Bay Area California State Historical Parks include Jack London and Fort Ross in Sonoma County and the beautiful Filoli House and Gardens in San Mateo County. And in Marin County? We have Olompali State Historic Park. It’s two and a half miles north of Novato — take the Atherton Avenue/San Marin Drive exit, then follow the road signs. It’s worth the trip, even though currently, there’s not much there. Dating as far back as 500 A.D. according to archeologists, it was a bustling Miwok trading village named Olompali, which likely translates to “southern village” or “southern people.” Quite possibly it was Marin’s first community.
Here’s a brief chronology of Olompali: Over 250 years ago Aurelio Ynitia used adobe bricks to create one of two adobes at the village. And in 1843, Aurelio’s son Camillo was the first native-born to receive Mexican-era land grant to the surrounding 8,877 acres; talk about action. Then on June 24, 1846, during the Bear Flag Revolt, the Battle of Olompali resulted in the death of one Mexican officer. Six years later, Camillo sold most of his land to one James Black, making him Marin’s largest landowner. In 1863, things got familiar when Black’s daughter Mary inherited the property after marrying a wealthy dentist named Galen Burdell — as in Novato’s Mount Burdell. And in 1900, Burdell’s son James built the blocky-looking 26-room mansion depicted in the above 1950-era photo. The word depicted applies because in the years that followed its completion, someone — no one knows who or why — saw fit to encase the entire once-wooden structure in… plaster. Go figure. And that’s mostly what you’ll see today at Olompali State Park.
But wait, there’s more. After the Burdells sold the property in 1943, several parties including the University of San Francisco held ownership. Then, during San Francisco’s “Summer of Love,” a businessman-turned-hippie named Don McCoy signed a lease for the plastered up five-bedroom house with plans to make it into a commune. Rumors, true or not, have periodic tenants being Janis Joplin, the Grateful Dead and a girl named Courtney Michelle Harrison, now known as Courtney Love. But life at Olompali settled down slightly when a commune consisting of five families (aka “The Chosen Family”) rented the property. Things settled slightly, but not for long. On the night of February 2, 1969, a disastrous electrical fire destroyed it all and in 1977, the State of California bought the beleaguered property with intent to turn it into a state park. Author’s note: When planning a trip to Olompali State Historical Park rest assured there will be ample parking.
