Vignette 272 > The “T” on the Hill

In 1924, Tam High students poured a concrete pad in the shape of a large “T” on a barren hillside on the Wilkins Ranch just below what is now Seaver Dr. in Enchanted Knolls. They placed lime on the “T” to make it visible from the school on Miller Ave.  Today, many Mill Valley residents and Tam High graduates don’t recall seeing it. That’s because there was not always lime on it. But its existence is evident on photos taken over the past 60 years including a 1993 satellite shot. Other satellite and areal photos taken over the years would not show the “T” unless there was lime on it. The lime had to be replaced periodically. Rain would wash it off and cattle reportedly ate it. Before football games, rival teams would sometimes attempt to replace the “T” with its own letter, e.g. an R for Redwood High. In the 1920’s, one of the duties of the yell leaders was to provide sufficient guards to prevent such vandalism. Girls spent many cold and sleepless nights up there. A recent inspection of the site found small chunks of chalky material and caliche-like powder in the soil to be all that remains of the “T”.