Tiburon in Marin County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)
Hilarita
The Tiburon Peninsula Historical Trail
Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, August 11, 2020
1. Hilarita Marker
(Left photo caption:) The "Hilarita” flagstop station for the Northwest Pacific Railroad, built in 1884, served the Hilarita Dairy. The dairy was named for Hilarita Reed Lyford, daughter of Hilaria Sanchez and John Thomas Reed, who received the property as a Mexican land grant in 1834. The Rancho Corte Madera del Presidio Grant covers all of the Tiburon Peninsula, Belvedere Island, and into Mill Valley.
(Right photos caption:) In 1942, the United States Navy built "temporary housing” here for service personnel and their families. The enlisted Navy personnel served at the Navy Net Depot (now the Romberg Tiburon Environmental Center), which built and repaired anti-submarine nets used to protect the Golden Gate.
After the war many decided to stay. In 1952, while Reed School was under construction, the first grade class took place in the converted laundry room of the Hilarita Housing.
Erected by Tiburon Peninsula Foundation, Belvedere-Tiburon Landmarks Society. (Marker Number 5A.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Railroads & Streetcars •
this page online
Location. 37° 52.867′ N, 122° 27.975′ W. Marker is in Tiburon, California, in Marin County. It is on Tiburon Boulevard north of Lyford Drive, on the left when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Belvedere Tiburon CA 94920, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in California’s San Francisco Bay Area, in the North Coast, and specifically on the Coast Ranges. It is also on the American Pacific Coast. Globally, it is in North America, on the Ring of Fire, in the Pacific Rim, in the Western Hemisphere, in the Western World, and in the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain and also Mexicos Alta California.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Reed School (about 700 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Boat Works (approx. 0.6 miles away); Looking Back at Belvedere (approx. 0.6 miles away); Old Saint Hilary's Outhouse
Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, August 11, 2020
2. Hilarita Marker - wide view, looking north on the trail
More about this marker. This marker is easy enough to find when on the trail, but is also easy enough to miss when driving on Tiburon Boulevard.
Courtesy of the Roy Graves Collection, Belvedere-Tiburon Landmarks Society, 1907
3. Marker detail: Left photo - Hilarita flagstop (see marker text for caption)
Bradley and Rulofson (Courtesy of the Mill Valley Public Library), 1884
4. Hilarita Reed Lyford
"Hilarita Reed Lyford was the daughter of John Thomas Reed, the first Anglo-Saxon landowner and settler of Mill Valley, California. She was married to Benjamin Lyford."
Credits. This page was last revised on August 16, 2020. It was originally submitted on August 14, 2020. This page has been viewed 480 times since then and 39 times this year. Last updated on August 16, 2020, by Bradley Owen of Morgantown, West Virginia. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on August 14, 2020, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.
