In 1912, a group of hikers representing various Bay Area hiking clubs got together to form the Tamalpais Conservation Club (TCC).
Thirteen hundred enthusiastic members joined in the first year. The members considered themselves to be “Guardians of the Mountain.”
TCC assumed responsibility for building and maintaining the many trails, campsites, bridges, springs and trail signs with regularly scheduled maintenance days. They hired a full time maintenance man and built a cabin for him at Bootjack Camp.
By 1923 there were members from the Cross Country Club, the Sierra Club, the California Alpine Club, the Contra Costa Hills Club, and San Francisco’s Natura Club. In the late 1920’s TCC thwarted residential development by starting a campaign that led to the 1930 creation of Mt. Tamalpais State Park.
In 1957 TCC helped secure funds for purchasing land to expand the park. TCC now works closely with the four regulatory agencies that protect open space on and surrounding Mt. Tam: Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Marin County Open Space District, Mt. Tamalpais State Park and Marin Municipal Water District. TCC continues to promote better trail maintenance, trail signing, and cleanup through regularly scheduled trail days each month.
(This snippet of Marin history is brought to you by the Mill Valley Historical Society.)
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