Dogtown, Marin County, California
Encyclopedia
Dogtown is an unincorporated community in the rural West Marin
region of coastal Marin County
, California
in the San Francisco Bay Area
's North Bay
. It lies at an elevation of 187 feet (57 m). With a population of 30, the town is located beside the Golden Gate National Recreation Area
and Point Reyes National Seashore
, in the Olema Valley
west of the Bolinas Ridge
mountain range.
land grant. It was a stagecoach stop along the north-south route. The village includes the historic Nelson Hotel, which was connected by the old North Pacific Coast Railroad
to the Bolinas Station, en route to Point Reyes
. That railway ran between Mendocino County
and a ferry service to San Francisco
at Sausalito
. The hotel, with nearby guest houses, was later used by the U.S. Army during both World Wars as barracks. There was also a K-8 school, with about 50 pupils. The schoolhouse was located south of the village towards Bolinas
, the nearest town. An early 20th-century pastime was a trip and picnic to the Copper Mine Gulch
, which runs through the town.
The town was originally known as Woodville due to its timber industry, although the sawmills closed by the 1870s. The name was changed to Dogtown, as that was a popular name among locals. Until the name change, the hamlet was simply nicknamed "The Dogtown" by Bolinas residents, because the town's residents kept a large number of hunting dogs. The location continues to be labeled "Woodville" on some maps.
The area's economy is agricultural and tourism-based.
which provides K-8 education, and the Tamalpais Union High School District
. Students attend Tamalpais High School
in Mill Valley
after 8th grade.
, marked as "Shoreline Highway Road" locally, which runs through the community; north to Point Reyes Station and south to Stinson Beach.
There is limited Marin Transit
West Marin Stagecoach (route 61e) bus service between Point Reyes Station
, Dogtown, Bolinas, and Mill Valley
(with some trips to Marin City
). The service provides 4 daily round trips on Wednesdays and Fridays. Some students use it to get to Tamalpais High School on the days it operates; these students are some of the service's key users. There is also service on route 62 from Point Reyes Station to Stinson Beach, with one trip continuing as route 68 from Point Reyes Station to the county seat San Rafael
through Lagintas-Forest Knolls
, San Anselmo
and other communities in the San Geronimo Valley
.
Due to the town's geographic isolation, residents are, in most cases, taken to hospitals by helicopter instead of by ambulance in emergencies.
West Marin
West Marin is the largest rural region of Marin County, California.The West Marin Chamber of Commerce includes seven unincorporated communities in its definition of West Marin: Point Reyes Station, Olema, Stinson Beach, Bolinas, Tomales, Dillon Beach, and Inverness...
region of coastal Marin County
Marin County, California
Marin County is a county located in the North San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco. As of 2010, the population was 252,409. The county seat is San Rafael and the largest employer is the county government. Marin County is well...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
in the San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
's North Bay
North Bay (San Francisco Bay Area)
The North Bay is a subregion of the San Francisco Bay Area, in California, United States. The largest city is Santa Rosa. It is by far the least populous and least urbanized part of the Bay Area...
. It lies at an elevation of 187 feet (57 m). With a population of 30, the town is located beside the Golden Gate National Recreation Area
Golden Gate National Recreation Area
The Golden Gate National Recreation Area is a U.S. National Recreation Area administered by the National Park Service that surrounds the San Francisco Bay area. It is one of the most visited units of the National Park system in the United States, with over 13 million visitors a year...
and Point Reyes National Seashore
Point Reyes National Seashore
Point Reyes National Seashore is a park preserve located on the Point Reyes Peninsula in Marin County, California, USA. As a national seashore, it is maintained by the US National Park Service as a nationally important nature preserve within which existing agricultural uses are allowed to continue...
, in the Olema Valley
Olema Valley
Olema Valley is a gorge formed by the San Andreas Fault in rural west Marin County, Northern California. The valley runs from the town of Olema through Dogtown and Point Reyes to the Bolinas Lagoon, which lies between Bolinas and Stinson Beach near Drake's Bay....
west of the Bolinas Ridge
Bolinas Ridge
Bolinas Ridge is a north-south ridge in southwestern Marin County, California. Much of the western side of the ridge is protected parkland in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, and the eastern side is watershed lands of the Marin Municipal Water District....
mountain range.
History
The village, founded by miners and lumberjacks, is located within the original Rancho Punta de los Reyes SobranteRancho Punta de los Reyes Sobrante
Rancho Punta de los Reyes Sobrante was a Mexican land grant in present day West Marin County, California given by Governor Manuel Micheltorena in 1843 to Antonio Maria Osio. The name means "Leftover of Point Reyes Ranch"...
land grant. It was a stagecoach stop along the north-south route. The village includes the historic Nelson Hotel, which was connected by the old North Pacific Coast Railroad
North Pacific Coast Railroad
The North Pacific Coast Railroad was a common carrier narrow gauge steam railroad begun in 1874 and sold in 1902 to new owners who renamed it the North Shore Railroad and which rebuilt the southern section into a standard gauge electric railroad.The NPC operated in the northern California...
to the Bolinas Station, en route to Point Reyes
Point Reyes Station, California
Point Reyes Station is small unincorporated town located in western Marin County, California. Point Reyes Station is located south-southeast of Tomales, at an elevation of . Point Reyes Station is located along State Route 1 and is a gateway to the Point Reyes National Seashore, an extremely...
. That railway ran between Mendocino County
Mendocino County, California
Mendocino County is a county located on the north coast of the U.S. state of California, north of the greater San Francisco Bay Area and west of the Central Valley. As of the 2010 census, the population was 87,841, up from 86,265 at the 2000 census...
and a ferry service to San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
at Sausalito
Sausalito, California
Sausalito is a San Francisco Bay Area city, in Marin County, California, United States. Sausalito is south-southeast of San Rafael, at an elevation of 13 feet . The population was 7,061 as of the 2010 census. The community is situated near the northern end of the Golden Gate Bridge, and prior to...
. The hotel, with nearby guest houses, was later used by the U.S. Army during both World Wars as barracks. There was also a K-8 school, with about 50 pupils. The schoolhouse was located south of the village towards Bolinas
Bolinas, California
Bolinas formerly Juggville is a coastal unincorporated community in Marin County, California in the San Francisco Bay Area. Bolinas is located west-southwest of San Rafael, at an elevation of 36 feet...
, the nearest town. An early 20th-century pastime was a trip and picnic to the Copper Mine Gulch
Copper Mine Gulch
Copper Mine Gulch is a valley in Marin County, California, United States, which is associated with a small stream.The stream descends the western slope of the Bolinas Ridge, passing the mine from which it receives its name, and flows through the town of Dogtown into the San Andreas Rift Valley...
, which runs through the town.
The town was originally known as Woodville due to its timber industry, although the sawmills closed by the 1870s. The name was changed to Dogtown, as that was a popular name among locals. Until the name change, the hamlet was simply nicknamed "The Dogtown" by Bolinas residents, because the town's residents kept a large number of hunting dogs. The location continues to be labeled "Woodville" on some maps.
The area's economy is agricultural and tourism-based.
Education
Dogtown is in the Bolinas-Stinson Union School DistrictBolinas-Stinson Union School District
Bolinas-Stinson Union School District is a public school district in Marin County, California, with offices in Bolinas, California, USA. As of the 2004-05 school year, the District had 122 students at its two campuses.- History :...
which provides K-8 education, and the Tamalpais Union High School District
Tamalpais Union High School District
The Tamalpais Union High School District or TUHSD provides high school education to students residing in ten elementary districts in central and southern Marin County, California and parts of West Marin: Bolinas-Stinson Union, Kentfield, Lagunitas, Larkspur, Mill Valley, Nicasio, Reed Union, Ross,...
. Students attend Tamalpais High School
Tamalpais High School
Tamalpais High School is a public secondary school located in Mill Valley, California. It is named after nearby Mount Tamalpais, which rises more than above Mill Valley....
in Mill Valley
Mill Valley, California
Mill Valley is a city in Marin County, California, United States located about north of San Francisco via the Golden Gate Bridge. The population was 13,903 at the 2010 census.Mill Valley is located on the western and northern shores of Richardson Bay...
after 8th grade.
Transportation
The town is accessible by State Route 1California State Route 1
State Route 1 , more often called Highway 1, is a state highway that runs along much of the Pacific coast of the U.S. state of California. It is famous for running along some of the most beautiful coastlines in the world, leading to its designation as an All-American Road.Highway 1 does not run...
, marked as "Shoreline Highway Road" locally, which runs through the community; north to Point Reyes Station and south to Stinson Beach.
There is limited Marin Transit
Marin Transit
Marin Transit is a public bus agency in Marin County, California, in the United States. Originally formed in 1964 as Marin County Transit District , it was rebranded as Marin Transit on 30 July 2007...
West Marin Stagecoach (route 61e) bus service between Point Reyes Station
Point Reyes Station, California
Point Reyes Station is small unincorporated town located in western Marin County, California. Point Reyes Station is located south-southeast of Tomales, at an elevation of . Point Reyes Station is located along State Route 1 and is a gateway to the Point Reyes National Seashore, an extremely...
, Dogtown, Bolinas, and Mill Valley
Mill Valley, California
Mill Valley is a city in Marin County, California, United States located about north of San Francisco via the Golden Gate Bridge. The population was 13,903 at the 2010 census.Mill Valley is located on the western and northern shores of Richardson Bay...
(with some trips to Marin City
Marin City, California
Marin City, is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Marin County, California, United States. It is located northwest of downtown Sausalito, at an elevation of 23 feet . Marin City was developed for housing starting in 1942, to accommodate war-time shipyard workers and other...
). The service provides 4 daily round trips on Wednesdays and Fridays. Some students use it to get to Tamalpais High School on the days it operates; these students are some of the service's key users. There is also service on route 62 from Point Reyes Station to Stinson Beach, with one trip continuing as route 68 from Point Reyes Station to the county seat San Rafael
San Rafael, California
San Rafael is a city and the county seat of Marin County, California, United States. The city is located in the North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area...
through Lagintas-Forest Knolls
Lagunitas-Forest Knolls, California
Lagunitas-Forest Knolls is a census-designated place, composed of two unincorporated areas in the western half of the San Geronimo Valley in Marin County, California, United States. The population was 1,819 at the 2010 census....
, San Anselmo
San Anselmo, California
San Anselmo is an incorporated town in Marin County, California, in the western United States. San Anselmo is located west of San Rafael, at an elevation of 46 feet . It is located about north of San Francisco. Neighboring towns include San Rafael to the east, Fairfax to the west, and Ross to the...
and other communities in the San Geronimo Valley
San Geronimo Valley
San Geronimo Valley is a valley in Marin County, California, composed of four unincorporated towns: Woodacre, San Geronimo, Forest Knolls, and Lagunitas. Residents of San Geronimo Valley and surrounding areas refer to it as "The Valley." It is a fairly close-knit community, with a rather liberal...
.
Due to the town's geographic isolation, residents are, in most cases, taken to hospitals by helicopter instead of by ambulance in emergencies.