and Jim eventually took over the operation of the dairy with his wife, the 

 former Helen DeFraga of the McCurdy Ranch. Helen and Edith were sent to 

 schools outside of the area and both eventually graduated from Stanford. 11 



A biography published in 1894 noted that "for many years [Wilkins] has 

 conducted a dairy on his place, milking about eighty cows, and has a model 

 establishment fitted up with every convenience, among which may be 

 mentioned a fine modern refrigerator. The power is all supplied by water." 

 Wilkins had a water-powered generator which ran the separators and a sawmill, 

 with which he milled lumber from his property on Bolinas Ridge. Later the 

 system reportedly powered electric milking machines and lights in the house 

 and barns. The area did not get commercial power until Marconi Wireless 

 Telegraph Company of America built an important trans-Pacific transmitting 

 station nearby in 1914. n 



W. W. Wilkins was known for his handiness with machines and tools. In 

 1881 he was awarded $1,029 after construction of the San Rafael-Bolinas Road 

 took an unplanned route through the property in 1878, and as part of the 

 settlement he was allowed to keep a gate at the foot of the grade for a period of 

 three years. He built a self-operating gate at the foot of the road that rated 

 mention in the San Rafael newspaper. A few years later he lost two fingers 

 while building a bridge near his ranch. He worked on the roads in his 

 neighborhood, at one point employing sixteen men on the San Rafael-Bolinas 

 Road, making it "one of the best roads in the county." 13 



At the turn of the century the Wilkins Ranch was producing 2,250 pounds 

 of butter per month from 64 cows at the height of the season. Eventually the 

 number of cows rose to about 125. 14 



Fire caused a great deal of damage on the Wilkins Ranch a number of 

 times. In late 1890, a fire burned an estimated nine-tenths of the Wilkins land; 

 the San Rafael newspaper wrote of "hungry flames which have licked the hills 

 and gulches clean of feed for many miles." A similar fire did much damage in 



H Munro-Fraser, Marin County, p. 430; interview with Helen Wilkins and Kenneth Wilkins. 



12 Guinn, Coast Counties, p. 394; interview with Helen Wilkins and Kenneth Wilkins; Pacific 

 Service Magazine. Vol. VI, No. 5, October 1914, p. 148, courtesy of Ted Wurm. 



13 Deeds Book R, p. 620, Book V, p. 484, MCRO; Marin County Journal. March 4 and July 28, 

 1881; Marin Journal. November 5, 1885, May 6, 1886. 



14 Marin Journal. June 20, 1901; interview with Kenneth Wilkins. 



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