Corte Madera Memories
  • WELCOME
    • HOW IT ALL BEGAN....
  • EARLY HISTORY
    • WHAT'S IN A NAME?
    • FIRST SETTLERS
    • RACETRACKS IN CORTE MADERA?
    • A VILLAGE EMERGES
    • BITS & PIECES >
      • Views from East Peak
    • 1913 "BOOSTERS"
    • RAILROADS
    • 1899 to 2014 VIEWS >
      • ANNOTATED PHOTO & MAP
    • PUSH FOR GROWTH
  • CORTE MADERA BECOMES A TOWN
    • CHRISTMAS TREE HILL HISTORY >
      • EARLY MAP - CHRISTMAS TREE HILL
    • HOMES ARE BUILT
    • HISTORIC PHOTOS
    • HISTORIC PLACES
    • CORTE MADERA WOMEN'S CLUB HISTORY >
      • CM WOMEN'S CLUB IN THE 2000'S
    • 1926 Aerial View from 15,000 Feet
    • LOCAL GOVERNMENT
    • REAL ESTATE AD
    • FAMILIES GROW
    • SCHOOLS
    • BUSINESSES
    • CHURCHES
    • SPORTS
    • OLD TOWN SQUARE
    • MEADOWSWEET DAIRY >
      • STREETS RENAMED
  • OLDTIMERS' MEMORIES SHARED
    • WILLIAM ISAAC PIXLEY
    • HARRY RICHARDS
    • SONIA DELEW
    • LLOYD REA
    • HAROLD & MARY BATES
    • ELSIE THIERBACH
    • AUDA BORDANARO
    • HARRIET CONOW MADEIROS
    • FRED MORRIS
    • LOUISE LAMB
    • JAN VALK
    • AUGUSTINE HALL
    • ALBERT & JEAN LEVESQUE
    • MARY SCHWERDT
    • EDITH SCHLOBOM
    • WILLIAM TALLEY
    • GERALD GRANUCCI
    • ELVA WILSON
    • A VISIT WITH DOROTHY MALMGREN
  • BIG CHANGES AFTER WW II
    • 1952 MASSIVE GROWTH
    • REC CENTER
    • LIONS CLUB
    • BUSINESS BOOM
    • LIBRARY
    • SCHOOLS
    • NEIGHBORHOODS >
      • CHRISTMAS TREE HILL HISTORY
      • MARINER COVE
      • VISTA DEL BAHIA
      • MADERA DEL PRESIDIO
      • MIRA VISTA
  • PUTTING THE BRAKES ON GROWTH
    • NEW ZONING ORDINANCE CUTS DENSITY
    • PUBLIC OPEN SPACE >
      • CORTE MADERA NORTHRIDGE
      • RING MOUNTAIN OPEN SPACE PRESERVE
      • CORTE MADERA ECOLOGICAL RESERVE >
        • HEERDT MARSH
        • CORTE MADERA MARSHES
  • SHARE YOUR OWN STORY
    • ROBERT CARLETON
    • EARL & DONNA HART FAMILY
    • SUE BIGALL
    • KURT NORSTAD
    • ANNETTE PERRY
    • HARRY RICHARDS
    • BILL & PEGGY THOMAS
    • HARRY & ANNETTE SCHRIEBMAN
    • ANDY VIRENO
    • BOB VOGEL
    • ART DONATI
    • LUIS KUBICHEK & BOYS' SOCCER
  • THE TOWN WE LOVE
    • CORTE MADERA SONG
    • SCENIC VISTAS
    • CELEBRATIONS >
      • 50TH ANNIVERSARY
      • COMMEMORATIVE PLAQUE
      • 75TH ANNIVERSARY
      • WOMEN'S CLUB 100TH BIRTHDAY
      • CIVIC ORGANIZATIONS
      • MARQUART LAGOON REGATTA
      • JULY 4TH PARADE 2017
      • 4th of JULY PARADES
      • OKTOBERFEST
      • OKTOBERFEST 2018
      • CMWIC SPRING TEA 2019
      • CORTE MADERA WOMEN'S CLUB
  • CENTENNIAL YEAR EVENTS 1916-2017
    • NEW YEAR'S EVE KICKOFF
    • RAGTIME NIGHT
    • HISTORY WALKS
    • VINTAGE CAR SHOW
    • RING MOUNTAIN HIKE
    • WEEKEND100 EVENTS >
      • 75th ANNIVERSARY TIME CAPSULE
      • FAMILY FUN NIGHT >
        • 2016 TIME CAPSULE
      • WEEKEND100 BIKE PARADE, GAMES, MUSIC, CAKE
      • WEEKEND100 VIDEO
      • WEEKEND100 GROUP PHOTO
      • WEEKEND100 FIREWORKS
      • WEEKEND100 CHILI COOK-OFF & BALL GAME
    • FRED ASTAIRE NIGHT
    • ICE CREAM SOCIAL
    • OKTOBERFEST
    • SNOW DAY
    • TURKEY TROT 2016
    • TURKEY TROT 2017
  • THE BOOK: A HISTORY OF CORTE MADERA
  • LEGAL DISCLAIMER
  • CONTACT US
  • Women's Club Photos
  • WELCOME
    • HOW IT ALL BEGAN....
  • EARLY HISTORY
    • WHAT'S IN A NAME?
    • FIRST SETTLERS
    • RACETRACKS IN CORTE MADERA?
    • A VILLAGE EMERGES
    • BITS & PIECES >
      • Views from East Peak
    • 1913 "BOOSTERS"
    • RAILROADS
    • 1899 to 2014 VIEWS >
      • ANNOTATED PHOTO & MAP
    • PUSH FOR GROWTH
  • CORTE MADERA BECOMES A TOWN
    • CHRISTMAS TREE HILL HISTORY >
      • EARLY MAP - CHRISTMAS TREE HILL
    • HOMES ARE BUILT
    • HISTORIC PHOTOS
    • HISTORIC PLACES
    • CORTE MADERA WOMEN'S CLUB HISTORY >
      • CM WOMEN'S CLUB IN THE 2000'S
    • 1926 Aerial View from 15,000 Feet
    • LOCAL GOVERNMENT
    • REAL ESTATE AD
    • FAMILIES GROW
    • SCHOOLS
    • BUSINESSES
    • CHURCHES
    • SPORTS
    • OLD TOWN SQUARE
    • MEADOWSWEET DAIRY >
      • STREETS RENAMED
  • OLDTIMERS' MEMORIES SHARED
    • WILLIAM ISAAC PIXLEY
    • HARRY RICHARDS
    • SONIA DELEW
    • LLOYD REA
    • HAROLD & MARY BATES
    • ELSIE THIERBACH
    • AUDA BORDANARO
    • HARRIET CONOW MADEIROS
    • FRED MORRIS
    • LOUISE LAMB
    • JAN VALK
    • AUGUSTINE HALL
    • ALBERT & JEAN LEVESQUE
    • MARY SCHWERDT
    • EDITH SCHLOBOM
    • WILLIAM TALLEY
    • GERALD GRANUCCI
    • ELVA WILSON
    • A VISIT WITH DOROTHY MALMGREN
  • BIG CHANGES AFTER WW II
    • 1952 MASSIVE GROWTH
    • REC CENTER
    • LIONS CLUB
    • BUSINESS BOOM
    • LIBRARY
    • SCHOOLS
    • NEIGHBORHOODS >
      • CHRISTMAS TREE HILL HISTORY
      • MARINER COVE
      • VISTA DEL BAHIA
      • MADERA DEL PRESIDIO
      • MIRA VISTA
  • PUTTING THE BRAKES ON GROWTH
    • NEW ZONING ORDINANCE CUTS DENSITY
    • PUBLIC OPEN SPACE >
      • CORTE MADERA NORTHRIDGE
      • RING MOUNTAIN OPEN SPACE PRESERVE
      • CORTE MADERA ECOLOGICAL RESERVE >
        • HEERDT MARSH
        • CORTE MADERA MARSHES
  • SHARE YOUR OWN STORY
    • ROBERT CARLETON
    • EARL & DONNA HART FAMILY
    • SUE BIGALL
    • KURT NORSTAD
    • ANNETTE PERRY
    • HARRY RICHARDS
    • BILL & PEGGY THOMAS
    • HARRY & ANNETTE SCHRIEBMAN
    • ANDY VIRENO
    • BOB VOGEL
    • ART DONATI
    • LUIS KUBICHEK & BOYS' SOCCER
  • THE TOWN WE LOVE
    • CORTE MADERA SONG
    • SCENIC VISTAS
    • CELEBRATIONS >
      • 50TH ANNIVERSARY
      • COMMEMORATIVE PLAQUE
      • 75TH ANNIVERSARY
      • WOMEN'S CLUB 100TH BIRTHDAY
      • CIVIC ORGANIZATIONS
      • MARQUART LAGOON REGATTA
      • JULY 4TH PARADE 2017
      • 4th of JULY PARADES
      • OKTOBERFEST
      • OKTOBERFEST 2018
      • CMWIC SPRING TEA 2019
      • CORTE MADERA WOMEN'S CLUB
  • CENTENNIAL YEAR EVENTS 1916-2017
    • NEW YEAR'S EVE KICKOFF
    • RAGTIME NIGHT
    • HISTORY WALKS
    • VINTAGE CAR SHOW
    • RING MOUNTAIN HIKE
    • WEEKEND100 EVENTS >
      • 75th ANNIVERSARY TIME CAPSULE
      • FAMILY FUN NIGHT >
        • 2016 TIME CAPSULE
      • WEEKEND100 BIKE PARADE, GAMES, MUSIC, CAKE
      • WEEKEND100 VIDEO
      • WEEKEND100 GROUP PHOTO
      • WEEKEND100 FIREWORKS
      • WEEKEND100 CHILI COOK-OFF & BALL GAME
    • FRED ASTAIRE NIGHT
    • ICE CREAM SOCIAL
    • OKTOBERFEST
    • SNOW DAY
    • TURKEY TROT 2016
    • TURKEY TROT 2017
  • THE BOOK: A HISTORY OF CORTE MADERA
  • LEGAL DISCLAIMER
  • CONTACT US
  • Women's Club Photos
  Corte Madera Memories
NEW & FASCINATING! Read about Marin's first railroad by clicking here
In early days, virtually all overland travel in Marin involved railroad trains.  Roads were few, and creeks and tidal flows separated towns, but trains crossed the water on trestles and causeways.  Homes were built within walking distance of train stations, and trains ran at frequent intervals. Around 1910, it took just seven minutes to get from the Sausalito ferry to the Corte Madera station by train.
An interactive map that shows the various railroads existing in Marin during the late 1800s can be viewed at http://www.mapmarin.com/trainroutes.php with info available about each route by clicking various spots on the map.  And read about the race for connection to the ferries at
https://annetkent.kontribune.com/articles/8234
Picture
Picture
Corte Madera Train Station in 1905

Picture
The photos below  show the North West Pacific Railroad tracks with the entrance to the tunnel under Ring Mountain in the distant background.  They were taken in the 1940s and were provided by Mary Louise Simon, who owned and lived on the adjacent Hidden Valley Ranch for many years with her husband, Jay Simon.  The other photos that show North West Pacific  trains in Corte Madera are from the Gerrie Reichard Collection, which includes numerous images obtained from various railroad historians.
A few decades earlier, in 1915, a terrible train accident occurred near the Alto T




A fe