Bolinas Museum - Exhibitions: Family History Room

Bolinas exists because of easy access for busy schooner traffic between the Bolinas Lagoon wharf and San Francisco and because of its fertile land and food production.

Today, the fertile land of Bolinas is home to many successful farms and ranches. They draw prestigious visitors and international attention for their innovation and commitment to the health of the land and the high quality food that they produce.

There is nothing like eating sumptuous, organic and nutrient-rich, wholesome and extraordinarily fresh food from the soil, weather and water of this beautiful coastal landscape.

Production of good food has a long lineage in this area. Native Americans managed the land with methods such as controlled burning. Agriculture and livestock date back to the arrival of Rafael Garcia about 1834. When the 1849 Gold Rush brought hungry gold seekers flooding into San Francisco, Captain Morgan was first to see economic opportunity in Bolinas in food production for city markets.

His apples were traded for gold! By the 1860s land in Bolinas, the Olema Valley and much of Stinson Beach was covered by ranches. All commerce depended on the schooners that commuted between Bolinas and San Francisco. Food production was the economic base of Bolinas.

From 1834 on food production never stopped in Bolinas but it was fading until the 1970s youthful counter-culture “back to the land movement” that brought a resurgence of farming. The Webers started the now internationally known Star Route Farm with two horses and a hand-guided plow. Paradise Valley Produce, Gospel Flats Farm, Blackberry Farm, Niman Beef and Commonweal Gardens produce on land with histories of cultivation. Many local farmers are members of Marin Organics, an organization that is setting examples for the nation. Many also participate in “Terra Madre Slow Food” conferences in Italy that join artisan food producers from all over the world.

The Tacherra Ranch and Fresh Run Farm and Creekside Garden all work generational family land. Bolinas also has Annabel Lenderink producing unusual specialty vegetables, Gilly Flower Nursery producing organic honey, Sean Thackery crafts fine wine and there are several small-scale commercial fishermen. All of these people bring us the possibility of feasting on delicious and healthy food fresh from our coastal landscape.

Martinelli with strawberries

No one knows land the way farmers do. Day by day over years they learn every nuance of its smells, peculiarities, microclimates, microorganisms, weather, water, and plants that will thrive. The ranchers know the same about their animals and land. Fishermen, often alone on the sea, use scientific and intuitive awareness to read water, weather and fish movement. It is an intimate relationship between humans and life around them. Unlike miles of modern agribusiness mono crops, these farms and ranches are bounded by riparian corridors and wild land. Every one of them tithes some of their production to hungry wildlife. There is a deep understanding that productive land and wild land have intricate and dynamic relationships. The theme of stewardship often comes up in conversations.

Food production is hard work. It requires passion and tenacity to meet the daily challenges. Farmers, ranchers and fishermen struggle with rules and criticism coming from people who are not on the front lines of small-scale food production themselves. Nationally small farms are disappearing under unrelenting pressure from corporate agro-business, lobbyist and government. Here in Marin, however successful their production seems to be, none of the farms or ranches have much margin for error. For each, the livelihoods of everyone involved and survival of the business depends on every crop, every acre, and the whims of each unpredictable season. They depend on every farmer’s market, farm stand, distributor, restaurant client and every individual buyer. And they depend on all of us to be patrons of businesses that feature local food. They need our attention to relevant legislation and international trade practices. And they hope for our active support for the value of what they provide so abundantly here; delicious, nutrient-rich, healthy and extraordinarily fresh food from the soil, weather and water of this beautiful landscape.

The exhibition opened with Bolinas Farm Day, a celebration of the vision, labor and integrity of the people who offer us such a remarkable variety of wonderful local food.
It was a wonderful day and truly felt like community at is best as everyone donated their time, skills and food for the pleasure of the shared experience.

Farmer and educator Sandy Dierks organized speakers, chefs, food and farmers for the event. The museum’s courtyard was filled with sun, hummingbirds and joyful music from local musicians. The Director of Marin Organic and the County Agricultural Commissioner were there. Museum Director Vandy Seeburg guided and facilitated the event. The courtyard was crowded with happy people who also listened attentively as each farmer or rancher spoke to the audience.

Our first families were Native American, then Spanish, then sea captains, ranchers, entrepreneurs, and summer colony families. Bolinas once encompassed the lands from Dogtown to Stinson Beach and the ranches of Olema Valley were part of the neighborhood.