| City of Larkspur, California |
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CENTENNIAL INFORMATION May 21, 2008 |
How the Cunninghams Bring Larkspur's History to Life
Dick and Sue Cunningham, who have been leading walking tours of historic Larkspur for five years now, bring much more than historical facts to their popular excursions. Ever since the couple came to Larkspur in 1973 and bought a summer bungalow built in 1918, they have immersed themselves in Larkspur's past as well as its present. As they restored much of the old house to its original condition and took their two young sons on hikes through the redwoods of Baltimore Canyon, the Cunninghams developed a special feeling for the architectural history as well as the natural environment of Larkspur.
The Cunninghams shared their knowledge and their love for Larkspur on free Centennial walks in April and will repeat the walks in the fall. Dick leads walks through downtown Larkspur, where many buildings reflect the city as it was in 1908; Sue leads a stroll through Baltimore-Madrone Canyon. Both walks, sponsored by Larkspur's Heritage Preservation Board, attracted around 70 residents in April.
Both of the Cunninghams bring valuable skills and backgrounds to the role of tour leader. Sue developed an ability to explain things simply and clearly as a first-grade teacher and later as a tutor of English and literary skills through the Marin Literacy Program. Dick became expert in reading old deeds and land records as a professor of environmental and property law at Hastings College of the Law. They got acquainted with Larkspur as college sweethearts (at UC Berkeley) when they crossed the bay to attend the Rose Bowl Dance, which for 50 years attracted couples from all over the Bay Area. (They plan to revisit those courting days at the Centennial version of the Rose Bowl on September 13.) And Dick's service on the Larkspur Planning Commission and City Council in the late1970s gave him an understanding of the city's varied neighborhoods.
For both Cunninghams, the Heritage Preservation Board's invitation to lead the walks presented an opportunity to delve into the history of their town as well as to expose others to its special qualities. "We've tried to help people understand that you can live with trees and old houses," says Sue. "These are the things that make Larkspur a special place." As preparation for the walks, Sue has studied the art of spotting an older home and identifying the time it was built by its siting, window treatment, shingles, or even garden plants. She has also discovered that many homeowners will welcome the tour and talk about the history of their house and neighborhood.
For his part, Dick took advantage of his retirement (he still teaches one class at Hastings as an emeritus professor) to spend more time investigating the history of Larkspur's early days. "Research is what I do," he says. "I've used libraries all over the Bay Area because it's rare to find the history of a place in that place." His research on the downtown area turned up a number of fascinating stories. In 1910, for example, somebody used nitroglycerin to blow up the safe in a Magnolia Avenue saloon that provided slot machines for its customers' entertainment. "What the safecrackers mostly got," he notes, "were slugs for the slot machines."
His research on the canyon turned up detailed information on the Baltimore and Frederick Mining and Trading Company, which transported a steam-driven sawmill around Cape Horn and set up logging operations at the mouth of what is now called Baltimore Canyon. He also found new evidence about a bowling alley, probably established in the 1850s as an offshoot of the lumber camp, that once operated at what is now the corner of Onyx and Madrone Avenues. Fire was a common threat in the early days, Dick points out. The Pixley fire, started accidentally in 1881 by William Pixley Sr., who was clearing blackberry from his property on what is now Madrone Avenue, burned for seven or eight days, consumed a swath 7 miles wide by 12 miles long, and deposited ashes as far away as Alameda and San Francisco. Pixley died in the fire. "There were many fires," Dick says. "The bare hills we see in early photos were a result of fire and overgrazing, not just logging."
In addition to the site of the great saloon safecracking, walkers on the downtown tour visit turn-of-the-century butcher shops and markets, see the shop where "a creek runs through it," and learn the early history of the Silver Peso building. The canyon walk starts on the site of the early sawmill, passes the site where lumberjacks did their bowling, and lets participants learn the meaning of fishscale shingles and drop siding. As the Cunninghams perform their history magic, visitors also capture a vivid sense of what makes Larkspur so special.
Contact: Jack or Sallyanne Wilson 924-1389 or email jwwrite@yahoo.com.
