HISTORIC CONTEXT: Olema Valley Dairy and Beef Ranches 1834-1945 



Establishment of the Spanish hospital mission at San Rafael in 1817 

 brought domestic grazing animals to west Marin County. Two decades later 

 Mexican land grantees brought additional cattle and livestock to the Point 

 Reyes area. A regionally significant dairy industry developed starting in 1857 

 and thrived for over 100 years; a number of the original dairy ranches continue 

 to operate within the boundaries of Point Reyes National Seashore and, as beef 

 cattle ranches, in Golden Gate National Recreation Area. 



As a region, Point Reyes and the Olema Valley played an instrumental 

 part in the development of the dairy industry in California. Point Reyes dairies 

 were among the first large-scale and high-quality dairies in the state, and at 

 one time the Shatters' butter district was considered to be the largest in the 

 world. Before 1857, dairy products for consumption in San Francisco were 

 shipped from the East Coast or produced locally by very small dairy operations 

 of questionable quality. 



Vital dairy production equipment and methods developed at Point Reyes- 

 area dairies were adopted nationwide. Local dairymen stayed at the forefront 

 of industry modernization, and still do. 



Marin County led the state's counties in dairy production (volume) into 

 the 1890s. Point Reyes area dairies produced what was widely considered to be 

 the highest quality butter in the state for the last half of the 19th century. 



Point Reyes and Olema Valley dairies attracted immigrants from Ireland, 

 Switzerland, the Azores, Scandinavia, and many other counties, bringing a rich 

 ethnic mix to the area that remains to this day. Marin County was a primary 

 destination for immigrants from Switzerland and the Azores in the 1860s 

 through the early 1900s. Many immigrant families eventually purchased their 

 own property and are the foundation of the population in Marin County today. 



This study documents the significance of the system of dairy ranches at 

 Golden Gate National Recreation Area and Point Reyes National Seashore for 

 its contribution to the state's dairy industry and the commerce of San 

 Francisco. With many of the ranch complexes remaining in use, all dating from 

 1857-1880, and with most of these retaining their individual historic integrity, 

 the ranches as a whole or in part appear to be eligible for nomination to the 

 National Register of Historic Places with regional historic significance. 



Vll 



