Wilkins Ranch: Cultural Landscapes Inventory, Point Reyes National Seashore
Regions 8, 9, 10, & 12 Park Cultural Landscapes Program. 2011. Wilkins Ranch: Cultural Landscapes Inventory, Point Reyes National Seashore. Cultural Landscapes Inventory Report. 725003. U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service. NPS Pacific West Regional Office, San Francisco, California / CRIS-CL Database
Inventory Unit Description: Wilkins Ranch is an approximately 1397-acre ranching property that is located on the southeastern side of the Olema Valley, within the North District of Golden Gate National Recreation Area. The property is managed by Point Reyes National Seashore. The ranch encompasses the west facing slope of Bolinas Ridge down to Highway 1and is bordered by McCurdy Ranch on the north, and the private Audubon Canyon Ranch to the south. The ranch core, made up of a cluster of buildings that are sited on one of the few flat areas of the property, surrounded by steep slopes leading to grazing lands on the rolling hillsides. The ranch historically supported a dairy operation, but today is used for park housing and park storage. Wilkins Ranch is a portion of the Olema Valley/Lagunitas Loop Ranches Historic District, which was determined eligible for the National Register of Historic Places in 2008. The Historic District was determined significant at a local-level under Criteria A and C with a period of significance from 1856 to 1961. Under Criterion A, the district is significant for its small and medium-sized family owned farms and ranches, most of which emphasized dairy production. Under Criterion C, the district is significant for its excellent examples of local rural vernacular architecture, especially dairy building types. The period of significance covers roughly a century, beginning with the initial American settlement of the area in 1856 and extending to 1961 when the federal government authorized the creation of Point Reyes National Seashore, marking the beginning of the end of private dairy ranching in Olema Valley. This period encompasses the major development of the roads, buildings, structures, fence lines, and delineation of pastures within the district. Wilkins Ranch, which operated as a dairy ranch for over a century until its conversion to beef cattle production in the 1970s, appears today much as it did during the period of significance and retains its historical integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling and association.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Regions 8, 9, 10, & 12 Park Cultural Landscapes Program
- Date of Issue
- 2011-09-08
- Publisher
- U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
- Units
- GOGA , PORE , PWR
- Keywords
- agriculture, architecture, barn, commerce, dairy production, dairy ranch, exploration - settlement, farm, feed shed, garage, granary, historic vernacular landscape, industry, livestock, ranching, ranching community, vernacular architecture, well house
- Subjects
- CRIS-CL: 725003: Wilkins Ranch