The Novato Historian · N-2 The Novato Historian April-June 2008 The Novato Historian Published...

The Novato Historical Guild willhost the annual Old Timers’ Daymeeting on Saturday, May 31 at noonin the Druid’s Hall. This meeting willcelebrate the 50th anniversary of the1958 8th grade graduating class fromMarion School.

The May 31 meeting will start atnoon with a light lunch. Graduateswill receive their lunch free ofcharge. Other attendees will be askedfor a $5.00 contribution. After lunch,the 1958 graduates will be introducedto share their school and Novatomemories.

1958 Marion School Graduates to beFeatured At Old Timers’ Day Meeting

April- June 2008 Volume 32, Number 2The Novato Historian

The Quarterly Publication of the Novato Historical Guild and the Novato History Museum

Preserving Novato’s History

News SectionContents © 2008 Novato Historical Guild, Inc.

ComingEvents!

Saturday, May 31, NOONOld Timers’ DayDruids Hall on Grant AvenueMonday, June 9, 1 p.m.Board MeetingPolice Department TrainingRoomFriday, July 4, 10 a.m.Fourth of July ParadeGrant AvenueMonday, July 14, 1 p.m.Board MeetingPolice Department TrainingRoomMonday, August 11, 1 p.m.Board MeetingPolice Department TrainingRoomMonday, September 8, 1 p.m.Board MeetingPolice Department TrainingRoom

The Novato Historian

Volunteer docent meeting at Druids Hall March 4. Docents at the table are Joe Giari, AnnaMorrison, Ann Ramsey, Nick Hess, Phoebe Aby, and Margaret Bingelli.

Six members of the 1958 8th gradeclass are known to be deceased: GaryClementino, Mary Louise Del Priore,Ronald Green, Jr., Ed Salmina,Sandra Thomas and Dick Wright.

Many present and former Novatoresidents enjoy the opportunity tovisit with old friends at Old Timers’Day. Guild members, guests andprospective members are invited toattend.

Guild LosesIts OldestMember

Margaret Keena McNern passedaway on April 5. She was 103 years

of age. The motherof Novato HistoryGuild President JimMcNern and hisbrother Joe, was acharter member ofthe Guild. Mrs.McNern was bornin San Francisco in1904 and was a sur-

vivor of the 1906 earthquake.The Keena family moved to

McClay Road in Novato in 1919where she still resided at the time ofher death. Margaret married JamesMcNern in 1937. Mr McNern died in1948. Mrs. McNern was a 90 yearmember of Our Lady of Loretto

Margaret KeenaMcNern

Church. Funeral services were heldon April 10 with burial at Mt. OlivetCemetery in San Rafael.

Margaret was a delightful lady whowill be sadly missed by everyone whoknew her.

N-2 April-June 2008The Novato Historian

The Novato HistorianPublished March, June, September, andDecember by the Novato Historical Guild, aCalifornia 501(c)3 non-profit corporationformed November 18, 1976. Contents ©2008 Novato Historical Guild, Inc.

Guild Mission StatementOur Mission is to collect, preserve, andmake reasonably available to the public,exhibits and information related to the his-torical and social development of theNovato valley, Hamilton Field, and theadjacent North Marin area.

Novato Historical Guild 2008 OfficersPresident Jim McNernVice President Anna YoungSecretary Diane CampbellTreasurer Charlotte UrbanBoard of DirectorsDick Altman Stephen SchwindtCindy Motsinger Pat JohnstoneEdna Manzoni Yvette JacksonMike Silva Cathrin van den ToornRon Vela Mike Read

Honorary HistorianEleonora LafranchiCommittee Chairs

Cemetery Joe GiariFinance Anna YoungFund Raising Anna YoungGift Store Pat JohnstoneGrants Edna ManzoniHamilton Museum Mike SilvaHospitality Diana Goebel

Edna ManzoniMailing Bill AlmeidaMembership Edna ManzoniNominating Ron VelaOral History Nikki GothelfPublicity Pending appointmentPublic Outreach Cathrin van den ToornSchool Tours Janice Bazurto

Anne LehanCindy Motsinger

Sunshine Anna MorrisonVolunteer Scheduler Ida Kohl

Newsletter Editorial BoardBill Almeida Jim McNernPat Johnstone Pat Willat

Typography, Composition, LayoutMike Clancy

City of Novato StaffCommunity Services Division Manager

Kathy GravesMuseum CuratorSamantha Kimpel

Original articles and photographs related toNovato history are welcomed!

Deadline for Sept. issue is Aug. 1.Address Changes

The Novato Historian is mailed by bulkmail and will not be forwarded by the PostalService. Please notify us promptly of youraddress change, at Novato Historical Guild,75 Rowland Way, Suite 200, Novato, CA94945.

President’s Cornerby Jim McNern

President, Novato Historical Guild

It has been a busy spring at the museum. We have had 23 third grade class-es come to visit the museum exhibits, take the walking tour downtown, and learnabout the early pioneers and the history of Novato. A number of "old timers"have been by to visit and reminisce about their days of growing up in this com-munity. Four grandchildren of Val and Anna Clark visited in April. The Clarkfamily lived in the Postmaster's House when it was at its old location on SouthNovato Boulevard and Yukon Way.

Work has restarted on the historic Hamilton firehouse by Page ConstructionCo., and we hope they will be finished sometime in October. After that, therewill be many tenant improvements to be completed by Guild volunteers, underthe direction of Ray Dwelly, project manager. We are very anxious to get theHamilton Museum opened.

A number of dedicated Guild members have been laboring on the HamiltonField book since the beginning of the year. They have selected the images ofHamilton and written the text that is now in the hands of Arcadia Press. We thinkthe book will be published and on the sale racks sometime in early 2009.

The film crew from KPIX's "Eye on the Bay" were at the museum inter-viewing Ray Dwelly, Bill Palmer and Samantha Kimpel for a segment they werefilming on Hamilton Field.

The Guild is planning to have an entry in Novato's 4th of July parade. Thisyear's theme is "Best of Novato."

We hope to see many members and guests at the May 31 General Meetingand Old Timers' Day at the Druid's Hall. We are honoring the 1958 8th gradegraduating class from Marion School on their 50th anniversary.

At the NHG March meetingFred Codoni, from Fairfax,

gave a talk about theNorthwestern Pacific Railroadand its impact on Marin County.Mr. Codoni showed old photo-graphs of the railroad andMarin during his interestingand informative talk.

Interesting Talk at the March Meeting

April-June 2008 N-3The Novato Historian

Novato—50 Years Ago(April, May, June 1958)

by Bill Almeida and Pat Willat

“Novato—50 Years Ago” is a col-lection of items culled by Bill Almeidafrom the April, May, and June issuesof the Novato Advance newspapers inthe collection of the Novato HistoryMuseum and Microfilm at the NovatoLibrary. We hope you enjoy readingthe names and happenings of 1958.

● Students were dismissed fromSan Rafael High School in honor ofBaptiste J. Simontacchi who died onApril 3 at a San Francisco hospital.Services were held on April 7 at St.Raphael’s Church in San Rafael.Simontacchi was a teacher and coachat San Rafael High.

● Sharon Smith of 794 StorybookCourt in Novato was one of nine can-didates in a District 3 contest of theAmerican Dairy Association to selecta state princess. The princess select-ed from California will then vie forthe American Dairy AssociationDairy Queen title.

● Robert Patterson was namedprincipal of the Hill IntermediateSchool and Ray Monson principal of

the new Lu Sutton elementary schoolto be built on Center Road. CharlesLavaroni is replacing Miss LuluSutton at Olive School with the retire-ment of Miss Sutton.

● A daughter was born April 18 atMarin General Hospital to Mr. andMrs. Marett Boissevain of Novato.The baby was greeted at home by sis-ter Libby, 10, and brother Eddie, 6.

● Louise Gnoss and Sandy Glassrecently returned from their two-week vacation trip to Hawaii. Theyare making plans for another trip nextyear. A highlight of the trip on theLurline was when Miss Gnoss wasselected as “Miss Lurline” and MissGlass was chosen as runner-up. The“Miss Lurline” contest was held inthe form of a fashion show, with con-testants judged on appearance, per-sonality, and modeling.

● Announcement was recentlymade of the engagement of PhyllisJean Bennett of Petaluma to JamesBaxter Hovis of Novato. The bride-elect is an employee of California

Pacific Title Insurance Co. in SanFrancisco. The prospective groom isnow employed by Pini HardwareCompany.

● A daughter was born to Mr. andMrs. William Melson on April 12 atMarin General Hospital.

● A daughter was born to Mr. andMrs. John Giari on April 6 at MarinGeneral Hospital.

● Novato is losing three of itsbest beloved teachers this year withthe retirement of Miss Lulu Sutton,principal of Olive School, Mrs.Katherine Steele, fifth grade teacherat Olive School, and KatherineHulme, primary teacher at HillSchool.

● The Novato Sanitary Districtboard extended the garbage collectingfranchise of Louis Garaventa to 1968.They also announced that garbagerates will henceforth be $1.50 per 30gallon can per week, effective June 1.Heretofore, Garaventa has beencharging $1 a month per home forweekly scavenger service plus 20cents per month which is paid to theSmith Bros. dump.

● Robert W. Mayo is one of 178medical school graduates who havebeen selected for internship at Armyhospitals throughout the UnitedStates this year. Mayo, who gradu-ates from the University of Californiamedical school in June, has beenassigned to the U. S. Hospital at Ft.Benning, Ga., for a year of internship.

● Sophomore Ron Manzoni,short-stop on the Novato High Schoolbaseball team, was “Hornet Ace” ofthe week in mid-May. Ron, who is5’10” tall and weighs 145 pounds, isactive in sports the year round.Baseball is his favorite sport. “Hevery rarely misses a grounder and his

Continued on Page N-6New Novato Historical Guild Board Members introduced at the March General meeting are:Diane Campbell, Cindy Motsinger, and Stephen Schwindt.

New Guild Board Members


MEMORIALPLAQUE

ADDITIONSYou may honor a friend or lovedone by having his or her nameengraved on an individual brassplate on the Memorial Plaque inthe History Museum. Please callthe Museum at 897-4320. All con-tributions are tax deductible.

MEMORIAL GIFTSYou may make a gift of appreciat-ed securities (stocks, bonds,mutual funds) to the NovatoHistorical Guild. Your gift is notonly tax-deductible, but if youhave held the shares for morethan one year, your tax deductionwill equal the full value of thesecurities on the date of the gift.By donating appreciated stockinvestments, you will:• avoid capital gains taxes,• receive a sizeable charitable

deduction, and• support the Guild in “preserving

Novato’s history.”Plaques cost $250 per personnamed.

The GuildExtends Sympathy to

Michael Halkovich on the death ofhis father, WalterThe family of Lorena KaehlerThe family of Gloria MastersJim and Joe McNern on the deathof their mother, MargaretPhyllis Nerviani on the death of herhusband, CharlieAl Pariani on the death of his wife,Louise

February 2008Financial Investments – Gary

Bramon of Alders Financial Grouppresented the board with an update onthe Guild’s portfolio performancefrom 2/1/07 through 2/7/08. Theannualized return was <2.08%>. Hesuggested coming back to address theboard again in 3 months for anotherupdate.

New Business – Cindy Motsingerreported that 6 out of 9 schoolsalready signed up their 3rd gradeclasses for tours of the Museum andOld Town.

A request for financial support was

Historical GuildBoard Highlights

by Pat Johnstonereceived from Olompali. A motionwas made to donate $50.00 to theirmembership fund. The motion waspassed.

Hamilton Book – SamanthaKimpel reported that the HamiltonBook Committee has put in manyhours pulling photos from the muse-um’s collection, researching data andwriting text. Committee membersare: Pat Johnstone, SamanthaKimpel, Edna Manzoni, Jim McNern,Elayne Miller, Mike Read, Ron Vela,and Iva Young.

Curator’s Report – On March 4a meeting will be held at Druid’sHall at 10 a.m. to recognize GuildVolunteers for their service and torecruit new volunteers. SamanthaKimpel also reported that she is plan-ning to hire someone part-time toassist with archive and collection

In Memoriam

Continued on Page N-7

The Guild mourns the loss of thefollowing members:

Walter HalkovichLorena KaehlerGloria Masters

Margaret Keena McNernCharlie NervianiLouise Pariani

work. She submitted a work order tothe City for repair or replacement ofthe railroad ties in front of the muse-um. Dick Altman commented that thequality of the replacement hatchcover installed recently at the muse-um was unacceptable. Ms. Kimpelagreed and said this is beingaddressed.

Hamilton Museum – Ray Dwellyreported that Bates Construction hasbeen selected by the City to handlethe abatement report but the City hasnot given them instructions so theycannot start the project. Sidewalkshave been approved but no specshave been forthcoming from the Cityso Page Construction cannot beginwork. Dick Altman recapped the longprocess it has been trying to workwith the City to get the HamiltonMuseum opened.

March 2008New Business – Dick Altman sug-

gested that yellow safety stripes bepainted on the stairs leading up to themuseum. Ray Dwelly said that he hadthe type of paint required by the City.Kathy Graves will check with theCity to see if we need their approval.

Kathy Graves also informed theBoard that Samantha Kimpel’s hourswill increase to 40 hours per week.The additional 10 hours are forCultural Art Programs for the City.

A third grade docent suggested thatwe install a bench along the path,behind the museum, for the childrenon the tour to sit on instead of sittingon the wet grass. Kathy Graves saidthat the City has a couple of styles ofbenches they prefer and she willcheck to see how much they cost.The Guild Treasurer will check to seeif we can use money in the MemorialFund to purchase the bench.

Hamilton Book – A cover was cho-sen for the book and a sample was


NovatoMemories

by Jim McNern

John Azevedo

Developing the Hamilton Collection

We are happy to report that therehas been significant progress thisspring on the build-out of theHamilton Field History Museum atthe Firehouse. This is an excitingtime and a wonderful opportunity topreserve the history of HamiltonField and to explore the stories ofpeople who served, worked and livedthere.

There are already a number ofobjects in the Novato HistoryMuseum collection that relate toHamilton, either as donations fromindividuals with ties to the base, oritems, photographs, and archives pre-served from base operations after itsclosure.

In the coming months, we will beexploring ideas of what we all envi-sion that the Hamilton Collection willcontain (such as artifacts andarchives), as well as how the collec-

tion will grow. As staff reviews itemsfor potential addition to the collec-tion, we will be looking at their sig-nificance to life at Hamilton, withemphasis on objects that were used,worn, or made at the base.

An important part of the HamiltonCollection will be an oral historyproject. Since Hamilton is interwov-en into Novato life, we do have anumber of oral histories in the NovatoHistory Museum Collection thattouch on or concern different eras atthe base. In addition to collecting thestories of our local community, it willbe important to collect as many sto-ries as possible with national andinternational perspectives ofHamilton as well.

For example, the daughter of one ofthe pilots who was stationed at the

John Azevedo, the son of Manueland Marian Azevedo, was born in1924 at the Cottage Hospital in SanRafael. His mother died when he wasan infant. He was taken care of byMrs. Newsom on Railraoad Avenueuntil he was two years old. John sayshe pretty much grew up on his ownwith his nine older siblings while hisfather worked on a ranch in WestMarin. He shares his Novato memo-ries in this June edition of the NovatoHistorian. John remembers:

● Living on the F Ranch at theend of Vineyard Road until 1930 withhis nine siblings: Mary, Rose, Emily,Eva, Manuel, Joseph, Frank, Tonyand George.

● Starting first grade at the one-room Burdell School, located onproperty now flooded by StaffordLake, and having Miss Gertrude Laneas his teacher. His classmates werechildren from the Corda, Grossi, andLeveroni ranches.

● Getting a shot in the arm forsomething at Burdell School.

● The children at Burdell Schoolall dressing in black to celebrateHalloween.

● Moving with his family to a

house on nine acres on SimmonsLane.

● Transferring to NovatoGrammar School and having MissMcGowan, Miss Reese, Miss Clark,Mrs. Steele and Miss Sutton as histeachers.

● Getting disciplined by MissSutton with a hard whack by a ruleracross his hand and then having to goto Dr. Weseman to have a fingernailremoved because it festered.

● Miss Sutton was a great teacher—but we didn’t know it at the time.You could be a “blockhead,” but youknew plenty when you left her class.

● His classmates and friends:Anna Anderson, Joe Giari, ThelmaJohnson, Robert and WilliamCantua, Jane Ruhlman, BarbaraCardoza, Kenneth Hardman, ArthurHughes, Verna Kidder, Frank

Paladini, Calvin Probasco, LorraineRobertson, Manuel Silva, ManuelSouza, Wayne Westcott and GlennWestlund.

● Miss Edna Baccaglio playingthe piano and leading singing in theauditorium at Novato GrammarSchool.

● Checking out books in thelibrary in the upstairs of theCommunity House where ElsieAndersen was the librarian.

● Having fun on the slide andmerry-go-round, and playing baseballon the upper playground on the hill atNovato Grammar School.

● Dr. Weseman was well respect-ed by everyone in town, and he had agreat “bedside manner.”

● The day his brother, George, hithim in the eye with a hatchet by acci-

From the Staff Deskby Samantha Kimpel

Museum Curator




pegs are always perfect,” commentedfellow player Jack Sparrow.

● Oscar Houge, a resident ofVirginia Avenue, complained to thecounty sheriff’s office that Novato’sold cemetery at Simmons Lane andVirginia Avenue was being desecratedby vandals. Graves have been tram-pled, head stones and grave markersknocked down and garbage dumpedin the cemetery.

● Peter Nave, 94, patriarch of awell-known Marin County family,died the end of May in a San Rafaelhospital. (He was the father ofWilliam Nave of San Rafael, LouisNave, the late Fred Nave, Mrs. FrankScott, all of Novato, and CatherineSheldon of San Francisco). Mr. Nave

Novato–50 Years AgoContinued from Page N-3

Novato’s TreasuresD. L. HAYDEN HOME

This home, built by Daniel Leonard Hayden, was completed in the Spring of 1892.The Sausalito News reported on January 15, 1892 “The houses and cottages beingerected by Hon. J.W. Atherton, D.L. Hayden, Joe Guibbini and G.H. Albers are fastnearing completion.” It was begun, again according to the News, in October 1891.Mrs. Hayden (Charlotte Cornelia Haven) may have only lived in the home for a cou-ple of months. The News reported on May 20, 1892 that she had died at the age of41 years, 6 months and 20 days. Mr. Hayden was a school trustee in 1889 and rep-resented Novato at the County Republican Convention in 1890. Dr. and Mrs.Hermann Conradt are known to have lived in the home in the early 1900’s. Dr.Conradt, a dentist, was a Justice of the Peace. The home has had many, many usesincluding the Maison Marin and Little Sweden Restaurants. Today (1975) it is occu-pied by the Moose Lodge. Advance Photo. Reprint Stewart’s Novato Photo. Editor’sNote: Today we know the house as the Hilltop Restaurant.

came to Novato in1896 to establish alarge produce farm know as the“Cabbage Patch” on the site of thepresent Nave Shopping Center. Hiswell-known Novato produce farmsupplied fresh vegetables throughoutMarin County for many years. Mr.Nave was born in Italy.

● Harold L. Wingate, seamanapprentice, U. S. Navy, graduatedfrom Nuclear Weapons School, April25, at the Naval Training Center,Great Lakes, Illinois.

● A daughter was born to Mr. andMrs. Owen Haught on May 24 at SanRafael General Hospital.

● Men and equipment are to beshifted June 16 to the new No. 2Novato Fire Station on South Novato

c. 1900The original building. The front of thebuilding is now the side—the best view.

March 2008. Now the HilltopRestaurant. Additions completelysurround the original building.

Boulevard and the station placed inoperation. A fire truck and a jeep willbe moved from the Grant Avenue firestation. In 3 months a brand new firetruck will be delivered to the district.

The last class of Novatans graduat-ed from San Rafael High School onJune 13. The future Novato seniorswill be graduating from Novato HighSchool. Sixty-five Novato studentsof the 287 student class of 1958 grad-uated on the San Rafael High athleticfield.

● Joan Smith will become thebride of Karl Olson on June 29 at thePresbyterian Church in Novato.

● Mrs. Earl Siegal, wife of aNovato Pediatrician, started her carand found it was not in tip-top work-ing order. The horn would not workso Mrs. Siegal went to Smith andSjoblom service station. WhenCharlie Smith lifted the hood hefound 4 young kittens not more thana day old. They were returned to theSiegal home on 4th Street to be unit-ed with the mother cat.

● Postmaster James M. Morrisasked “How would you like to pay 8cents to send a letter to SanFrancisco?” That may sound fantas-tic, especially when we are able tomail any letter from Novato to anycity in North America for only 3 centsan ounce: for 3 cents an ounce moreyou can send it air mail. Our earlypostal service did charge the 8 centsfor a short trip of 30 miles, and therates were based on the number ofsheets of paper in the letter. Weight ofthe letter had nothing to do with thecost.

● Emil Adams was scheduled tocome before the Marin CountyPlanning Commission on April 21 toseek a use permit to construct a serv-ice station on the Northwest corner ofFifth and Grant. The proposed serv-ice station site is across the streetfrom the Town and CountryShopping Center and the EpiscopalChurch.

WelcomeNew GuildMembers

Through March 31, 2008Jack BurgiCatherine Anne TaitUpgraded to Life Membership:Adair RogersMichael Sandbach

Please support ourGuild business members:

Acme Digital andScreen Graphics*

Bank of Marin*House of Daniels, Inc.Kelly Associates

Architects, AIAKitchen at 868 GrantMarin Landscape Materials*McIsaac Dairy*Novato Horsemen*Now and Then Antiques*Pini HardwareSuburban Alternatives

Land Trust*The Wright Salon*Zenith Instant Printing**Thank you to our businessmembers who have renewedfor 2008.If you have questions about

membership call EdnaManzoni, Membership

Chairman, 415-892-9603.

A gift membership alwaysmeets the need for that personwho has everything.

Memorial PlaquesFrances (Lopus) and

Frank Manzoni


base in the 1960s has arranged for areunion of her father’s squadron atHamilton this summer. The men andtheir families will be coming fromthroughout the United States. Insome history museums, stations areset up where visitors, such as in thisgroup, can either videotape or recordtheir personal histories.

In the future, the Hamilton Museumwill be an important collection point

and repository for the stories of veter-ans, former workers, and former andcurrent Novatans as they visit thebase.

Please contact me at the museum ifyou would like to be involved in thecollection of oral histories atHamilton, or if you are interested indonating items to the HamiltonCollection.

Volunteer UpdatesOn March 4, 2008, we recognized

the contributions of our many won-derful volunteers and welcomed afew new volunteers (thank youBobbie Kettler and Bob Wilkinsonfor signing on to work with the 3rdgrade tours). Our amazing 3rd GradeTour Docent Team convened at thattime to sign up to lead this spring’s3rd grade tours that day, as well.

As mentioned above, I will beworking more on developing the col-lection of oral histories, both forHamilton and life in Novato. If youwould like to tell your story, or wouldlike to assist with the collection ofstories, please let us know.

And, as always, thank you to all thewonderful Novato Historical Guildmembers and friends who contributeso much to keeping the guild andmuseum a vital part of Novato life.

From the Staff DeskContinued from Page N-5

passed around for the Board toreview.

Curator’s Report – The flagpolelocated in the front courtyard of themuseum is in disrepair and needs tobe removed. Ray Dwelly volunteeredto remove the pole after we get Cityapproval. Much discussion followedregarding what, if anything, willreplace the flagpole.

Hamilton Museum – Ray Dwellyreported that he and two other com-mittee members met with the newCity Engineer, who is assigned to theHamilton Museum Project, to gethim “up to speed.” The abatementwork should begin in 2 to 3 weeks.To save money, committee membersdecided to change out the museumwindows instead of salvaging them.

Board HighlightsContinued from Page N-4

Ann Lehan, Cindy Motsinger, and Janice Bazurto are in charge of the 3rd grade school tours.


Docent Susan Trumbull,wearing a period dress,

conducts a tour of the interiorof our museum during theweekly 3rd grade student tour.This week the students werefrom Lynwood School.

T eachers, parents and stu-dents all participate in our

weekly 3rd grade museum toursand guided tours of old-townNovato. This event is obviouslyenjoyed by all--look at thesmiles. Mrs. Francis is theteacher, Edna Manzoni ourdocent.

Docent Celinda Current(left) is shown conducting

the walking tour. The class isdivided into thirds and rotatethrough the various sectionsof the museum and old-towntours. This feature keeps thegroups smaller and moremanageable.

Third GradeSchoolTours

by Mike Clancy


Growing Up inNovato, Circa1950’s

By Pat Baseheart VachiniOur new house on Novato Blvd.

was ready to move into in Decemberof 1949. I was so excited becausenow I’d be able to go to school.

After Christmas vacation, I climbedthe steep steps to Grant School to beregistered as a kindergartener. But forsome reason, I wasn’t allowed toenroll and had to wait untilSeptember arrived to start first grade.Mrs. Olson was my teacher and thebig, old classroom complete withcloakroom was filled with smilingfaces—6 year old Novatans whowould remain my friends for life!

After that first day, I came homedisappointed because I didn’t learn toread!

My real memories start with 2ndgrade. Mrs. Estelle Moretti, who wasin her second year of teaching, wasmy teacher. (Who could have foretoldthat 20 years later she would be my 3son’s teacher at another GrantElementary School in Petaluma!!)She was such a teacher. I remembersinging America the Beautiful andanxiously awaiting my turn to use thepointer to point to pictures ofAmerica hanging above the black-board in the front of the room. In theplayground, we learned circle dancesto the tunes of “Jolly is the Miller”and “O-Johnny-O” played on a littlerecord player with a long extensioncord.

We collected dimes for the RedCross and brought a quarter a weekfor milk and graham crackers everyday and another quarter for bank day.

Novato was growing. Grant Schoolwas closed and a brand new MarionStreet School was opened for my 3rdgrade year.

From the Friday, August 10, 1945 issue of the Novato AdvanceMajor Meredith Wilson left last Thursday by plane for Manila, where he has been transferred.

Major Wilson was stationed at Hamilton Field for a number of years and made his home in Novatowhere his wife and family will remain.

Dr. and Mrs. R. J. Weseman and daughter Fern returned home Sunday from a week’s vacationspent at Lake Tahoe.

Stella Bacigalupi is visiting relatives in San Francisco this week.Mr. and Mrs. E. A. Sheroni are spending a few days vacation at their home here on Novato

Blvd. Mr. Sheroni is one of the proprietors of the “Wishing Well” tavern in San Francisco. Ensign Bob Busher, Merchant Marine, arrived in San Francisco this week, and is visiting his

mother, Mrs . W. H. Busher, while his ship is in port. Miss Elizabeth Alberelli left Wednesday, August 1, for Syracuse, Kansas for a 30-day visit with

friends. Paul Rubenstein, 10-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. Mrs. Arturo Rubenstein, is visiting at the

home of Mr. and Mrs. C. J. Durbrow for a short while. Mrs. Durbrow recently attended theHollywood Bowl Concert in Los Angeles, and when she returned she brought the young man withher.

Mrs. Eugene Threadgall and young son are visiting her parents in San Francisco for a week. Miss Eileen Wilson was one of the guest artists at the San Francisco Stage Door Canteen last

Thursday evening. Mr. and Mrs. John Vanderhoof with their daughter, Mrs. A. A. Durpe and her young son,

Michael John, are visiting at the Milch ranch at Black Point. The Vanderhoof home is inShanghai, China, but they were stranded in the United States at the outset of the war.

Mr. and Mrs. Jack Sparrow were in San Francisco Wednesday evening, where with other mem-bers of the family and friends, they met Mrs. Sparrow’s father, Lt. Col. A. N. Whitman who hasjust returned from many months duty in England.

My earliest memories of Novato areliving on Railroad Avenue and myfather coming home from the war. Itwas Christmas and my brother and Iboth ran to turn on the tree lights - wetipped the tree over - Welcome home,Dad!

W.J.J.Smith and family lived closeby, and I remember playing with Janand Gwen on that great porch that sur-rounded their home. I remember,painfully, catching the mumps fromMr. Smith!

We lived in that house until I wasfive and then we moved to 1819Novato Blvd. where my parents hadbuilt a home and veterinary hospital inthe back. To me, the house was a man-sion and I had my own bedroom. Ialso had the best backyard imaginable

Due to space constraints Pat’smemories will be continued in ournext issue.

for kids - creek at the back of theproperty, big field next door to rideour horses and a barn to play in withmy friends. Robert and AndrinaRuzick became our playmates - thebig brothers versus the little sisters!

Then the BIG day arrived - I got togo to school. My first day at schoolwas not as scary for me as for othersbecause I had my “big brother,” MikeStafford, to help me. I remember thatafter we climbed the large stone stepsgoing up to school and were out-of-sight from our mother, he told me,“You’re on your own!” Those wordsheld true until we graduated fromhigh school! I entered Mrs.Lockwood’s kindergarten class with35 other energetic five year olds. In

Growing up in NovatoBy Sue Stafford Davis


A Little Bird Told MeBy Barbara Sparrow


dent, and then hid him under the stairsof the house.

● His neighbors: Fred Harnecke,Andy Anderson, Bill Johnson,Ramsey White and the Kidder familyon Feliz Road, Dick Christie, and BillPalmer on Novato Creek.

● The sound of the milk cansclanking together on the Borden’smilk truck when it stopped at the stoplight on the 101 next to NovatoGrammar School.

● The Greyhound buses thatwould stop in Novato to pick up anddrop off many passengers.

● Graduating from NovatoGrammar School in June of 1940 inthe Community House, and MissSutton saying we were the best classshe ever had.

● Catching the San Rafael HighSchool bus at the corner of Virginiaand Simmons Lane.

● Shopping at H. Pini & Co.,Fragosa’s Dry Goods Store,

Rayburn’s Market, D’Ambrogio’sMarket, Meyers and Torassa Bakeriesand the little Balz Store on SimmonsLane.

● Meyers Bakery had the bestdoughnuts in town.

● Seeing Jid Baccaglio workingat Henry Hess Lumber Co.

● The many chicken ranches allover Novato - including the Balz,Singleton, Anderson, Harnecke, andMcIntosh ranches on Simmons Lane.

● Curly McIntosh was the roadboss for Marin County and the coun-ty yard was at his place at the end ofSimmons Lane.

● His job of cleaning three chick-en houses using a homemade wheel-barrow for Fred Balz and earningfifty cents a house and lunch. He alsocleaned out chicken houses for AndyAnderson and Bill Johnson.

● Swimming in Novato Creek inthe swimming hole behind the Kidderand Frost properties on Feliz Road.

Novato boys also swam in theWright-Owens slough north of town.

● Seeing the silent movies thatwere shown at night outside behindthe firehouse on Grant Ave. duringthe summertime.

● The big grass fire on Mt.Burdell in the 1930’s that burned fora week. It burned from the LeveroniRanch all the way down to 7th Streetin town.

● Marrying his wife, Lee Valim,in 1948 in Our Lady of LorettoChurch on Grant Avenue.

● The nights when free disheswere given away to patrons at theNovato Theater.

● Picking pears on the GuthRanch on Novato Boulevard andusing a “ring” to size them as theywere picked. He earned five cents abox and made $7.00 in a week andbought his first bicycle with his pearpicking money.

● Another job was stacking hayat Tubb’s Island off Highway 37 forthe Cardoza family.

● H. Pini & Company storedfeed in the building where the VikingBar is now located.

● Bill Johnson started his garagein a tin building on Grant Avenue andthen moved to the site on the 101where the Viking Bar now stands.

● Learning to drive using hisdad’s Model T Ford, and taking outhalf the vineyard in the process.

● Watching the NovatoHorsemen and Portuguese paradesmarch down Grant Avenue.

● Dancing the Chamarita in theI.D.E.S.I. Hall.

● Serving in the U.S. Army from1943 to 1946.

● Hauling milk from the F.Ranch by horse and wagon toRudolff’s Cheese Factory.

● Started hauling hay for JuliusPetersen in 1939, and then haulingmilk cans from the Bull Tail Ranch in

Novato MemoriesContinued from Page N-5


those days, the curriculum for kinder-garten was to learn to stand in line,follow directions, take a nap on a matand be quiet. (I still haven’t masteredthe last!) Recess was always fun -especially on the big metal merry-go-round. I remember the playgroundlooked like a giant parking lot - nograss, just asphalt which was toughon little knees. I loved Mrs.Lockwood - she was young andalways very understanding andpatient. I thought her worthy to haveone of my Pekingese puppies at theend of the year, because I had sur-vived my first year of school with her,and I knew she could raise a puppy!

In first grade, I met my best friend,Patsy Basehart, and even today weare best friends. I can remembersinging “America, the Beautiful”after the Pledge of Allegiance eachday, and hoping I would get to be the

Sue’s MemoriesContinued from Page N-9

lucky one to hold the pointer to pointat each picture above the blackboard.In those early years, I recall belong-ing to Brownies and meeting in thekitchen of the old firehouse on Grantand 101.

My “social life” revolved aroundplaying with my classmates. OnFriday nights my parents would takeus to the Novato Theater. Saturdaymornings my mom would drop us offfor the Saturday matinee and if wewere lucky, we got to go again onSunday when the movie changed.Good thing the movies were only 25cents back then! During Christmas,after the Saturday movies, we wouldgo to the firehouse to see Santa andget a red mesh stocking full of candyand an orange.

Due to space constraints Sue’smemories will be continued in ournext issue.


Membership FormPlease mail checks to Novato Historical Guild, 75 Rowland Way, Suite 200, Novato, CA 94945.Yes, I want to join the Novato Historical Guild and help preserve Novato history! new renewal

The Gift ShoppeThe Museum Gift Shoppe has the perfect unique Novato gift!

Lucas Valley to Spreckles Dairy inSan Francisco.

● Drove milk truck for JuliusPetersen hauling 10 gallon cans ofmilk from numerous Marin andSonoma dairies to Borden’s Dairy. Hepicked up milk from the PachecoRanch in Indian Valley and the

Ferrera Dairy on the F Ranch onVineyard Road.

● Fred DeLucchi being Novato’sspeed cop who ticketed many speed-ers going though town.

● Bruno Schultz waving his caneand calling out “You Hella Ba Devil!”to kids he thought were misbehaving.

Student (full time) membership $5 yearIndividual membership $15 yearFamily membership $25 yearPatron membership $100 yearSupporting membership $200 yearLife membership, individual $350Life membership, joint $500Benefactor $1,000 yearBusiness membership $50 yearCorporate membership $1,000 year

Name ______________________________Address ____________________________City ________________________________State __________________ ZIP_________Phone ______________________________Additional donations? __________________Interested in volunteering? ______________

Books & Pamphlets• Novato Township* the definitive history of Novato

by May Ungemach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $30.50• A Traveler’s Guide to Historic California . . . . . . . . . $40.00• Hamilton Airfield History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $2.00

Videos & CD’s• Hamilton Field History (VHS). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $25.00• Novato History (VHS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $15.00• Novato History (CD) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $10.00

(available only through the museum)Sweatshirts (S, M, L, & XL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $20.00

• Novato History Museum (blue or green)Ornaments

• Novato History Museum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $7.00• Hamilton History Museum. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $10.00• Novato City Hall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $10.00

We accept VISA or MASTERCARD* All proceeds from the sale of Novato Township go directly to the support of the History Museum.All prices include sales tax. Add $5 - $8 for shipping and handling charge, depending on number of items and weight.Supporting and Life Members receive a 10% discount at the Gift Shoppe!

T-Shirts (M, L, & XL). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $11.00• Guild Historic Buildings (3 designs):Postmaster’s House, City Hall/Church, Railroad Depot

Miscellaneous• Novato Historic Buildings Notecard Sets . . . . . . . . . $10.00• Guild Tote Bags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $5.00• Ceramic Thimble . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $1.00• Novato History Collector Cards. . . $3 per pack or 30¢ each• Hamilton Field Historic Picture Reproductions. . . . . $10.00• Mugs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $5.00• Laminated Place Mat (11 x 14) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $5.00

(available only at the museum)Leather Goods

• Coin Purse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $15.00• Business Card Holder. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $12.50• Small Purse. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $23.00

Novato MemoriesContinued from Page N-10

● Old Novato families with thenames: Torassa, Meyers, Silva, Valim,McPherson, Gnoss, Manzoni,Carlisle, Baccaglio, Nave,D’Ambrogio, Simmons and Rayburn.

● The biggest change in Novatotoday is that are so many morepeople.


NOVATO HISTORY MUSEUMCOME VISIT AND BRING A FRIEND! • 815 DeLong Avenue

The Museum is open 3 days a week—Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday—Noon to 4 p.m. • 897-4320Closed Major Holidays

“Old Timers’ Day” andGeneral Membership Meeting

of the

Novato Historical GuildSaturday, May 31, 2008—noon

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Time Value

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PAIDNOVATO, CA

PERMIT NO. 138

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The program will feature a 50th Anniversary Celebration of the1958 Eighth Grade Graduating Class of Marion School.

NOVATO HISTORICAL GUILD75 Rowland Way, Suite 200Novato, CA 94945

April- June 2008 Volume 32, Number 2The Novato Historian

The Quarterly Publication of theNovato Historical Guild and the Novato History Museum

Preserving Novato’s HistoryFeature Section

Contents © 2008 Novato Historical Guild, Inc.

Is there gold in them there hills?To anyone arriving in Novato in the past quarter

century there doesn’t appear to be much subterraneanactivity. Certainly the idea of seeking one’s fortune byexporting our soil seems foreign to us. However, at vari-ous times in the past our residents felt differently.

Our earliest records in the valley relate to the late1800’s. Easterners began invading the Spanish landgrants about 1850, and for the most part these new com-ers (and the residents they encountered) were attracted bythe benign climate and fertile land. However, to the Eastin the Sierra Nevada mountains the attraction was gold,and San Francisco was a major port of entry for the hardrock miners. In 1863 something in Marin caught theattention – and imagination – of the gold seekers. Withintwo days (June 19, and June 20, 1863) no less than eightmining claims were recorded for the Novato area.[Marin County Records for 1863 pages 531 through 538]

The common denominator for these filings seems tobe one G. F. Van Hollen, [1] who is listed as the “discov-erer” of four of the veins and who owned shares in threeothers. It is interesting that Peter Smith (who partneredwith our first postmaster, Henry Jones, in both a DeerIsland cattle operation and in “Our House,” Novato’s ear-liest retail store and bar) was a player in this mining bub-ble. He was credited as the discoverer of the “Smithledge” on Deer Island which was claimed by the SmithGold and Silver Mining Company’s 16 shareholders.Smith was one of the 16 shareholders in the BlackCanyon Silver and Copper Mining Company, whereverin Novato township that was located. (Some notices donot specify the geographic location, they only refer to thelocation of the claim as being in the Novato Township,Marin County.) Smith’s partner Henry Jones also partici-

pated in the Black Canyon venture as did J. G. Haven,another well known local. Smith held shares in theIndian Valley Silver and Copper Mining Company, as didone “Thomas Sweezer” and one “William Atherton”among 11 others. (We don’t know whether these menwere connected to the Novato pioneer families.) FinallySmith joined Van Hollen, Adolphus Scown and four oth-ers in the Peacock Silver and Copper Company’s claimsomewhere in the Novato township. Mr. Scown alsoinvested in the Schweisau Gold and Silver MiningCompany, along with 16 others to exploit a ledge ofquartz discovered on Deer Island by Ernest Schweisau.The Novato Gold and Silver Mining Company only hadsix investors for their Deer Island vein, includingSchweisau and Joseph Angolloni. [2] Mr. Schweisau didnot participate in the Deer Island Gold and Silver MiningCompany, but he was the person responsible for therecordation of these last three notices. The seventhcompany was the Blue Ledge Gold and Silver MiningCompany, owned by 13 shareholders including V. D.Doub, John Sweetzer and Andrew Sweetzer, whose claimlocation is not geographically identified. The NovatoGold and Silver Mining Company had 5 shareholdersincluding Schweisau and Joseph Angelloni.

The Marin County Journal of June 27, 1863, in its“Local and Miscellaneous” column on page 3 lists 15mining claim recordations under this comment: “STILLTHEY COME ! – The following mining claims havebeen recorded since our last issue:” In addition to theabove companies the Journal lists the Hog-eye in whichPeter Smith was an investor; the Crosby in which JohnSweetzer and J. G. Haven held shares; the Von in whichA. Sweetzer and A. Scown held shares and the Store Oakall of which were in the Novato area. These last three

Novato Underground:Mining in Novato

By John A. Trumbull

The Novato Historian

F-2 April-June 2008The Novato Historian

claims were also part of Van Hollen’s mining empire.Novato was not the only area of speculation.

Claims were being filed in Sausalito, in Bolinas, in SanRafael and on Mt. Tamalpais as well. Witness the opti-mism expressed by the Journal on May 30, 1863:

OUR MINES – The “San Rafael Gold andSilver Mining Company” have [sic] com-menced work on their claim. During the pastweek they have shipped five tuns [sic] of rockto San Francisco to be crushed and worked asa further test of its quality. If this shipmentproves as rich as that heretofore worked, thecompany will proceed immediately to theerection of the necessary machinery for crush-ing the rock on the ground. The prospectsheretofore obtained by this company fromtheir rock were from $12 to $17 ½ to the tun,[sic] in fine gold, worth $21 to the ounce.

“Can any good come out of Nazareth?” wasonce said in derision of an obscure and unpre-tentious district in the land of Judea; yet itsname became famed, and connected with themost important event in the history of ourrace. May not the capital of our obscure andunpretending little county yet become famedamong her gorgeously gold and silver bespan-gled sister counties who flout their wealth andfame to the four corners of the earth.

A Journal follow up on August 1, 1863, reads:

SAN RAFAEL MINES – What has the SanRafael mine come to? We have heard noresults of the labor that has been expendedupon them, further than that five or six tunnelswere being pushed into Tamalpais, one ofwhich had reached the ledge and the rock wassatisfactory. If they are as rich as all the spec-imens we have seen indicated, and one-tenthso much so as the San Francisco assayersmade them to be they are certainly worthy[sic] the attentions of miners and capitalists.We would be glad to have some report ofthose who are working their claims.Enthusiasm must have waned, however, because

on November 7, 1863, the Journal reported on page 3:

OUR MINES – Some few months ago quitean excitement was manifested in our midst bythe astounding intelligence that gold, silverand copper rock had been found in the hillsadjacent to San Rafael. Claims were taken upand recorded, and for a short time theRecorder done [sic] a “land office business” inthat line. But little work was done on the

claims taken up, and with unsatisfactoryresults. The whole matter, in our opinion, wasthe scheme of sharpers, which has resulted ina “grand fizzle.” That mineral does exist in ourcounty, there is no question, but not in suffi-cient quantities to pay for the expense ofobtaining it.On February 6, 1864, notice was printed in the

Journal that the Stock of the Cassiopeia Mining Companywould be sold at auction on March 10 to pay assessmentsdue thereon. Val Doub and J. Angelloni [2] are two of thenamed shareholders.

The interest was not over entirely, however. OnJune 11, 1864, the Journal reported:

COPPER MINES - We hear encouragingreports from the Bolinas and Novato mines.At the former place two companies are push-ing forward their tunnels with vigor, and aresanguine of success. At Novato the companyare [sic] sinking a shaft, and we are informedtheir prospects are highly flattering.[Editor’s note: If any of our readers can locate this

shaft for the Guild’s records, we would be both interestedand grateful for your assistance.]

On July 2, 1864 the Journal confirmed Major Hugheswas still hopeful:

SAN RAFAEL GOLD AND SLIVER MIN-ING COMPANY – On Tuesday last MajorHughes shipped a ton of rock, taken from thetunnel of the above named Company, to SanFrancisco, for the purpose of testing the valuethereof. As yet no returns have been made.

There is evidence of continued tunnel mining in Nicasioin articles appearing in the Journal on March 28, October31 and November 28 of 1878, and February 27, 1879, butinterest in Novato’s resources seems to have subsided. The streets of San Francisco

This is not the end of the story, however.According to data developed by Al Pariani and BillPalmer in an article published by the Guild in 1994 basedon information from the California Journal of Mines andGeology, Mt. Burdell was the source of hundreds ofthousands of hand shaped andesite paving blocks. Sincepaving blocks were often used for ballast on sailingships, when next you admire a cobblestone street inEurope, check to see if there is a country of origin stampcrediting Novato as the source of the materials. Some ofthe retaining walls and foundations in San Franciscoprior to the 1907 earthquake had their origin on Mt.Burdell. The blocks were brought down the mountain onthe east side by horse drawn sleds and wagons to aboutwhere the Novato Motel is today. (The wagons had aheavy pole inserted through the rear wheels to prevent

April-June 2008 F-3The Novato Historian

their rotation and then they followed a zig-zag routedown to retain control.) From there they were floateddown Basalt Creek to Black John Slough for transfer tothe schooners that plied the Petaluma River. The southside operation lowered the blocks by means of a funicu-lar type railroad (gravity) to a point near the presentPartridge Knolls area where they were loaded on wagonsfor the trip to the loading dock on Novato Creek thatconnected to San Pablo Bay.

Richard E. (Bud) Rush Jr, explains that the advan-tage of this mountain for cobble stone production lay inthe fact that the hard blue rock was found in layers sepa-rated by waterintruded claymaterial, ratherlike a stack ofOreo cookies.The layers couldbe pealed apart,washed clean andbroken into cobblestones for trans-portation as abovenoted. The BaliHai Motel com-plex is built onyears of this rinseresidue. Evidencesof this quarryingoperation are stillvisible to the ener-getic who walkthe road to themicrowave towersat the summit.

There wereat least three othersources of pavingblocks. The F.C. DeLong Quarry was on the land of theNovato Rancho, although its precise position was notrevealed in the article. It was noted as being in operationas late as 1894. A certain John Taylor had a quarry whichwas employing from eight to ten men in April 1894, andit was near Novato. The Gallagher Quarry, three milesnorth of Novato reportedly produced 125,000 pavingblocks during 1895, which was the last year in which thisproduct was recorded.The hole that Buck bought

In the 1950s, pursuant to a grandfathered permit, aSan Rafael man was operating a quarry on Mt. Burdellwhere the Buck Institute now sits. In 1956, Richard E.Rush Sr. saw the potential of the quarry for supplyingmaterial for the Novato freeway bypass and its extensionthrough the “Novato Narrows” to Petaluma. Rush hadextensive experience providing base rock and asphalt

quarry material for construction projects in Washingtonstate and throughout California. He had operated thecrushing plant in Orinda used for the highway 80 exten-sion from the Bay Bridge to Richmond, a commercialquarry at Rockaway Beach in Pacifica, a plant in Mercedfor runway renovation of Castle AFB, one in Riversidefor the runway renovation of March AFB, and one inMarysville for the runway renovation at Beale AFB.Rush brought his family and several families of men whohad moved with him to these various jobs to Novato, andwith a partner formed the Marin Rock and AsphaltCompany which purchased and expanded the marginally

economic Burdelloperation. Underthe managementof Rush, extensivemodern equipmentwas installed toproduce crushedrock of all sizesand uses: drainrock, aggregate forconcrete andasphalt, and road-way base rock.Production of baserock wasincreased fromabout 500 tons perday to a rate ofbetween 2000 and4000 tons per day,and asphalt pro-duction wasincreased fromaround 200 tonsper day to 1000 ormore tons per day.

The Burdell Quarry became a significant source of con-struction aggregates for the road building industry. In1960, the operation was sold to the Basalt RockCompany Inc. who presided over the gradual terminationof activities there by 1964. It is ironic that the freewayprojects for which Rush acquired the quarry were noteven begun by the time the quarry was closed or even bythe time of his death in 1965. In fact the NovatoNarrows widening has not started as of the time of thewriting of this article.

Bud Rush relates the story of a local tragedy thatoccurred during the most active period of the MarinRock and Asphalt era at the quarry. One of the familiesthat had traveled with the Rush family from project toproject as friends and coworkers was the Culwell family,and they moved to Novato to work with Mr. Rush. MikeCulwell and “Bud” Rush were best friends. In August1957 Bud was a sophomore and member of the first

A view of the Burdell Quarry in the 1950’s

F-4 April-June 2008The Novato Historian

class at Novato High School, Mike was a freshman andmember of the Novato High football team. Both boysworked at the quarry part time. To make asphalt a seriesof metal hoppers or boxes containing various sizes ofrock and the washed sand were lined up over a long con-veyer belt. As the belt proceeded to the plant where theoil was added, the exit doors of the various hoppers wereadjusted to provide the desired combination of ingredi-ents. Since the sand had been washed prior to going intothe hopper, there was a tendency for it to clump or stickto sides of the hopper bin. One of the jobs the boys per-formed was to stand at the top of the sand hopper with20 foot long poles, and poke the damp sand to keep itfrom clumping on the sides of the feed funnel or fromforming a block in the exit at the bottom of the funnel.In August 1957, while doing this job without using therestraining harness, Mike lost his balance and fell intothe hopper. The downward sliding action of the dampsand sucked him into the pile at the bottom of the funnel,and he died of suffocation. This loss hit Novato hardbecause it was the first high school death here, and forthe Rush family it was the first fatality in over 30 yearsof quarrying. This tragic loss was compounded when thefollowing year Mike’s father died by being crushed in arollover accident while running a skip loader at the quar-ry. Rush says those were the only two fatalities duringthe thirty years his father managed quarrying operations.

Bud’s brother-in-law, Len Genetin of Novato, was thelast heavy equipment operator at the quarry when it wasfinally closed.

Other sources of construction aggregate and fillmaterial from Novato during the go-go days of the1950’s and 60’s were from the Palmer gravel pit onNovato Creek and the Pozzi Pit on San Antonio Creek.The Black Point Aggregates company worked a site inBlack Point in the 1950’s, and on the west side of Mt.Burdell there was a quarry that operated until the 1990’s.The mine at the top of the hill

There is one more mining operation of which Ihave some information that will be of interest to those ofyou who live in the vicinity of Hayes Street and MonroeCourt. The flattened hilltop between Novato Highschool and Rancho School was during World War II(1942 – 45) the Knutte manganese mine, owned andoperated by L.R. Knutte, husband to the late TeresaKnutte and father of Esther Knutte Berthinier. It was nota tunneling operation, but rather an “open pit” mine onwhat was then called Red Hill. The ore was taken toTracy to be smelted.

[1] The name in the Marin County Journal is“Geo. Van Holland”.

[2] This name may be “Angellotti”

Another view of the Burdell Quarry in the 1950’s

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