Sausalito History Timeline

Sausalito History Timeline. . BCE 2000-1800s , The indigenous Coast Miwok people inhabit Marin County , 1769 , The Spanish Ship San Carlos becomes the first European vessel to enter San Francisco Bay. The explorers anchor and begin charting the bay , 1775 , Spanish explorers came ashore to interact with the native Coast Miwok in their village Liwanciowe. The explorers re-name the area Sausalito meaning “Little Willow” in Spanish , 1776-1820s , Through the establishment of missions and military outposts, Spaniards heavily impact the native inhabitants , 1822 , Spain cedes California to Mexico , 1830s , Sausalito becomes a port of call for whaling and trading ships seeking fresh water and supplies , 1838 , Sausalito founder William Richardson receives Rancho del Sausalito, a 19,571 acre land grant from the Mexican government , 1841 , Richardson builds an adobe ranch house on present day Caledonia Street , 1846 , Captain John C. Fremont names the Golden Gate, the strait connecting the Pacific Ocean to San Francisco Bay , 1848-50 , Gold is discovered in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada range. The ensuing Gold Rush transforms California , 1868 , The Sausalito Land and Ferry Company purchases part of Rancho del Sausalito and begins ferry service between San Francisco and Sausalito to promote land sales in the emerging town , 1871 , Rail service begins between Sausalito and points north , 1888 , Sausalito’s thriving Portuguese community opens the IDESST Cultural Hall , 1893 , Sausalito incorporates as a city , 1899 , Sausalito Improvement Club struggles to control gambling and local corruption , 1904 , An electric commuter train links with ferry service to San Francisco transforming Sausalito into a transit hub , 1906 , A 7.8 magnitude earthquake and fire destroys over 80% of San Francisco , 1907 , First Sausalito public library opens , 1913 , Sausalito Woman’s Club organizes to protect the town’s beauty and promote civic activism , 1920s-33 , Sausalito functions as a base for bootleg and rum-running during prohibition , 1937 , Golden Gate Bridge opens and Water Street is renamed Bridgeway , 1941 , Sausalito’s passenger train and ferry service is discontinued , 1942-45 , W.A. Bechtel Company builds and operates Marinship, a 24 hour a day World War II ship building yard on the northern waterfront , 1946 , Marinship closes. The old shipyard converts into boatyards and alternative living spaces for writers, artists and poets , 1945-50 , A post-war boom doubles the population of Marin County , 1950s , A new houseboat community of bohemians evolves along Sausalito’s waterfront , 1952 , Local artists create the first Sausalito Art Festival , 1959-73 , The retired ferryboat Berkeley operates as The Trade Fair attracting the first big wave of tourists to Sausalito , 1960s , Conflicts mount between the waterfront counter-culture and established residents , 1970 , After an absence of 29 years, passenger ferry service to San Francisco resumes , 1970s , “Houseboat wars” erupt when deputy sheriffs attempt to evict illegal house boaters