The History of Homestead Valley

In 1866 Samuel Throckmorton, owner of Rancho Saucelito, built a hunting lodge which he named “The Homestead” at what is now the corner of Ethel and Montford in a valley that later became known as Homestead Valley. In 1903, the Tamalpais Land & Water Company, which had become the owner of Rancho Saucelito, subdivided the valley into building sites. Homestead Valley today is an unincorporated community of about 1100 homes located between the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and the City of Mill Valley.

How Homestead Valley Came to Be

Homestead Valley residents have a strong history of preserving open space and supporting the Community Center. In 1967, Homestead Valley residents worked with the Marin County Board of Supervisors to create County Service Area (CSA) 14 to help finance the purchase of the open space and provide needed recreation facilities. In 1973, a $600,000 bond issue was approved by HV voters to acquire open space and park properties and facilities. Added to that were funds from the sale of HVCA’s Brown’s Hall (on Miller Ave) and $200,000 in matching funds from Marin County to purchase the site of the current Homestead Valley Community Center (formerly the Call residence) and over 85 acres of open space land, much of which borders land purchased by GGNRA. In 1993, CSA 14 voters approved another bond measure for $300,000, primarily to upgrade the Community Center.

When the center was in need of significant repair and overgrowth was a concern in our open space, residents approved Measure A in 2009, a tax of $125 per improved parcel for Community Center repair and renovation and open space fire hazard reduction. This special tax increases each year by 2% and does not have a sunset date. The total number of parcels included in this tax is 952. These were the funds used to rebuild the beautiful new center you see today. The center, pool, meadow and open space are publicly owned in order to ensure its continued preservation for years to come.

Local Stories about Homestead Valley

In 1999, Chuck Oldenburg, a long time HV resident, began research on the history of Homestead Valley. In April 2000, he began to write one-page articles that were published in the Homestead Headlines newsletter. His articles appear regularly in the Homestead Headlines and can also be found on the Mill Valley Historical Society website Link Here.