A horse barn once stood here before being moved to the main ranch at an 

 unknown date. To this day the Stewart family refers to this area as Pittam 

 field. 110 



Olds, made a deputy United States marshal in 1862, served as Marin 

 County Sheriff and Tax Collector from 1873 through 1875, probably letting his 

 ranch hands run the dairy. Late in 1875 Olds opened a mine across the road 

 from his house, digging a tunnel about 325 feet long that yielded "considerable" 

 bituminous shale. The Marin County newspaper stated that Olds "has hopes 

 for developing a coal vein that will prove of commercial importance." 

 Presumably the mining venture failed, as the newspaper never mentioned it 

 again. Olds had invested in the nearby Pacific Powder Mill (constructed on 

 land his family had sold) and two mining outfits near Bolinas, the Bolinas 

 Union Mine Company and the Pike County Mining Company, in 1864. 111 



In mid- 1879 Olds leased the ranch to a young Swiss dairyman, Pacifico 

 Donati, but continued to live in the main house. Donati and his partner Enrico 

 Dellamaria milked 100 cows that year, producing 56,250 gallons of milk which 

 they made into butter on the ranch. Their four laborers included two younger 

 brothers of Donati, Salvatore and Stefano. Donati received notice in the San 

 Rafael newspaper for being "ahead of his neighbors" in haying, producing a crop 

 that was "very heavy, and of good quality." 112 



Meanwhile, Nelson Olds decided to move to family property at Escondido, 

 near San Diego. He had set up a honey farm there and reportedly preferred 

 the weather of southern California. He set sail on his new yacht, Letti. on the 

 last day of October, 1879. His family traveled by steamer. The newspaper 

 commented, "Mr. Olds does not expect to leave Marin County permanently, and, 

 in common with his numerous friends, we hope he will not." Unfortunately, 

 Olds did not live to make his return; he died in San Diego on September 28, 

 1882. 113 



no 



Population and Agriculture Schedules, 9th U. S. Census, 1870; interview with Boyd Stewart. 



'"Munro-Fraser, Marin County, p. 234; Marin County Journal. April 2 and August 6, 1864, 

 November 18, 1875. 



" 2 Marin County Journal. May 1 and August 17, 1879; Population and Agriculture Schedules, 

 9th U. S. Census, 1870. 



" 3 Marin County Journal. September 11, October 23 and 30, 1879; interview with Boyd 

 Stewart. 



215 



