Mill Valley Historical Society

"TAMALPAIS ENGINE NO. 9 TURNS 100" with historian Fred Runner Wednesday, April 7th at 7:00 pm Mill Valley Public Library Virtual Event In 1896, Mill Valley was a postage stamp town when construction began on a scenic railway that would make the tiny hamlet internationally famous. It was a spectacular railway journey from the town center to a grand lodge at the rocky summit one-half mile above San Francisco Bay, or into a dark primeval canyon called Muir Woods. The Mt. Ta...malpais & Muir Woods Railway drew elegantly dressed tourists, documentary filmmakers and celebrities, including Susan B. Anthony, Jack London, John Muir and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the man who brought us Sherlock Holmes. Thousands rode every year to the summit and back on what was called The Crookedest Railroad in the World. After 33 exciting years, the Mt. Tamalpais & Muir Woods Railway was shut down and scrapped from the mountain, its cars burned and rails sold except for one piece. Engine No. 9, the only surviving piece of the Mt. Tamalpais & Muir Woods Railway, still exists and will turn 100 years old on April 18, 2021. Join FRED RUNNER, President of Friends of No. 9 and author of Mount Tamalpais Scenic Railway, to hear about an upcoming COVID-friendly centennial celebration and the exciting progress and secrets uncovered during the restoration process. Thank you to Fred Runner for use of this last know photo of Engine No. 9, from 1923. Note the ruins of the Tavern of Tamalpais on the right. The Tavern has burned to the ground four months earlier. Thanks also to Fred for the aerial photo of the Tavern, in the comments below, taken in approximately 1916. No Charge. Register here to receive zoom link: https://conta.cc/3rzz4ss For more information, 415-389-4292 or millvalleylibrary.org

Thanks to our friends at Marin History Museum for this.

"SPIRITS OF SAN FRANCISCO: Voyages Through the Unknown City" with Gary Kamiya & Paul Madonna Wednesday, January 6th at 7:00 pm Mill Valley Public Library Virtual Event Join us for a lively discussion with author Gary Kamiya and artist Paul Madonna as they talk about their new, bestselling book, "Spirits of San Francisco: Voyages through the Unknown City." Kamiya's captivating narratives and Madonna's masterful pen-and-ink drawings breathe life into San Francisco sites bot...h iconic and obscure. The book is both a visual feast and a detailed, personal, loving, informed portrait of San Francisco from two critically acclaimed contemporary chroniclers of this beloved city. GARY KAMIYA ("Cool Gray City of Love: 49 Views of San Francisco") writes a popular history column for the San Francisco Chronicle. As co-founder of Salon.com and former executive editor of "San Francisco" magazine, Kamiya has been a fixture on the Bay Area literary scene for more than 30 years. Award-winning artist and author PAUL MADONNA ("All Over Coffee" and "Everything is Its Own Reward" is the creator of the "Emit Hopper Mystery Series." His unique brand of combining images and stories has been heralded as "an all new art form," and celebrated internationally. No Charge. Register to receive zoom link: https://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/eventReg For more information, 415-389-4292 or millvalleylibrary.org

"FIRE ON THE MOUNTAIN: Pre-History, History, and the Future of Wildfire in Marin" with Mike Swezy Thursday, October 8th at 7:00 pm Mill Valley Public Library Virtual Event In this timely and salient virtual presentation Mike Swezy, recently retired Marin Municipal Water District Watershed Manager, discusses fire and its impact on the environment through the ages. Swezy examines the historical role of fire, and how it has been used in society. This presentation will inclu...de the uses of fire by the indigenous people of Marin, the wildfires that currently affect us and the role of climate change in wildfire dynamics. Mike Swezy served as MMWD Watershed Manager for 23 years, and has had a long and varied career in forestry and fire ecology. He has served with organizations including Marin Conservation Corps (now Conservation Corps North Bay,) the U.S. Forest Service and FIREsafe Marin. In 2014, Mike was awarded the Marin Conservation League’s Green Award for Environmental Leadership for his efforts to create the Tamalpais Lands Collaborative. He served on FIREsafe Marin Board of Directors for 10 years, and currently serves on the boards of the Marin Conservation League and Friends of the Corte Madera Creek Watershed. No Charge. Register to receive zoom link: https://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/eventReg

Thank you to Barbara Conroy Nicholson for sharing this wonderful photo of her father (1909-1996), who lived in Mill Valley between 1912 and 1930. In the photo, he is ringing the Volunteer Fire Bell near his home on Fern Avenue in Tamalpais Park.

MILL VALLEY’S 1908 FOURTH OF JULY EXTRAVAGANZA! In 1908, with a population of about 2,500, the Mill Valley Board of Trustees voted to ban all fireworks due to concern about fire. This lack of festive and traditional celebration was dramatically mitigated however by the exhaustive schedule of activities throughout the day. Thanks to the joint efforts of The Outdoor Art Club, the Hall Association and the Improvement Club, residents and visitors were kept busy from dawn until ...Continue reading

Remembering past Memorial Days and looking forward to 2021!

The "Spanish Flu" - continued... On October 12, 1918, the Sausalito News reported the outbreak of the Spanish Flu in Marin County. In response to the emergence of the pandemic, Marin County created the League for the Conservation of Public Health in an attempt to address what at that point was only 11 cases county-wide. Within two weeks Mill Valley had 54 cases, citizens were required to wear masks, and public gatherings were banned. An exception was provided for church...es, and Our Lady Of Mount Carmel Church (its brand-new, original building seen in the photo here) held church services outside. By November Mill Valley’s cases included that of its doctor, John Spottiswood, M.D., later named one of Mill Valley’s outstanding residents during its early days. Due to the impression that cases were declining, in November the mask ordinance was lifted. By December 14th however, the town trustees were again discussing whether to reinstitute the ordinance, and they continued that debate into January. Despite evidence that the number of local cases was increasing, including 13 new cases in the previous four days, members of the public argued that the mask ordinance was ineffective. Among those who died from the Spanish Flu was 59-year-old Eva A. Finn, a founder of The Outdoor Art Club, who left behind her husband, John, and their children. The Finns lived at Wildwood, 160 Miller Avenue, and were prominent members of the community.

Between the spring of 1918 and the summer of 1919, 25% of the US population became sick from the so-called Spanish flu-675,000 died. In November 1918, Mill Valley counted 84 cases or about 3% of the population. In San Francisco the rate was about 4%. In San Anselmo, 70 out of 120 orphans were down with the influenza at the Presbyterian Orphanage. Health authorities advised wearing a white cotton cloth mask at all times in public. Masks were mandated for women working in the R...ed Cross rooms at the Outdoor Art Club where they produced mufflers, socks, sweaters, bandages, compresses, etc. for soldiers and sailors fighting in the Great War. By January 1919 the number of cases in Mill Valley had decreased to 24. Elementary schools were closed between October 1918 and February 1919. During the epidemic, church services were held outdoors at Our Lady Of Mount Carmel Church. Among those who died from the "Spanish Flu" was the highly esteemed long term Mill Valley resident, 59-year-old Mrs. Eva A. Finn. The influenza pandemic infected an estimated 500 million people across the world killing 50 to 100 million of them between January 1918 and December 1920. See more