Mill Valley’s History and Why We’re Proud to Serve the Mill Valley Community
The Mill Valley area has been inhabited for at least 6,500 years by the Coast Miwok and Ohlone peoples who hunted, fished and ground acorns on rock outcrops. Diseases and missionization decimated their population after Spanish contact.
During the Mexican era John Thomas Reed received Rancho Corte Madera del Presidio in 1834 and built the area’s first sawmill, providing lumber for San Francisco’s Presidio. William Richardson held Rancho Saucelito to the south, and Reed raised cattle and cultivated land at the base of Mount Tamalpais.
The Tamalpais Land & Water Company laid out the town in the 1890s, marketing its cool climate to San Franciscans. Tourists flocked to the Mount Tamalpais & Muir Woods Railway (opened 1896), and Mill Valley incorporated in 1900. After the 1906 earthquake many San Francisco refugees resettled here.
Today Mill Valley is known for its redwood groves, artistic heritage and outdoor recreation. Events like the annual Dipsea Race and the Mill Valley Film Festival celebrate its creative spirit. We’re proud to serve this charming hillside town.