Waterways of San Rafael and Fairfax

By Marques Vickers

This edition is a visual examination of five streams in northern Marin County. Over 70 color images portray the routings of the Santa Venetia Marsh Preserve and Las Gallinas, San Rafael, Fairfax and Sleepy Hollow Creeks as captured by photographer Marques Vickers.

The creeks that eminently flow throughout Marin County are important draining outlets originating from the elevated mountain ranges that frame the skeleton of the region. Each creek becomes an important tributary that ultimately empties into the San Francisco Bay.

The Coastal Miwok tribe inhabited the region for hundreds of years harvesting and gathering crops, hunting and fishing for salmon and steelhead trout. Their lands stretched from Marin to southern Sonoma county and Bodega Bay. European diseases with the Spanish establishment of Missions San Francisco de Asis and San Rafael decimated the native population. Following Mexican independence, the missions were closed and the lands divided into two prominent land grants. Over the subsequent two centuries, the region would evolve into upscale suburban enclaves with Mount Tamalpais looming prominently in the background.

Las Gallinas Creek
The Las Gallinas Creek begins in the hills of Terra Linda and continues skirting along the periphery of San Rafael. The south fork then passes under an overpass of Interstate Highway 101 and enters the Gallinas Watershed. The water then follows into the Santa Venetia Marsh Preserve.

The Santa Venetia Marsh Preserve
The Santa Venetia Marsh Preserve is a 33-acre salt marsh surrounded by a levee. The region is part of the Las Gallinas creek delta watershed that drains the Terra Linda valleys. The marsh was diked and filled in the early 1900s when the adjacent area was leveled for development. The surrounding area is now a patchwork of channels, marshland and flood control areas inhabited by a diverse array of birds and animals.

San Rafael Creek
San Rafael Creek originates within the downtown before passing under an overpass on Interstate Highway 101. The creek then widens into a causeway lined on both sides by commercial constructions and the Municipal Yacht Harbor. Residential structures replace commercial and the creek passes the Marin Yacht Club to the north. Expanding further, the waters flow into San Rafael Bay, which empties into the San Francisco Bay.

Fairfax Creek
Fairfax Creek is one of the few Marin water bodies that does not empty into one of the larger streams at its termination. The creek commences near the Loma Alta Open Space Preserve. It continues eastward weaving into downtown Fairfax where it ends.

Sleepy Hollow Creek
Sleepy Hollow Creek begins on the outskirts of San Anselmo and empties into San Anselmo Creek just south of Sir Francis Drake High School in San Anselmo.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Marques Vickers
• Release date: Aug 4, 2020
• ISBN: 9781005921446

Marques Vickers

Visual Artist, Writer and Photographer Marques Vickers is a California native presently living in the San Francisco Bay Area and Seattle, Washington regions. He was born in 1957 and raised in Vallejo, California. He is a 1979 Business Administration graduate from Azusa Pacific University in the Los Angeles area. Following graduation, he became the Public Relations and ultimately Executive Director of the Burbank Chamber of Commerce between 1979-84. He subsequently became the Vice President of Sales for AsTRA Tours and Travel in Westwood between 1984-86. Following a one-year residence in Dijon, France where he studied at the University of Bourgogne, he began Marquis Enterprises in 1987. His company operations have included sports apparel exporting, travel and tour operations, wine brokering, publishing, rare book and collectibles reselling. He has established numerous e-commerce, barter exchange and art websites including MarquesV.com, ArtsInAmerica.com, InsiderSeriesBooks.com, DiscountVintages.com and WineScalper.com. Between 2005-2009, he relocated to the Languedoc region of southern France. He concentrated on his painting and sculptural work while restoring two 19th century stone village residences. His figurative painting, photography and sculptural works have been sold and exhibited internationally since 1986. He re-established his Pacific Coast residence in 2009 and has focused his creative productivity on writing and photography. His published works span a diverse variety of subjects including true crime, international travel, California wines, architecture, history, Southern France, Pacific Coast attractions, fiction, auctions, fine art marketing, poetry, fiction and photojournalism. He has two daughters, Charline and Caroline who presently reside in Europe.

Book preview

Waterways of San Rafael and Fairfax

Published by Marques Vickers at Smashwords

Copyright 2020 Marques Vickers

MARQUIS PUBLISHING

HERRON ISLAND, WASHINGTON

UNSEEN MARIN COUNTY: The Waterways of San Rafael and Fairfax

Santa Venetia Marsh and Las Gallinas, San Rafael, Sleepy Hollow and Fairfax Creeks

Preface

Santa Venetia Marsh

Las Gallinas Creek

San Rafael Creek

Sleepy Hollow Creek

Fairfax Creek

About The Author

Preface

The Coastal Miwok tribe inhabited the territory of Marin County for hundreds of years harvesting and gathering crops, hunting and fishing for salmon and steelhead trout. Their population was speculated to be near 5,000 and their lands stretched from