1. |
The Old Mill, for which Mill Valley acquired its name and which adorns our street signage, still stands (rebuilt). Constructed in the 1830's, it was used for only 15 years. It is one of two Mill Valley structures designated as California State Landmarks. Near it is a 1991 (not 1959) plaque that identifies the pseudogroup Yerba Buena Chapter No. 1 E Clampus Vitus who dedicated the site in cooperation with another organization. Who was that other organization? Answer |
2. |
This foot race, run annually since 1905 (with a few exceptions) is the oldest cross-country race in the nation. In 1918 it was the first cross-country race for women. Among its grueling aspects are three long flights of stairs (originally built for hillside residents to walk to town before the arrival of cars.) The first flight is not far from question #1 above. On the 12th step is a carved word. What is that? Answer |
3. |
Joseph Eastland was the prime mover and financial backer in the founding of the town of Mill Valley. He headed the Tamalpais Land & Water Company that owned and auctioned over 200 lots in 1890. Although nothing in MV now bears his name, between 1892-1904 the Mill Valley train depot (also the post office) was named for Eastland. There was an attempt during that time to rename the entire town in his honor (How would Rita Abrams 1970's hit song about our town have sounded if that had occurred?) That depot was a block south of subsequent train and Greyhound bus depots. Adjacent to where it originally stood is a small cluster of redwoods in which is a memorial dedicated to another Mill Valley historical figure. Who is that? Answer |
4. |
This revered woman educator served as principal-teacher of Homestead School 1920-27 and Tamalpais Park School 1927-47. A current grade school, opened in 1956, is named in her honor. At the front of this school is a sign with a horse on it. What color is the horse? Answer |
5. |
This avenue shares the same name as the first tract of land north of San Francisco Bay granted by the Mexican government in 1834 (having to do with "cut wood"). A block from where it ends is the actual fire bell used between 1898-1931 to sound when blazes were noticed. A plaque at the site dedicates the bell to whom? Answer |
6. |
Mail delivery was initiated in 1920 when the city population was 2500 and homes were given numbered street addresses. (In earliest years, houses were generally referred to only by names, such as "The Homestead" or the owner's name.) From 1940 to 1982, the Mill Valley Post Office occupied this sunny sided building not far from downtown. Today a production business occupies the building, although "Mill Valley California" still is lettered over the entrance. What is the name of this business identified on the front door? Answer |
7. |
The Mill Valley & Mt. Tamalpais Scenic Railway brought worldwide attention to Mill Valley while it ran 1896-1929. 200 passengers at a time were pushed up the 8-mile track to the top of the mountain where they might stay at inns. Adjacent to where rides originated is a four-faced clock, one face of which indicates who donated it to the Town of Mill Valley. Who was that? Answer |
8. |
When this MV school first opened in 1908, its gym abutted Richardson Bay (albeit a marshy part). You could take a train right to its entrance. Just past the south end of its present fields is a road sign "For everyone's safety..." What does the rest of the sign say? Answer |
9. |
This drinking establishment got its existing name because it was situated just beyond the incorporated town border. In the late 1930's, it could stay open a couple of hours past the town's required closing time. On the same block is the only place in Mill Valley where either a car's driver or passenger can mail a letter without getting out of their auto. What are the two alcohol neon signs in the windows? Answer |
10. |
This stone alleyway was built in the 1940's with tiles from the Guatemala Pavilion at the 1939 Treasure Island World's Fair and ties from the Mountain Railroad. Its centerpiece is an intimate restaurant (opened in 1948) regularly rated the Best French Restaurant in Marin by readers of the Pacific Sun. Wine Spectator gave it a Grand Award (i.e. their wine list is considered one of the ten best in the USA). It is so romantic that its reservations for Valentine's Day fill a year ahead. At the beginning of the alley is brick lettering laid in the sidewalk. What does that say? Answer |
11. |
This market, owned and operated by the Canepa family since 1929 (and dating to 1904), moved into its current downtown location in 1955. Behind it is a tiny wooded park with a bench and a plaque in memory of a man who composed his epic 1926 symphony America while living in Mill Valley. Who was that? Answer |
12. |
Renowned Bay Area architect Bernard Maybeck designed this California Landmark in 1904. It is named for and run by a group (of mostly women) now celebrating their 100th anniversary whose purpose has been to preserve the natural beauty of the local area. Just inside the front gate is a plaque praising an unusual aspect of its design. What is that? Answer |
13. |
The Local History Room is open daily in this 1966 architectural award winning civic building. A marked time capsule was buried on the building grounds during the heralded renovation in 1998. The capsule is located in the vicinity of a work by noted Mill Valley sculptor Richard O'Hanlon. It contains 18 documents relating to the construction and 29 photographs of Mill Valley. According to the marker, when is the capsule to be unsealed? Answer |
14. |
The oldest existing continuous business in Mill Valley began in 1891 (under a different name until 1912). In some years it furnished as much as 8% of all MV sales tax revenues, especially during booms in home construction. On the side of its Miller Avenue location is a sign indicating what it gives away for free (and we're not talking about free delivery). What is that? Answer |
15. |
This road was part of the state highway 1912-1931 (the first four years not even paved) prior to the construction of Highway 101. Along it presently you can find the only traffic light in Mill Valley that has no intersection. It now ends at a "T" where a sign indicates where the Marin Zeppelin Society (fictitiously) meets. Where is that meeting place? (Note: Please use extra safety when answering this question.) Answer |
16. |
For the 14 years before the Sequoia opened in 1929, the Hub Theater was the location that showed motion pictures. Locals often came in the evening carrying candle lanterns. The Mill Valley Film Festival used it up until two years ago. It is located on a major MV Avenue named for the early landowner who controlled what was then "Rancho Sausalito" from 1856-1883. The original entrance is boarded and painted (and soon will continue as a 250 seat theatre), but three black numbers remain there giving the street address. What are they? Answer |
17. |
Mill Valley's original Safeway was located 1929-38 in what was the site of the first lot sold in the 1890 auction. An eating establishment currently resides there, one with the same name as a Court and Drive in Scott Valley. A street sign near the entrance gives distances to what cities? Answer |
18. |
In 1961, Homestead Valley residents decided to raise money for maintenance of Brown's Hall (now the Buddhist Temple) by holding outdoor concerts. One of these- a Mozart Festival --- has continued annually ever since in a splendid grove of redwoods named for the man and his heirs who owned it for most of the 20th Century. Besides motor vehicles, what else is prohibited in this grove? Answer |
19. |
In offering initial lots for purchase in 1890, the Tamalpais Land and Water Company hoped that Mill Valley would be "dry." They banned liquor sales within one-quarter mile of the train depot. One result of this resolution was that saloons sprung up beyond this exclusion zone and in an area that came to be known as "Jagtown" ("jag" being a term for intoxication). One of the taverns was replaced by a meeting hall that is used currently by the Quakers, Explorer Scouts and the Mountain Play. A plaque on the building indicates the prominent Mill Valley couple who donated/presented it in 1919. Who was that? Answer |
20. |
Near the end of the street named for the first local white settler and builder of the sawmill are two beverage-dispensing machines. Each machine is named for a beverage. What are the two names? Answer |
21. |
Mill Valley has memorialized the patriotic causalities of its citizens. The boulder placed in front of City Hall in 1953 (blasted from the second Waldo Tunnel) is in memory of those gave their lives in defense of our country. Fifty-five graduates of Tam High died in WWII and their names are inscribed below the clock tower that is dedicated to them. WWI produced four fatalities. Our town square is named in honor of the first local boy who died in the Army soon after enlisting in 1917. Two plaques in the middle of the square indicate how it got its name. One of these, where you might expect a half-mast flag, indicates who placed the plaque. Who was that? Answer |
22. |
This mega retail and catalog business first started in Mill Valley in 1978. It now has over 300 stores nationally. (No, it is not Smith and Hawken which opened here in 1984 and has 48 stores.) The original site was a small store located near question #6 above on what was the former County Road subsequently renamed after an 1852 Nathaniel Hawthorne romance novel. The business now occupying the store loves kids and even teaches them to sew. What is its name? Answer |
23. |
This Dam and Reservoir, built in 1893, was the first local dam used to supply Mill Valley's water. It pre-dates the town's incorporation in 1900. It finally closed in 1972 after a drowning and neighborhood complaints about nude frolicking. At the entrance to the dirt road leading to the dam is a sign indicating the area is closed. What else does the sign prohibit? Answer |
