barns and stocked fishing lakes. The club disbanded in the late 1930s and the 

 last of the buildings were razed in the early 1950s. A deteriorating two-room 

 outhouse, two fruit trees, and some evidence of grading are all that remain at 

 the site. A number of exotic trees, including a flowering dogwood and a dawn 

 redwood, survive at the site of the Robert Menzies cabin on Bear Valley Creek, 

 a family retreat from about 1925 to 1970. 



4. Historic Significance of Bear Valley (W) Ranch 



W Ranch is a significant contributor to the history of Point Reyes, arising 

 from its role in the Mexican period (as Rafael Garcia's headquarters), the 

 Shatter and Howard dairy industry (as the headquarters of Charles Webb 

 Howard's dairy enterprise), the use of the area by prominent Californians (the 

 Howards, Rapps, Comptons, and Spreckels/Kelhams) for commerce, leisure and 

 public recreation, and for its role in the administrative history of Point Reyes 

 National Seashore. The ranch retains a number of buildings from these eras 

 (excepting Garcia), including the "Red Barn" of W Ranch, the 1923 Rapp house 

 and 1948 Compton improvements, and National Park Service structures, 

 notably the acclaimed Bear Valley Visitor Center. In addition, a number of 

 historic roads which retain integrity cross the acreage of the original ranch, and 

 are significant to the transportation history of Point Reyes. 



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