1897 Map of Tamalpais

About this map

The Marin Peninsula in the late nineteenth century is a landscape of transition between the growing bay-side rail hubs and the coastal outposts of Bolinas and Woodville. The Northwestern Pacific railroad serves as the primary artery, threading through San Rafael and Mill Valley while skirting the slopes of Mt. Tamalpais. The map details the early footprints of coastal protection and preservation, showing the Fort Barry Military Reservation guarding the entrance to the Golden Gate, and the Muir Woods National Monument tucked into the canyons. At the northern edge of the San Francisco peninsula, landmarks like the Cliff House and Golden Gate Park mark the city's westward expansion toward the Pacific Ocean. This survey, updated in the early 1920s, captures the region before heavy suburbanization, when Bolinas Lagoon and Lake Lagunitas remained the dominant features of the western backcountry.