Reurn to Point SQ
Under
the Mexican regime, Punta de Quintin was included in a grant to
Captain J. R. B. Cooper, a seafaring man whose wife was the sister of
General Vallejo. The full name of the land grant to Captain Juan
Bautista Roger Cooper was - PUNTA de QUINTIN CORTE MADERA,
la LAGUNA y CANADA de SAN ANSELMO. Governor Juan B.
Alvarado was indebted to Captain Cooper and had paid him off with
this grant.
In
a statement made in 1854, Antonio Ortega swore that the grant was
"two square leagues, more or less". He said that Cooper had
a house on the point and had horses and mares. Cooper farmed some of
the inland areas and cut timber which he marketed in his ships.
California
historians have recorded very little about the early settling of
Point San Quentin and the surrounding area of the northern part of
San Francisco bay. We are indebted to Florence Donnelly, of a pioneer
San Rafael family, for some of the story of the real beginning of the
settling of the white man in this area.
Benjamin
Rush Buckelew and his wife, Martha, came west from New York in 1846
with the wagon train of Hoppe and Harlan. The rigors of crossing the
planes at that early date were much more severe than they were later.
After much shortages of food and water and of physical exhaustion
they reached San Francisco in the fall of 1846.
Buckelew
was a watchmaker by profession and he opened the first watchmaker
and jewelry store in Yerba Buena. Buckelew became a prominent
businessman in San Francisco and was a member of the town council. He
also became the owner and publisher of a newspaper, "The
Californian". This paper published one of the first accounts of
the discovery of gold by Marshall at Captain Sutter's mill on the
American River. Buckelew used his skill as a jeweler to manufacture
delicate gold scales, and the demand was greater than the supply.
This
pioneer realized that land would be a better investment than gold
mining and having accumulated some capital in his shop and in real
estate, he decided that he would establish a town on the northern
shores of San Francisco bay. He filed a claim on a grant that had
been made to John Reed, called Corte Madera del Presidio. San
Francisco, with its steep sand dunes, did not look to Buckelew like a
satisfactory place for a port, and the Pacific Mail Steamship Company
was looking elsewhere. Buckelew believed he had the ideal site and
called his settlement California City, across the bay from San
Quentin point. However, Benicia was selected as the port to develop
by the Pacific Mail Steamship Company, and ironically, California
City, one hundred and twenty five years later, still remains the city
with a name only. Buckelew purchased the Reed Rancho and then added
to his holdings by purchasing the so-called Cooper rancho. The early
maps of the area identify the Cooper rancho as part of the land
grants of Punta de Quintin extending inland from Red Hill to Ross
Valley and Kentfield. In an Indian war in 1824 the great Indian Chief
Marin was closely pursued by Mexican Lieutenant Ignacio Martinez and
Sub-Lieutenant Jose Sanchez, and took refuge on two small islands in
the bay, at the mouth of what is now San Rafael Canal. These islands
are still called Marin Islands. The Mexican lieutenants, not being
equipped to pursue the Indians on the islands, repaired to Punta de
Quentin. Here they met with equally strong resistance from Marin's
sub-chief, Captain Quentin, a brave and daring warrior. Chief Quintin
was captured by Martinez and taken to Yerba Buena as a prisoner. He
was released after two years and was employed by the fathers at
Mission Dolores. Quintin served for many years, operating lighters on
San Francisco bay. He was a skillful and reliable sailor.
Through
the years, the Spanish and Mexicans began calling Punta de Quintin,
San Quentin. Perhaps the identifying Saint may have been added to
names in California to give the place status and prestige.
Mr.
Buckelew purchased this land from Cooper and, realizing that his
California City was not destined to grow, established himself on
Puenta de Quentin, as his future "empire on the bay". He
established a saw mill at what is now Larkspur. Buckelew called his
new established settlement Marin City, and he moved the sawmill to
point San Quentin.
When
the California State Legislature appointed a committee to
investigate sites for the establishment of a State Prison, Buckelew
invited them to his home and he and his wife entertained them
royally. The members of this committee, impressed by Buckelew's
hospitality, recommended that some of his Marin City land be
purchased for the site of a state prison.
The
State of California purchased twenty acres from Buckelew on July 7,
1852 for ten thousand dollars.
Benjamin
Rush Buckelew had moved building material from his California City
site across the bay and built a hotel at his new Marin city. This
building was bought by Jack McRae, a Scotchman, and his Irish wife,
the former Elizabeth Conlan. Their daughter, Mary, married Frank
Mails, a San Quentin guard. The McRaes called their hotel, The
Shepherd Hotel.
In
this home a daughter, Margeret Mails Landers, and the late Walter
(The Great) Mails were born. Walter became a famous big league pitcher.