Mike Reed/Pages From The Past
100 Years Ago
September 1921
— Division Made In Jack Martin Ranch – Through friendly negotiations carried out by attorneys representing different interests, what might have been a costly and long-drawn-out legal battle over the title to the 2,100 acre Jack Martin ranch near Novato has been settled amicably and the ranch divided into two separate pieces of property.
An action demanding a partition of the property was filed last winter by Mrs. Julia C. Bodkin, the former Mrs. John Pacheco. She was the owner of one-fifth of the entire ranch. The defendants named were D. Grossi and Giuseppe Corda, each owning two-fifths. The defendants immediately retained Senator E. B. Martinelli and Jordan L. Martinelli as their attorneys. Attorney E. C. Harrison, of San Francisco, represented Mrs. Bodkin. After several conferences of the litigants and their attorneys an arrangement was made by which Grossi and Corda purchased the one-fifth interest of Mrs. Bodkin, thereby becoming the sole owners of the valuable property. Judge E. I. Butler yesterday entered a decree directing a division of the property, one-half each to Grossi and Corda, in accordance with their request, and appointed as referees to make the partition D. J. Ryan, a prominent Novato rancher, and M. J. Pedrotti and George M. Dodge, of San Rafael. The value of the ranch is said to be $100,000.
— John L. Reyal. a former Novato resident, has again returned to Novato after a trip East and is opening a restaurant in the Community House where he will serve lunches, short orders, etc.
75 Years Ago
September 1946
— The first meeting of the Novato Chamber of Commerce under the new reorganization and conducted by the newly elected officers, will be held Wednesday evening, September 11th at 8 o’clock in the Novato Community House. Harry M. Jenks, consultant engineer of the Novato Sanitary project, will present engineering and tentative cost data, on the Novato sewage installation. Methods of financing this vitally needed Novato project will be discussed.
— Mrs. Clarence Redding and daughter Toni arrived in Novato recently for a visit with her mother, Mrs. Ann DeBorba and family. Mrs. Redding’s husband, Major Redding, is stationed with the army in the Hawaiian Islands.
— Maison Marin opens Its doors to the public of the Bay region. With $150,000 invested this new project is expected to be one of the foremost restaurants on the famous Redwood Highway. It is located immediately south of Novato on top of a hill with commanding view of the beautiful Marin countryside. The new restaurant is built to take full advantage of a view extending to the Bay pities and taking in the range of mountains to the west. Traveling north the autoist will be able to see Maison Marin for several miles before he reaches the restaurant.
At the restaurant the traveler will find world known chef E.R. “Rene” Nusele in charge of the French and American cuisine. Mr. Nusele has been a Chef in the leading hotels of Europe and the United States. He was in charge of the cuisine of the “George Washington” when that ship carried President Wilson to the Verseilles Peace Conference. Associated with Mr. Nusele in Maison Marin is W. H. Whalen, well known businessman of Marin County.
50 Years Ago
September 1971
— Acting postmaster Bill Almeida is warning post office patrons to read the instructions before dropping coins into new stamp machines. Seems some customers have been getting P.O.’d at the P.O. because their quarters new return two air mail (stamps and three penny stamps instead of the three 8-cent stamps and one penny stamp they were accustomed to.
— This is the sanctuary of the new St. Anthony’s Church, where the first mass was celebrated 11 days ago, with over 350 attending. The building, located at the south end of Cambridge Street, was completed 11 months after groundbreaking. A blue mosaic wall provides a striking background for the altar, and the carpeting is red. A marble statue of St. Anthony for the adjoining circular chapel arrived with a crack in it, and it will take three months to replace it, according to the Rev. Daniel J. Sheehen, pastor. Dedication of the church is slated for October 10. The parish takes in the southern part of Novato and extends as far south as Big Rock Ridge.
25 Years Ago
September 1996
A memorial service will be held on Sept. 28 for Keith C. Craig, a former assistant Marin County comer and one of the founders of the Marin Suicide Prevention Center. He was 72, died Sept. 1,1996 at his home following a long illness. A native of Canada, he grew up in Richmond. A Navy veteran, he worked for the Richmond fire and police departments and the California Highway Patrol before joining the coroner’s staff as an investigator in 1967. He distinguished himself by implementing post-mortem psychological evaluations, still used by the coroner’s office.
— There were awards for everyone who helped as the City of Novato saluted its volunteers last Sunday. Everyone who has volunteered to help the city in any capacity was honored at an ice cream social following the final Concert in the Park at Pioneer Park. While there were awards for everyone from youth coaches to planning commissioners, there were several special awards. Greatest variety of jobs: Pat Willat does a little bit of a whole lot for the city. She is a docent for the Novato History Museum; was vice chairperson of the Novato Fourth of July Parade Committee; serves on the Downtown Revitalization Committee; worked on the first median islands project; monitors Downtown Specific Plan Committee meetings; and worked on the Save the Train Committee in her spare time.
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