Hunters and gatherers, the Miwok survived on food that was fresh and in season. Steelhead and salmon were once plentiful in San Anselmo Creek and several oak species provided acorns that the Miwoks ground for flour and mush. Two archaeological sites have been recorded in San Anselmo, but little research has been conducted.

Five thousand Miwok lived in Marin when the first colonizers-the Spanish-began building a network of missions and presidios throughout Alta California, land that they had claimed in 1542 but ignored until Russian fur traders and seafarers from competing nations arrived in the 1700s. Between 1761 and 1823, the Spanish established 21 missions in California, including Mission San Rafael founded in 1817. Diseases introduced by the newcomers, along with relocations from their land, severely reduced the native population, in Marin and elsewhere in the state.

California became part of Mexico following the 1821 Mexican revolution, and for the next 24 years the missions were secularized and large land grants, or ranchos, were awarded to prominent Mexican citizens. Marin was divided into 21 land grants, primarily used for cattle grazing. Three men held title to grants within San Anselmo: Domingo Sais, Juan Bautista Rogers Cooper, and Timothy Murphy.

The Sais family settled in the area in 1835. Four years later, the family patriarch, Juan Maria Sais, sent his son Domingo, then 33, to the territorial capital at Monterey to secure the title to their land. Domingo had the grant issued in his name, a brazen act that ignited a simmering family feud, and his father moved to Sausalito. Domingo's 6,658-acre a Canada de Herrera rancho encompassed the northwestern half of San Anselmo beginning at Red Hill and including Sleepy Hollow. He dubbed his land La Divina Providencia ("Divine Providence"), and in 1840 built San Anselmo's first structure, an adobe home on the hill above today's Sais Avenue. Domingo fell from a horse in 1853 and died without a will. Family legal disputes and sales of small portions of the land led to the breakup of the rancho.

The second land grant of 8,877 acres was awarded in 1840 to Englishman John Rogers Cooper. A sea captain, Cooper became a Mexican citizen, changed his name to Juan Bautista Rogers Cooper, and married a sister of Mexican General Mariano Vallejo. Cooper's Punta de Quintin, Corte de Madera, La Laguna y Canada de San Anselmo ran southeast from Red Hill to Corte Madera and Point San Quentin.

Timothy Murphy became the third and largest land owner, claimant to San Pedro, Santa Margarita and Las Gallinas, an immense 21,678-acre grant that included 200 acres within the borders of modern San Anselmo north of Red Hill Avenue. An Irishman, Murphy was famous for his size and strength. He came to California in 1828, became a success in the otter fur trade, and in 1837 was named administrator of Mission San Rafael. Murphy also served as San Rafael's mayor and justice of the peace before his death in 1853.

By the 1840s, tensions between the U.S. and Mexico were reaching a fevered pitch with rumors that Mexico planned to cede California to England to help pay off its debt to the British government. A group of settlers near Sacramento, believing the transfer was imminent, absconded with Mexican army horses, rode them to Sonoma, and demanded the surrender of General Vallejo.

Vallejo, who had been sympathetic to the American cause, surrendered, and the settlers declared their independence from Mexico. In July, the short-lived Bear Flag Republic of California was officially annexed by the U.S., and in September 1850, California became the 31st state.

Sidebars

Tule Twining

Two-and three-strand twining with tule, an ubiquitous grass-like marsh plant, is a technique practiced by the tribes of many parts of California and traditionally used to construct multi-purpose large and small rectangular mats, round baskets, shoes, leggings, and cradles. The Coast Miwok used tule for skirts, baskets, and boats. (Replica of twining technique on the Timeline exhibit by Charles Kennard.)

Coyote the Creator

Myths belong to oral tradition and variations abound. This is one version of why-and how-Coyote created man.

Looking down, Coyote could see the vast and beautiful lands of Marin, washed clean by a major flood. Coyote believed that there should be a creature who could appreciate the land. So he decided to create man. He made the Miwoks out of feathers, sticks, and mud.

Coast Miwok Villages

There were three major groups of Coast Miwok. The Hookooeko (Hoo'-koo-e'-ko) lived in the largest territory, comprising today's Marin County, and their language gave us many of our place names, including Tamalpais and Olema. The other groups were the Olamentko of Bodega Bay and the Lekahtewutko of Southern central Sonoma County.

Indian Soap Plant

Plentiful in Marin, the soap plant served the Miwok in numerous ways. Its bulb produced a soapy substance for washing. Fibers were used for brushes. Baking the plant created a glue-like substance. Young shoots and leaves could be eaten. Placing the plant in water was said to stun fish for the taking.

Mount Tamalpais

The Coast Miwok never ventured to the top of Mount Tamalpais, because they believed an evil witch inhabited the area. The legend of the sleeping maiden was a story created in an age of Victorian Romance and enthusiasm. The name "Tamalpais" is of Spanish origin. "Tamal" refers to a bundle of sticks, probably a reference to the Miwok houses; "pais" means country of.

Next: 1860-1920: From a Junction to a Town


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