By the late 1890s, the Brighton Avenue development was occupied. In addition, the “summer colony” families from East Marin, San Francisco and Oakland added to the town’s population in the lagoon area.
Courtesy Bolinas Museum
The 1906 San Francisco earthquake caused damage to buildings — with some falling into the lagoon — destroyed the mercantile and most of the livery stable along with houses. Luckily, the mercantile and livery barn were rebuilt, and houses were repaired. In 1913, the Marconi wireless radio transmission station was built, followed by the United States Coast Coast Station, which opened on Wharf Road in 1917 and replaced the original one that burnt down in 1885. It played a vital role during World War II and operated until 1947.
Schooners played a significant role in Bolinas’ history with the most legendary one named the Owl. The entire town of Bolinas turned out for the arrival of this schooner on June 28, 1911. It was built in Coos Bay, Oregon, for Dr. Gibson who was on board for the maiden trip. The boat was soon sold to Capt. Louis B. Petar, who captained it for 20 years. The Owl carried farm goods, supplies and passengers between Bolinas and San Francisco from 1911 to 1933. In addition, it served as a vital source for supplies to the Point Reyes Lighthouse and the Coast Guard families who lived on the Farallon Islands. An interesting side note: Despite ferrying hundreds of passengers over the years, the Owl was never licensed to carry people. As popular as the Owl was, the trip was not always smooth going aboard the schooner. When the boat was near the Golden Gate and hit the “Potato Patch” along the Marin coast, it sometimes caused turbulence, resulting in seasickness. In addition, arriving at Bolinas had to be timed to when it was high tide, as there was a sandbar. The Owl would occasionally get stuck on the sandbar and had to wait for a swell to come along and carry it over.
The Owl was sold in 1933 and was set adrift to collect insurance money but was rescued; its later whereabouts are unknown. The Owl is the last vessel to regularly travel between San Francisco and Bolinas. Bolinas’ rich nautical history is carried on by local fishermen. This quaint community is well-preserved, and one can even envision the hustle-bustle of the waterfront area while strolling down Wharf Road.
(Originally appeared as History Watch article in the Marin Independent Journal)