V. SHATTER and GALLAGHER RANCHES 

 (not owned by the National Park Service) 



Two ranch properties are within the designated boundaries of Point 

 Reyes National Seashore and Golden Gate National Recreation Area but have 

 not been purchased for inclusion in those parks. The Vedanta Society property 

 of over 2,000 acres adjacent to Olema was excluded from purchase in the 

 Seashore legislation because the religious organization which owns it provides 

 uses compatible to the park. The ranch owned by the Robert and George 

 Gallagher families, located east of Point Reyes Station, is slated for purchase 

 when funds become available. Both have historic significance, especially the 

 Vedanta property which was the country home of James McMillan Shatter, a 

 prominent Californian and one of the original owners and developers of the 

 Point Reyes dairy ranches. A brief history of these properties follows. 



A. THE SHATTER RANCH (The Oaks) 

 Vedanta Society Retreat 



The Vedanta Society Retreat is a large, mostly wooded parcel of over 

 2,000 acres located directly to the south and west of Olema, stretching from the 

 town to the Stewart Ranch on the south. James McMillan Shatter chose this 

 parcel as his country estate where, in 1869, he built a fine New England-style 

 manor, which he called The Oaks, and dairy ranch. Shafter's law firm had 

 purchased the entire Point Reyes Peninsula in 1858 and within ten years 

 developed the largest dairy ranch in the state; no doubt Shatter wanted a fine 

 estate from which to watch over his enterprises. During the early years at The 

 Oaks, Shatter bought at least four small ranches from the Garcia family, 

 although most of these transactions were taking advantage of defaulted loans. 

 Shatter was a major stockholder in the North Pacific Coast Railroad, which 

 commenced service to Tomales Bay in early 1875; his investment in this narrow 

 gauge line eventually led to his financial downfall. 231 



Shatter gave The Oaks to his son Payne as a 30th birthday present in 



231 Mason, Point Reyes, pp. 69-74. The late historian Jack Mason wrote a great deal about 

 the Shatters in Olema. Also see Mason's quarterly Point Reyes Historian for numerous articles 

 and anecdotes. 



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