| area up to 1800 |
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The Coast Miwok Indians occupied Ross Valley and its environs. They were a gentle people wyho lived softly on the land gathering berries, seeds and acorns, hunting game and fishing the streams. There were seven mounds in what is now the Town of Ross. |
| 1800-1830 |
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Coast Miwok culture and local population decimated by Spanish incursion and the settlement in 1817 of Mission San Raphael with its vast land holding. Reduced by disease, the survivors moved away from their land. |
| 1834 |
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After the Mexican Revolution of 1822, the "Land Grant" system of parceling out land comes to what we now know as Marin County. |
| 1840 |
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Captain Juan B. R. Cooper, a sea captain from Boston, was granted "Rancho Punta de Quentin" (an 8,877 acre property) by Mexican Governor Juan Bautista Alvarado. Cooper was licensed to hunt otter, prevalent at the mouth of the Corte Madera Creek |
| 1848 |
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Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ended the war between the United States and Mexico. California was annexed to the United States. Gold was discovered in California. Gold Fever brought thousands to California, some to Marin. This signaled the end of the "Spanish Era." |
| 1849 |
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James Ross, a Scot from Inverness Shire, Scotland, came to California to find gold, leaving his wife, Annie, and three children waiting behind him in Australia. |
| 1852 |
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"Rancho
Punta de Quentin" sold by Juan Cooper to Benjamin Buckelew for
$50,000 in gold coin. Buckelew continued the timbering and sold 20 acres
to the State of California for a prison site (San Quentin today). The
price was $10,000.
Annie Ross and children arrived from Australia and joined James; living in San Francisco where James had established a successful wholesale liquor business. |
| 1857 |
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James Ross (for whom the Town of Ross is named) bought "Rancho Punta de Quentin," from Buckelew for $50,000 in gold coin, continued timbering the land, established Ross Landing (now Kentfield Corners) and ran tri-weekly packet schooners from there to San Francisco. The Ross family moved into the Buckelew home (the site is 111 Redwood Drive today) and planted extensive gardens. Ross became a country "Squire." |
| 1862 |
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James Ross died, age 50, living only five years on the "Rancho." |
| 1863 |
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Annie Ross, the Ross' eldest daughter, married George Austin Worn. The young couple chose a rancho site of 21 acres and built their estate, naming it "Sunnyside," site of the Marin Art and Garden Center. |
| 1864 |
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The first building constructed at Sunnyside was this Octagon House designed as a tank house for the well on the property. The tank was housed on the second floor while the first floor served as the newlywed's temporary dwelling until the main house was completed in 1865. The Worns were interested in horticulture and planted many lovely trees, including the magnificent Magnolia grandiflora that stands in the center of the lawn today. From their extensive travels abroad, the Worns brought back many specimen plants that still beautify the Art and Garden Center grounds. |
| 1865 |
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The Worn family moved into their "Sunnyside" home. |
| 1866 | Ross
Landing School was built (site of Kentfield Fire House today).
William Barber, one of the first purchasers of the Ross estate acquired 71 acres, 61 acres of which comprises "Winship Park" in Ross and the remainder, the "Barber Tract" in San Anselmo. |
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| 1870 | Probate
proceedings strated on the James Ross will. Annie Ross was forced to
sell large parcels of her land to meet the stipulations of James' will
Albert Dibblee bought 78 acres named "Fernhill" and the Ross estate. Mr. Dibblee was given permission to continue use of the name. The Branson School occupies some of that land today Annie Ross Worn and her four children went abroad for a two yuear European tour. Livery stables were built, now the site of the Ross Garage Building. |
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| 1872 | Annie Ross Worn returned from Europe. George Worn suffered financial reverses in the Comstock Mines. TheWorn family temporarily vacated "Sunnyside" and moved to San Francisco. | |
| 1873 | "North Pacific Coast Railroad" acquired "right-of-way" through Ross Valley for a steam railroad. | |
| 1875 | The Worn family moved back to "Sunnyside." Annie Worn opened her home to boarders. The family remained there until 1879 when they moved to their ranch in San Anselmo (this site is the western part today oif the San Francisco Theological Seminary). | |
| 1881 | San Anselmo Chapel, the first church in Ross was built at the corner of Lagunitas and Sir Francis Drake. The church later became St. John's Episcopal Church, now located at the corner of Shady Lane and Lagunitas Road. | |
| 1882 | Annie
Ross deeded 1.4 acres of land to the North Pacific Coast Railroad with
the stipulation that the Railroad Station be named in memory of her
husband and son.
Jonathan G. Kittle purchased "Sunnyside" for $12,000 after financial reverses necessitated sale by the Worns of their beautiful estate. Mr. Kittle remodeled and enlarged the original home and he and his descendants resided there for over 50 years. In the early 1930's the main home was damaged by fire, but the Octagon house was unharmed. The property lay idle for 15 years. |
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| 1887 | The
first Ross Post Office was erected (present site of Sam the
Butcher).
The widow of James Ross built a smaller house at teh corner of Lagunitas and Ross Common. This home was later moved to Lagunitas Road at Willow where a second story was added. |
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| 1890's | Many beautiful estates were established in Ross by prosperous families from San Francisco looking for country property. Some of the names included, William Barber, James Moore, Clinton Jones, Robert Davis, Pelham Ames, Henry Allen, William Boole, James Coffin, and further down the valley; Hall McAllister and Albert Kent. | |
| 1901 | Annie Ross, widow of James Ross, died | |
| 1903 | The Lagunits Club was founded under the diurection of Mrs. E. G. Schmiedell and Mr. Seward McNear. The club was built around the old "Pink Saloon." Tennis Courts were built on an old Indian shell mound. | |
| 1904 | The first automobiles arrived and chauffeurs met the 5:05 commute train in the newest automobile models instead of the former horse and coach. | |
| 1906 | The Great San Francisco Earthquake brought many fmailies over form San Francisco who decided to reside permanently in Ross. | |
| 1907 | St. Anselm's Catholic Church was built at the corner of Shady Lane and Bolinas Avenue. | |
| 1908 | The first Ross Fire House was erected and the Town of Ross was incorporated. There were 750 dwellings including summer residences. | |
| 1909 | The new Town of Ross contracts to build five reinforce concrete bridges in the Town, hiring now famous bridge designer, John Buck Leonard. This was a farsighted decision by our first trustees. | |
| 1911 | "Ross Common" was given to the Town of Ross by Annie Ross Worn. St. John's Episcopal Church was built on its present site. The property was donated by Mrs. James Coffin. Ross Grammar School was erected. | |
| 1918 | Ross Hospital was founded as a Sanitorium, with 18 beds. | |
| 1922 | Katharine Bransdson School moved to Ross from San Rafael. It offered grades one to eleven and was co-educational through the fourth grade. | |
| 1926 | The Town of Ross voted $100,000 to buy the Shotwell estate upon which to build the present Ross Town Hall and Fire House. | |
| 1927 | Annie Ross Worn died. | |
| 1930 | Mordecai's Soda Fountain and Grocery opened at the corner of Ross Common and Redwood Drive (today commonly known as Eddie's and owned by the Ahrens family). | |
| 1931 | The original Worn/Kittle home was destroyed by fire. | |
| 1937 | The Golden Gate Bridge opened and the population of Ross incresed. | |
| 1941 | The "new" Ross Grammar School was erected on the present site. | |
| 1945 | When
realtors and developers began to cast covetous glances upon the land of
Sunnyside, Caroline (Mrs. Norman) Livermore, President of the Marin Conservation
League, convinced eight organizations of which she was a member that
this beautiful property with its gardens and trees should be preserved
as a cultural center and a living memorial, not only to the dead of
World War II, but of others. A mortgage of $25,000, due in 5
years, was taken out with Mrs. Livermore's home as collateral and
volunteers have been supporting Marin Art & Garden Center ever
since. The Octagon House was quickly put to use as a store-room,
office, meeting room and even a tea room.
The Marin County Fair began being held at the Marin Art & Garden Center annually. |
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| 1958 | A "new" Ross Post Office was built on the site of the old North Pacific Coast Railroad Station. | |
| 1967 | Twenty-five acres of Phoenix Lake land was given by the family of Natalie Coffin Greene for a park in her memory. | |
| 1968 | Helen Moya del Pino authorized the complete restoration of the unusual structure, the Octagon House in memory of her husband Jose Moya del Pino, one of the founders of the Marin Art and Garden Center. It was his inspiration to utilize this charming building as an art and garden reference library. | |
| 1969 | The
Octagon House was moved away from the well to its present site and
placed upon a new foundation. Layers of old paint were removed form the
walls to reveal the original wood (tongue and groove). The second floor
was replaced by a handsome balcony, giving full view of the original
ceiling. All windows were mended and shutters hung. A Williamsburg
chandelier and a circular iron staircase from North Carolina were added,
as well as bookcases and custom-made furniture. Roger Hooper, A.I.A.,
was the architect and Carla Flood, A.I.D., the decorator for this
project. The Octagon House was renamed the "Jose Moya del Pino
Library."
The "Thomas Jefferson" serpentine brick wall surrounding the Marin Art & Garden Center was constructed, a donation from the Stratford family. |
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| 1970 | The Marin County Fair was held at the Marin Art & Garden Center for the last time. After twenty-five years, it moved to the Marin County Civic Center grounds. | |
| 1979 | The "Ross Ditch" was built to contain the flood-prone Ross Creek. | |
| 1982 | The
first "100 Years of Ross Celebration" was held at Ross Common
to commemorate the establishment of Ross Station in 1882.
Dedication took place of the Frederick Allen Park on 20 June 1982. Mr. Allen was Mayor of Ross for seventeen years and proudly carried "ROSS 1" as a personal license plate on his car. |
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| 1983 | The Ross Historical Society was founded to collect, preserve, exhibit and stimulate interest in the history of the Town of Ross and its environs. | |
| 1984 | A
Town Hall Restoration Fund was established by the Ross Historical
Society to raise $25,000 to restore the Town Assembly Hall. Monies and
project fulfilled by November 1985.
Ross was the only Town in Marin County to celebrate the anniversary of "Admission Day" in California 9 September 1850 with a program of speeches, a parade of antique cars, a picnic supper, music and tours of the newly restored Town Hall. |
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| 1986 | Ross Historical Society learned that all five of our concrete bridges were elegible for landmark status and inclusion on the list of the "National Register of Historic Places." This creates great honor and distinction for our Town and the Ross Historical Society moved forward in an effort to preserve the bridges. | |
| 1987 | The
Ross Historical Society received a foundation grant for per review of
the Army Corps of Engineers flood control project in Ross. This was an
educational study to determine what flood control measures and levels of
protection might coexist with the preservation of existing natural and
historical amenities in the Town of Ross.
3 November marked the 100th Anniversary of Postal Service in the Town of Ross. Willis C. Morris, station master was appointed the first Postmaster. |
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| 1994 | The Moya Library became home to the Ross Historical Society and its collection of maps and pictures. Today, ever mindful of our Marin heritage, we offer the Octagon House and its collection of rare books and pictures and a living example of historic preservation. |
