Point Reyes Light - April 22, 2004
Olema ranching patriarch Boyd Stewart dies at 101
By Larken Bradley
Olema Valley rancher Boyd Stewart, an iconic figure in West Marin history who was instrumental in the creation of Point Reyes National Seashore and the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, died Saturday, April 17, of natural causes, a month and one day after his 101st birthday. His mind remained razor sharp to the end.
A liberal Republican, a Stanford man and a feminist, Mr. Stewart was in many ways an anomaly in his generation. A progressive rancher and an environmentalist, he stuck his neck out, advocating that the federal government buy West Marin ranches for inclusion in the park and lease them back to the ranchers.
At the time, his peers believed "the government has no damn right to own the land," he told a visitor in January. "The land belongs to the people," they protested. By "the people" they meant, in effect, themselves.
From ‘unpopular’ to icon
"I was not popular; I was unpopular," Mr. Stewart revealed. "I was not liked; I was disliked."
Over time, however, many ranchers came to agree that turning West Marin’s agricultural land into protected parkland was the only viable way to save it from subdivision and development.
In 1970 the Stewart family ranch transferred ownership to the National Park Service.
That same year Mr. Stewart spoke in front of the US Parks and Recreation Subcommittee of the Senate Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs.
Said Mr. Stewart, "those who have loved this land for years and seen it through its many moods and seasons recognize that this treasure can no longer remain ours to enjoy exclusively. Its beauty and grandeur must be shared with all Americans."
Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey on Tuesday told The Light that she was honored to count herself among Boyd Stewart’s many friends and to share his vision for preserving the beauty and vitality of West Marin.
"As an early advocate for the creation of Point Reyes National Seashore, Boyd was able to work with both ranchers and environmentalists to preserve our natural cultural heritage," she said.
Added Congresswoman Woolsey, "I will miss chatting with him in his kitchen, but I know he left a richer community for all of us."
A leading member of the Marin County Farm Bureau for more than 80 years, Mr. Stewart also sat on the boards of the West Marin Chamber of Commerce and the Marin Humane Society – an unusual affiliation for a rancher, whose occupation is to raise animals to be slaughtered – and was recognized as its Humane Man of the Century.
Seen by many as wise, clearheaded and paternal, "Boyd was kind of the Ben Cartwright of West Marin," said Novato rancher Will Lieb, referring to the imposing patriarch in the popular, old television show, Bonanza. "He knew everything going on and he knew everyone."
"He was a good rancher and a good neighbor," offered lifelong Tocaloma rancher Don McIsaac.
Said park superintendent Don Neubacher, "to almost his last day he would call me and offer advice on how to best manage the lands within Point Reyes National Seashore."
In the 1940s he became involved in the development of the California water project including the Delta Mendota Canal and the California Aqueduct.
Return to the land
Mr. Stewart, his daughter JoAnn Stewart, and granddaughter Amanda Wisby – now manager of the Stewart Ranch – were honored in Sacramento with the prestigious 2002 California Excellence in Range Management Award.
The ranch includes 1,300 acres of grazing land for 200 Angus beef cattle, and a 60-horse boarding and horse-camp facility.
Born in San Rafael on March 16, 1903, Boyd Stewart grew up on his parents’ Nicasio dairy ranch, living in the dwelling across the street from the historic schoolhouse. He attended Tamalpais High School, traveling there each day on horseback to San Geronimo Valley, where he hopped the North Coast Pacific Railway narrow-gauge train to Mill Valley.
In an era when it was unusual for any child who grew up on a local ranch to attend high school, let alone college, "I was told as a kid I was going to get an education," he said earlier this year. He went on to Stanford University for three years until he was called back to the ranch when his father died after being kicked by a horse.
During his three-year stay at Stanford he always knew he would return to the land. "I hadn’t been to college but a short time," he said, "when I realized I didn’t want to live in town."
In 1927 he married Joseffa Conrad, a music student at Dominican College and settled on a ranch owned by his parents in Olema Valley. Joseffa Conrad Stewart died in 1980.
Mr. Stewart enjoyed sharing stories of bygone days with schoolchildren and historical societies. "He observed the world around him and gleaned amazing learning and wisdom," said Elaine Doss, principal of Nicasio School.
Inspiration
As a boy he found inspiration from itinerant laborers who traveled a circuit of ranches, stopping periodically at the Stewart ranch. One Oxford-educated wanderer, who read both Latin and Greek, spurred young Boyd to study classical languages and culture.
At age 91, Mr. Stewart was elected an active director on the board of the West Marin Chamber of Commerce. During a phase when inner squabbling divided the ranks, he was brought in to mediate differences. "He was the guiding light," said board member Lynnette Kahn. "He never got bogged down in the minutiae."
A feminist before his time, Mr. Stewart was cheered to see not only his daughter and granddaughter running West Marin ranches, but several other women too. "He genuinely felt that this country would be better off with more women in government and corporations," Kahn observed.
A registered Republican his entire life, what was surprising, said restaurateur Pat Healy of the Station House Cafe, "was his liberalism and freedom of thought."
Asked about the robust centenarian’s culinary preferences, "he did order beef a lot," Healy said.
He is survived by his daughter, JoAnn Stewart; granddaughter and her husband, Amanda Wisby and K.C. Campbell; and great-grandson, Stewart Campbell, all of Olema; and his sister, Henrietta Greer of Livermore.
At Mr. Stewart’s request, no services will be held.