Point Reyes Light - October 28, 2004
Nicasio history revealed by low reservoir waters
By Jacob Resneck
Water level in Nicasio Reservoir dropped 14 feet this summer – rather than the usual 10 to 12 feet – and some fascinating bits of West Marin history were exposed, including foundations for buildings, a bridge, and old roadways.
The last time Nicasio Reservoir was as low as it was earlier this month was during the 1975-76 drought years when the reservoir was pumped dry.
With the reservoir less than 60 percent full before last week’s rains, people were able to see the old Point Reyes-Petaluma and Nicasio Valley roads, including historic Four Corners, an important junction connecting the roads and a prominent ranch road.
Also revealed along the bank at the northeast corner of the receded reservoir were foundations from a "skimming station" where Nicasio dairy ranchers once made butter and cheese. Built around 1914, the skimming station was operated by the former Point Reyes Cooperative Creamery which ran a number of dairy plants around West Marin.
"Skimming stations were established because of new state sanitary laws," The Light’s history columnist, Dewey Livingston of Inverness, explained. "Cooperatives were formed to share the costs of modernization."
Beside the skimming station, the pier-block supports for a ranchhouse still dot the reservoir’s bottom.
Fate of Pacheco School
Near skimming station is the site of the former Pacheco School, one of West Marin’s one-room schoolhouses. Built in 1895, the school was closed in 1938, though no one is quite sure what became of the structure. What remains of the school grounds is the grove of cypress trees near Four Corners.
"None of us can remember what happened to that school," Pacheco graduate Don McIsaac, 88, of Tocaloma, said. The retired rancher’s family grazed cows on land that is now underwater. The school closed in 1938. "It had kids from first to eighth grades," McIsaac said. "The most students I remember at a time was 14. The least I remember it having was five. Three Gallaghers and two McIsaacs."
Loss of ranches
Many Nicasio Valley families, including his, were forced to turn over their land to Marin Municipal Water District and abandon their ranches, he recalled.
"In our particular case ... we were just told that we had to go," McIsaac said. "I think in that time the water district had more power than any other government agency."
Ranchers knew it was coming, but had little power to stop it, he said. "Sure, there were rumors, [Marin Municipal] had water gauges in the creek, four or five years before it was built. It was good ranch land. I would say that nobody [in Nicasio] was real happy about it."
Since the 19th century, his family had leased their ranch from the Cutter family of San Francisco. The arrangement spanned several generations. "Each [Cutter] descendent told us, ‘Keep going. Keep going,’ and we did. We ranched that land, but since we were renters, we got very little for moving out," McIsaac remembered.
"The [reservoir’s] water only came up to our place, but it closed up our dairy. At the time we closed, I’m guessing we had 130 to 140 cows. That was a pretty-good-sized dairy for those days."
The McIsaac family, however, remained in ranching, relocating to land off near Hicks Valley and in Tocaloma.
MMWD recalls animosity
Dana Roxon, a senior engineer for Marin Municipal, said he understood that there is still some animosity left over from construction of the reservoir.
"I understand that some of the people ... were just upset with the way it was carried out," he said.
Roxon said that the reservoir, with a capacity of 22,430 acre feet, provides enough water for more than 43,000 people in the water district, which serves the San Geronimo Valley and most of East Marin, south of Novato.