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CROFUTT’S NEW OVERLAND TOURIST

i

curving around on the side of the hills,| This bay is about twenty miles in
down into a little valley through which | length, with an average width of one mile.

| altitude of 370 feet.
the left, are covered with a dense growth of
trees, of many varieties, among which are |

runs the San Geronimo Creek. Here we | Our train runs along on the edge of this

find the madrone tree, (see ANNEX, No. 8)
and many oaks with drooping, moss-
covered boughs.

Six and a half miles from Fairfax, we

?

| bay,

around rocky points, through spurs
of the bluffs, and across little inlets for

j about sixteen miles, where the road turns

sharp to the right, up an arm of the bay.

come to Nicasro, a small station with an|In this distance we find the following

The mountains, on

redwood, pine, Douglas spruce, madrone,
and buckeye shrubs. Passing LaGuniras, a
small station, the road enters a narrow
canyon, down which we run, with the red-
wood towering far above; pass the old
powder mill and extensive pic-nic grounds
on the right, which are visited in the sum-
mer by thousands from San Francisco—
on, past a big dam, and we arrive at

TAYLORSVILLE—This is a small station,
named for a Mr. Taylor, who established
here the first paper mill on the Pacific
Coast, known as the “‘ Pioneer Paper Mill.”
The canyon is narrow, with some tall
redwoods along the creek, and on the side
of the mountain to the left. Opposite, the
country is rolling, with few trees—some-
thing of a dairy country.

TocoLomMa—comes next, three miles
from Taylor’s. Here a stage line runs to
the town of Olema, two miles to the south,
over the ridge, and also to Bolinas, four-
teen miles distant. Passing on by milk
ranches, crossing bridges, through deep
cuts, over high embankments, curving
around the side of the mountain on the
left, the train comes out into a little valley,
and 4,5 miles from the last station, and
38.5 miles from San Francisco, stops at

OteMA StaTion—This is an eating
station, the only one on the road. Trains
stop twenty minutes. Stages for Bolinas,
south thirteen miles, leave every day, except
week days.

Leaving, the route is more to the north-
ward, with Bolinas Bay over the hills to the
left. ‘The timber to the right has entirely dis-
appeared, and there is but little on the left,
with very little cultivated land. We are
now approaching a section which is almost
entirely devoted to dairying. Soon we
come to Tomales Bay, a portion of which
is crossed on a long pile bridge, where are
extensive beds of planted oysters, the
boundaries of which are marked by poles.
Ducks are very abundant, and white peli-
cans can often be seen as well as wild
geese.

 

stations: Wharf Point, three miles from
Olema; MILLERTON, two miles further,
and MArsHauus, nine more; then comes

HamLeT—Here the regular passenger
trains meet. All these side-track stations
along the bay are for the accommodation
of the dairymen living near, who ship
large quantities of milk and butter to San
Francisco daily.

Tomales Point is on the opposite side of
the bay, which is here only about three
and a half miles from the ocean.

Turning to the right, our road follows up
@ narrow Tittle valley around rocky points,
with high grass-covered hills on each side—
makes one great rainbow curve, away
around the head of the valley, and comes
to a stop at

ToMALEs—This station is 55 miles from
San Francisco. Here the Railroad Com-
pany have large warehouses for storing
grain, from which large quantities are
shipped annually. Tomales consists of a
few dozen buildings, devoted to merchan-
dizing, with a surrounding country well
cultivated. Mt. St. Helena can be seen on
the right, and, in a clear day, far beyond
the snow-capped Sierras. Leaving the
station, the road passes through the fourth
tunnel, crossing a small creek on a high
trestle bridge, and then a small inlet from
the ocean, where we leave Marin county,
enter Sonoma, and come to

VaLLEy Forp Strarion—Here a stage
leaves daily for Petaluma, eighteen miles
east. Years ago the section we are now
entering was the southern border of the
great redwood forests. Here the lumber-
man began his labors, and as years passed,
step by step he penetrated this great lum-
ber region, leaving in his track stumps,
fire, smoke, and finally the clearing, broad,
rich fields and well-cultivated farms, from
the productions of which he subsists while
persistently following up his receding
prey—the redwoods.

he waters from Bodega Bay sit back to
near the station, on the left. Three miles
further, we come to Bopmaa Roaps, and
one mile more to FREESTONE, over a
heavy grade. Here we come to another