ranch from the O. L. Shatter Estate's M Ranch on Point Reyes in 1936 and 

 marketed Grade B cream from their 63 cows until the ranch was sold to Samuel 

 and Alberta Smoot of Petaluma in 1940. 81 



The Smoots attempted to operate the ranch but in 1941 decided to leave 

 and leased it to Horace Edrington, who upgraded the dairy to a Grade A 

 operation. Ralph and Margaret Giacomini of Petaluma bought Edrington 's 

 dairy business in 1958, and operated the dairy under lease from the Smoots 

 until 1972. Since that time the Giacomini family has run beef cattle on the old 

 Muscio Ranch and the adjacent Randall Ranch. 



In 1971 the Smoots sold 84 acres on the western edge of the ranch to the 

 National Park Service for inclusion in Point Reyes National Seashore. Three 

 years later a banker, John Connelly of Mill Enterprises, Inc., bought the 

 remainder of the ranch and almost immediately sold it to the National Park 

 Service as part of the newly established Golden Gate National Recreation Area. 

 The Giacominis continued to occupy the ranch after it was sold to the National 

 Park Service and operate it today under a special use permit. 82 



3. Buildings and Historic Resources 



Eight historic buildings remain on the Giacomini Ranch. Three rare 

 historic chicken coops and a shed (OV-06.04, 06.05, 06.09, 06.10) were 

 demolished around 1990. 



a. Main Residence (OV-06.01) 



The old Muscio Ranch house began as a small, simple farmhouse until 

 some years later a more substantial portion was added to it. The original (east) 

 part of the house, appears to have been the Nelson Olds house occupied by that 

 family circa 1858-1864. It is a simple, gable-roofed wood frame house with a 



"'Official Records Book 15, p. 15, Book 322, p. 139 and Book 450, p. 315, MCRO; interviews 

 with Andrew and Annie Porter and Agnes McCall. The lease to the McCalls provides an inventory 

 of stock and equipment on the ranch: 63 cows, 65 other cattle, two horses, 150 tons of hay, a cat 

 tractor, Model A truck, 94 chickens, two DeLaval magnetic milking machines, and a #15 Primrose 

 separator. 



82 Interview with Ralph and Margaret Giacomini; Official Records Book 2468, p. 610, MCRO. 



174 



