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Health & Fitness

Marin Conservation League Leads a Walk at Olompali State Historic Park

The 13th Walk Into (Conservation) History was hosted by the Marin Conservation League and The Olompali People, taking a hike around Olompali State Historic Park.

The Marin Conservation League (MCL) hosted the 13th Walk Into (Conservation) History on Saturday, March 23, taking hikers through a historical overview of Olompali State Historic Park. A series of speakers highlighted the many layers of history represented in this unique state park, which covers 10,000 years of history from the Miwok to the Grateful Dead. I joined the group in the parking lot, in sight of some of the old historic buildings that remain to tell the long story of Olompali. The traffic on Highway 101 was rushing by just outside the park, with most passersby unaware of the amazing history that is just off the freeway. While the freeway noise can be distracting, it is constantly interrupted by the calls of California quail in the brush and red-tailed hawks circling overhead.

MCL President Susan Stompe welcomed the group as we walked into a grassy plaza outside the Visitor Center. Susan gave us an introduction to the history of Olompali, telling us the story of Camilo Ynitia, a Miwok who was baptized at Mission San Rafael in 1819. Camilo later became the first and only Native American in northern Alta California to be awarded a Mexican land grant, receiving 8,900 acres at Olompali from Governor Micheltorena in 1843. Camilo had a certain status at the time, being a close friend of both General Mariano Vallejo, the military commander of northern California, and the Patwin chief Solano. His simple adobe residence was constructed in 1837, and later came to be encased within the Burdell Mansion, which was built in 1911.

Camilo sold the Olompali property to Marin County assessor James Black in 1852, at a time when his land grant was being challenged by the U.S. Land Commission, shortly after the American takeover of California. Black later sold Olompali to the Burdell family, who transformed it into a cattle ranch with an elaborate Victorian garden. We continued the walk into the ruins of the gardens, where Diane Einstein, president of The Olompali People (TOP), told us the story of the restoration work that is planned for the gardens. A number of the original plants, which were brought here by Mary Burdell after a trip to Asia, are still present, along with Mexican fan palms, a single redwood tree, and Australian bottle brush.

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Next we took a view into the back of the old Burdell mansion, a ruin that encases the ruin of the Camilo Ynitia adobe. Both buildings are crumbling, but preserved in a state of historical decay that represents the considerable age of these structures. We learned about the significant location of Olompali, which sits on the route of El Camino Real, the early Spanish highway that stretched from San Diego to Sonoma. Betty Goerke, in her biography of Chief Marin, describes Olompali as "… a common eating and resting stopover for travelers on their way from San Rafael north to Colony Ross or to the Sonoma mission." This place was an important crossroads, not just in the Miwok time, but continuing on into the Spanish, Mexican, and American eras.

We walked up the hill to the Kitchen Rock, a large boulder that contains a number of bedrock mortars that were used by the Miwok to grind acorns from the many oaks that are a signature feature of this land. Nick Tipon, from the Miwok tribe of Graton Rancheria, talked to us about the Native American presence here, which dates back 10,000 years. Olompali was one of the largest and most important Miwok settlements, a trading center with the Pomo to the north and the Ohlone to the south. The word "Olompali" means south village, an indication that this site was the gateway to the southern territory of the Miwok. The Miwok name for Mount Burdell, the defining peak of the park, was "Olompais," meaning South Mountain.

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Nick went on to tell us about how climate change over thousands of years defined the life of the Miwok. When sea levels were lower, at the end of the last Ice Age, the land used to extend two miles beyond the Farallon Islands. There were Miwok settlements throughout this area, although over time they had to move inland as rising sea levels created San Francisco Bay as we know it today. The Miwok adapted to climate change, giving us a lesson to follow as we face a much more accelerated rate of change.

Susan Stompe then led us up to the old barn that was an integral part of the Burdell Ranch. She explained to us how the barn is being restored, consulting with historical experts and archeologists to use authentic materials from the period. We then continued up the hill to the replica Miwok village, where historical dwellings, called kotchas in the Miwok language, have been constructed in an open meadow under the majestic branches of valley oaks. Nick Tipon went on to tell us more about the daily lives of a people for whom Olompali was a critical center of culture.

Biologist Clint Kellner, from The Olompali People, then led us into the ethno-botanical Native Plant Garden, which features a rich selection of California native plants that are significant to the Miwok people. Each plant has an interpretive sign that tells the common name of the plant, the scientific name, the name in two different dialects of Miwok, and the way the plant was used by the Miwok.

After walking through the Native Plant Garden, we proceeded up the hill and into the forest, hiking a two-mile trail that loops up over the side of Mount Burdell and back down to the Visitor Center. It’s a great time of year for a wildflower hike, with a wide variety of flowers in bloom. Buttercups add a bright yellow splash of springtime color to trailsides and meadows, while delicate ground irises peek out through the forest underbrush. A sharp eye can spot the subtle stalks of Coralroot, a member of the orchid family. Shooting Stars are plentiful, although starting to fade from their luminescent pink glory. Indian Paintbrush is just starting to appear with bright red stalks gracing the hillsides. We finished the hike back at the Visitor Center, where the speakers of the day were on hand to answer questions and talk about the park.

Olompali State Historic Park was one of 70 state parks that were slated for closure in 2012. The closure was averted, thanks to the strong support of the community and the work of The Olompali People. The park now has an Operating Agreement with California State Parks that will ensure that the park remains open for the foreseeable future. The agreement was worked out together with China Camp and Tomales Bay State Parks, with the help of the Marin State Parks Association and the Friends of China Camp. Olompali will host its annual Heritage Day on May 19 this year, with plenty to celebrate. The day features dancing by neighboring Pomo Indians, walks around the Native Plant Garden, historical talks, and demonstrations of historical crafts such as basketry and adobe brick making.

The Walks Into (Conservation) History take place several times each year, sponsored by the Marin Conservation League in cooperation with other nonprofit organizations, in this case The Olompali People, a committee of the nonprofit Marin State Parks Association. The Marin Conservation League will hold its Annual Dinner on April 19, with Keynote Speaker Congressman Jared Huffman.

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