| From the Timeline: 1860-1920: From a Junction to a Town |
For the next decade, sleepy San Anselmo was simply known as the ³Junction.² But by the 1880s, after taking its name from Cooper's original land grant, San Anselmo was beginning to grow, thanks to real estate agents who saw the town's potential and to the Presbyterians, who moved their seminary from San Francisco to 14 acres-the Sunnyside Tract-donated by A. W. Foster of San Rafael. Money for buildings to house the students, faculty, and the school's well-stocked library was donated by financier and philanthropist, Alexander Montgomery. When Montgomery and Scott Halls were dedicated in September 1892, on what was then a barren knoll, there were 20 students and six teachers. While other factors contributed to San Anselmo's growth-notably the earthquake and fire of 1906-the impact of the Seminary was a strong cultural, and conservative, influence on the town for most of its early history. As San Anselmo grew in the late 1800s, so did the need for public schools. In 1893, Alexander Bouick, groundskeeper for the Seminary, provided space at his home for a makeshift school, which did the job until the town's first official school-simply called the San Anselmo School-opened in 1898 to serve 48 students. Located on the grounds of what is today Wade Thomas School, the school's name was changed to Main School in 1909. The town's second school, Lansdale, opened in 1908 near the recently built Lansdale station. In 1900, another service for children appeared-the Presbyterian Orphanage housed in an imposing three-story building on a knoll west of Red Hill. Destroyed twice by fire, the orphanage, funded by shipping magnate Robert Dollar, was rebuilt and became Sunny Hills in 1931. In 1903 the old narrow-gauge railroad was replaced with the third-rail electric train, and the trip to San Anselmo from San Francisco, via ferry and rail, took a mere 55 minutes: Tourism had begun as San Franciscans poured into San Anselmo to exchange the summer fog for our warm, sunny climate. Bernard Brennfleck provided sylvan campsites alongside his orchard near Yolanda Station. Herman Zopf sold supplies from his grocery store at the Hub-and also allowed campers to use the faucet in back for their drinking water. Life changed dramatically in 1906. The earthquake and fire drove people out of the City and into San Anselmo permanently. In town, the powerful quake toppled the tower of the Seminary's Scott Hall. In 1907, in an 83-to-79 vote, San Anselmo incorporated. While the narrow vote reflected debate on various issues, the most controversial was centered around liquor sales. Town residents, with the backing of the Seminary, had already succeeded in blocking applications for new liquor licenses. To get around the prohibition, "blind pig" establishments surreptitiously served drinks (euphemistically as "tea") in back rooms to known patrons. Pro-incorporation advocates pushed for an officially "dry" town, where liquor could only be sold for medicinal or industrial uses. They won: Buying a drink in San Anselmo could land you 30 days in jail. After incorporation, attention was focused on creating a true downtown center. In the early 1900s, San Anselmo's central business district was located along the dusty county road we know as Sir Francis Drake, with some businesses clustered on Ross Avenue. The commercial focus shifted to San Anselmo Avenue in 1910, when James Tunstead donated land in his Linda Vista subdivision for a town hall. San Anselmo resident W. Garden Mitchell designed the town offices and the adjacent fire house, completed in 1911 at a cost of $5,291. The new mission-style train station was completed in 1911, and in 1914, San Anselmo received a $10,000 Carnegie grant for a library. Designed by Mitchell in the Spanish Revival style, it opened in 1915 where it stands today. |
The Butler family poses on a milk wagon, 1898. Michael Butler operated
a dairy farm on leased land behind today's Fire Station and extending to
Crescent Road. The milk was delivered via horse and wagon by daughter
Margaret, who would rise at 4 a.m. to begin her rounds.
Sidebar
For Whom the Fire Bells Tolled
The brave men who battled fires
in early San Anselmo had help
from two enthusiastic horses named
Major and Colonel, pictured here with
Chief Charles Cartright holding the reins.
When the fire bell sounded, both horses
stopped what they were doing (or woke
up, if sleeping) and rushed into position
in front of the wagon, anxious to begin
the race to douse the conflagration.
Major and Colonel arrived in 1911 when the first firehouse was completed. They knew their job: They had been trained in fire-conscious San Francisco by the Underwriter's Fire Patrol.
With them came state-of-the-art firefighting equipment, including a wagon that could carry 40 gallons of firefighting chemical.
Their firefighting days ended in 1916 when the Town bought its first motorized fire engine. Colonel was retired, but Major was re-assigned to the street department, though he never lost touch with his roots. He would begin to run if he heard the fire bell ring. A fitting epitaph, it's said that the smell of smoke was as rousing to this four-legged firefighter as the scent of fresh alfalfa.
Next: 1920-1940: Pride and Progress
Use of text and photos prohibited without permission from the The San Anselmo Historical Society
