Editor’s Note: This essay appeared in the 1923 (Vol. II, no. II) issue of Trails, a yearbook published annually by the California Alpine Club based in San Francisco. Joseph Mailliard (1857–1945) settled in the San Geronimo Valley with his parents in 1873, where young Joseph developed an interest in natural…

By Brian K. Crawford Little is known about Chun Sing’s origins or motives. He was probably born in China sometime around 1857. In 1895 he was living in the small town of Lundy in Mono County. Lundy, at the west end of Lundy Lake, no longer exists, but at that…

By Carol Acquaviva October 13, 2022, marks the 60th anniversary of the dedication and opening of the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Marin County Civic Center, including the Civic Center Branch of the Marin County Free Library. In honor of this special and historic occasion, the Library and the County of Marin…

By Robert L. Harrison Since California’s statehood in 1850 the supply of fresh water has been an ever growing concern for the state. In recent years issue has been especially severe in Marin County. Inadequate water storage has led to emergency projects to increase the local supply. …

By Lynn Downey If you are interested in the history of western Marin County then you have probably visited the Tomales Regional History Center on Highway 1 in the town of Tomales (TRHC). This gem of a museum is housed in the 1921 former gymnasium of the original high school…

By Carol Acquaviva Please join us for a virtual program on Wednesday, September 14th at 6:30, to hear true crime author Tobin T. Buhk explain “The Story of Amos Lunt and the Fine Art of Hanging.” Buhk is the author of a new biography on Lunt, a former police chief…

By Brian K. Crawford EDITOR’S NOTE: Historian Brian K. Crawford’s profile of William “Kid” Thompson is part of a series inspired by an album of San Quentin State Prison mug shots from the collection of Daniel Sullivan. This album and other materials documenting San Quentin State Prison from circa 1880–1919…

By Carol Acquaviva

By Robert L. Harrison Bray Dickinson is a name well known among Marin County’s railroad enthusiasts. He wrote Narrow Gauge to the Redwoods, the definitive history of the Marin’s North Pacific Coast (NPC) narrow gauge railroad. His enthusiasm for the subject is clear: “All of us who grew up within…