Vignettes

In May 1911, the California State militia established the Manzanita Rifle Range about a mile from Manzanita in Coyote Canyon west of Maple St. off Shoreline Highway.  The property is now the site of Eastwood Park and a residential subdivision. In August 1911, Company K of the Fifth infantry tested the shooting there and pronounced…

In July 1979, following an armed robbery in San Rafael and a police chase, a fleeing suspect abandoned his car and ran to a house next door to the Homestead Valley Fire Station. Armed with a gun, he kicked in the door, forced Orville Erringer to leave and held his wife Letty hostage. 40 police…

On June 14, 1846, Americans seized the administrative capital at Sonoma, and the Bear Flag Republic was born.  On September 9, 1850, California was admitted into the union as the thirty-first state.  Admission Day, September 9, became a legal holiday in California in 1889. Five years later, in 1894, Labor Day, the first Monday in…

The big rock in front of the Mill Valley City Hall has a brass plaque that reads, “In memory of those who gave their lives in defense of their country—dedicated by the citizens of Mill Valley—1953.”  In a hole in the rock behind the plaque is a time capsule to be opened in several hundred…

The Community Center at 203 Marin Ave. in Tam Valley is an excellent venue for meetings, lectures, parties, concerts, etc. It is also now home to the famous “Rhubarb Review”, Northern California’s longest running variety show. The first performance took place in 1954 in another venue. The show often uses the talents of as many…

Freeman ParkPathway 275 that connects Ryan Ave. with Nelson Ave. is the only access to a unique playground surrounded by houses. In the 1940s, developer George Goheen gave the ¾-acre site to the city. In 1947, the city decided to proceed with its development including cleaning, grading, construction of bituminous paths, etc. Funding came from…