Sausalito Live Cam

A city in the beautiful Marin County - California

The town of Sausalito is located on the east side, the inner side, of the southern-most peninsula of the Sausalito Peninsula which itself terminates at the break in California’s Coastal Range – The Golden Gate – the gateway to the inner San Francisco Bay (Latitude 37 49.0 Longitude l22 28.69). The Pacific ocean-side of the Sausalito Peninsula runs north/south on a west-east diagonal parallel to the San Andreas Fault line. As seen from Mount Tamalpais, the highest point (257l’) looking south, the land appears to flow to the sea in ridges and rivulets -- the assemblage of so-called Franciscan rock and soil having been eroded by rain and wind, heat and cold for approximately l00 million years.

A mixture of color, texture and layered formations it is of a predominant rust color and is fragile and aromatic. On the slopes and in the canyons it is generally moist due to the underground springs. On the Sausalito-Richardson Bay city-side there are five of these small ridges flowing down from the north-south ridge called "Wolfback" and between these ridges are four canyons. The ridges form points into the Bay and are called (from south to north) Cavallo Point and Yellow Bluff, Sausalito Point, Napa Point or Hannon’s Hill, Pine Point and Waldo Point. The valleys are referred to as Old Town (Sausalito Cove or Hurricane Gulch or Whaler’s Cove or Shelter Cove), New Town (or Turney Valley), Spring Street Valley (or Woodward Valley); Nevada Street Valley (or Whiskey Springs area).

Sausalito’s first map was prepared by Lieutenant G.F. Emmons, United States Navy Surveyor on June 8, l851 and filed December 10, 1869 with the County Recorder. It is of Old Town the original settlement by Europeans. Drawn on a North-South/East-West compass grid it shows the water course coming from west to east down the middle of Main Street into the Bay at which area there is a fountain, a reservoir, a mill and a wharf at Water Street (the north-south street at water’s edge). The other north-south streets are Front, Second, Third and Fourth with Alleys between. The other east-west streets are South and Valley to the south of Main and Richardson and North to the north of Main.

Another map expanding on this basic pattern dated July 22, 1873, by Geo. H. Goddard, Civil Engineer has added notations. There is a dotted line at North Point running north "New Road to Wharf". There is a boundary line on the north side for Old Town and New Town with notations on it: "Rocky Point", "Leaning Tree" and "Scratched Stump". There are no topographical lines – the only hints given to the surrounding height are an added street called "Lower Crescent Ave.", a reservoir on "Reservoir Ave." far beyond the added "West Street" and a double dotted line labeled "Path on Bluff leading from North Street toward/into the New Town area.

Sausalito has a rich history including the original Indian inhabitants, rum running bootleggers, bohemian artists, and finally high tech businesses. A brief summary of historic facts is listed below.

• 1225 B.C. (or earlier) - 1775: The Coast Miwok Indians, Natives to the land, occupied what is now known as the Sausalito shoreline.
• 1775: The first Europeans arrived in Sausalito via the Spanish ship "San Carlos". The Europeans named Sausalito "Saucito", meaning "Little Willow" in Spanish.
• 1838: Under a land grant, William Richardson occupied almost 20,000 acres of land, which included Sausalito.
• 1875: The railroad was built through town, making Sausalito a transportation hub.
• 1893: Sausalito was incorporated September 4rh of this year.
• 1900: Sausalito acquired two ferry car services, and with prohibition Sausalito became haven to bootleggers and rum runners.
• 1941: Sausalito lost its train and car ferry services.
• 1941-1945: The Marinship shipyard operated in Sausalito producing liberty ships and tankers for World War II and invigorated the town.
• 1946-1966: This is known as the "golden age" of Sausalito because it was during this time that artists, writers, and intelligentsia discovered Sausalito and gave it its reputation as an artist colony.
• 1970: Passenger ferries returned to Sausalito bringing with them a myriad of people who inhabit and visit the town today.