Bolinas in Marin County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

Smiley's Schooner Saloon

Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, January 14, 2022

1. Smiley's Schooner Saloon Marker

Inscription. Under many names and owners, the Schooner Saloon has served Bolinas since the mid-1800s, when today's Wharf Road was a bustling hub for schooner ship that facilitated the local economy between West Marin and San Francisco. Over the years, the busy Saloon has been paired with an array of other offerings including a barber shop during Prohibition, a bait and hunting shop, a pizza parlor, a newspaper office and a live music venue. Today, the establishment continues its vibrant tradition as a gathering place for locals, visitors and characters of fame or infamy. The continuity of this one business through more than 150 years in Bolinas makes the bar part of living history.

E Clampus Vitus
Capitulus Redivivus Yerba Buena #1
September 28, 2019

Erected 2019 by E Clampus Vitus Capitulus Redivivus Yerba Buena #1.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Industry & Commerce. In addition, it is included in the E Clampus Vitus series list. A significant historical date for this entry is September 28, 2019.

Location. 37° 54.61′ N, 122° 41.106′ W. Marker is in Bolinas, California, in Marin County. It is on Wharf Road, on the left when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 41 Wharf Road, Bolinas CA 94924, 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 Mexico’s Alta California.

Other nearby markers.

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At least 8 other markers are within 7 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Calvary Presbyterian Church (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Stinson Beach (approx. 2.6 miles away); West Point Inn (approx. 5 miles away); United Nations Conference on International Organization (approx. 6 miles away); Redwoods and Their Relatives (approx. 6.1 miles away); Preserving the Forest Primeval (approx. 6.3 miles away); Fall in Muir Woods (approx. 6.3 miles away); Soldiers Guarding the Coast (approx. 6.3 miles away).

Also see . . . Walk into Smiley’s Schooner Saloon and you step into history! (Smiley's Schooner Saloon).

"In the late 1800s it was Nils Odin’s Schooner Saloon and Odin, who lived next door, watched the settlement grow into a town and automobiles replace horses. Marion Bettencourt and his wife Ida owned the saloon and lived upstairs through the tough years of Prohibition and the Great Depression in the 1920s and 30s. A barber by trade, Bettencourt installed his barbershop in the front corner of the bar. Prohibition created a booming black-market for alcohol smugglers arriving by boat along Marin’s coast, monitored by The Bolinas Coast Guard crew. Local legend has it that the Schooner Saloon never missed a day of serving spirits in the back room."

(Submitted on January 15, 2022.)

Smiley's Schooner Saloon and Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, January 14, 2022

2. Smiley's Schooner Saloon and Marker

The marker is visible mounted to the building, just to the left of the doorway.

Credits. This page was last revised on January 15, 2022. It was originally submitted on January 15, 2022, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. This page has been viewed 485 times since then and 38 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on January 15, 2022, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California.