The Voices of the Ranches

Painting of Martin Ranch Tennessee Valley
Painting of the Martin Ranch in Tennessee Valley

Golden Gate NRA, Park Archives, GOGA 17928




Ranches in California and the Marin County were established before the United States and they later coexisted with the military use of the Marin Headlands. This area combines Tribal, Mexican, and Portuguese cultures into what has been described as California Dairy history. Here you can listen to these stories as told by the people who lived and worked there.


For more on Marin Headlands Agriculture
 
Dairy farmer couple
Dairy farmers c1920s'

Golden Gate NRA, Park Archives, GOGA 17928


Yes. As I say, in today's way of living, you could say they were shacks, but we lived in them. You [know you] talk about discrimination what have you, and it was wonderful. God, we had milk to drink, meat to eat, we never starved. I think it was great - Mary Machado

 
 
Family Farm c1928 hand tinted
Dairy Ranch c1928

Golden Gate NRA, Park Archives, GOGA 40087



"This ranch over here, everything's gone. Where Sam Silva was. And dairy ranch, everything's gone over there too. Nothing left there. I can remember buildings here. Especially Sam's had a big ranch over here." - John Cunha

 
 
Ranching Holy Ghost MAHE c1920
Holy Ghost Ceremony c1920s.

Golden Gate NRA, Park Archives, GOGA 35185


"It was they had the big famine and drought. And Queen Isabella had been praying for relief from the famine. And then all of a sudden the ships came in laden with the breads and food ---------- And that's when they started celebrating the Holy Ghost." -Dorothy Pimentel Silva --Describing the reason for the holy ghost ceremony.

 
 
Soldiers at Fort Barry with ranch in background
Soldiers at Ft Barry with Ranch in Background

Golden Gate NRA, Park Archives, GOGA-3984


"Guard duty, I think. Because they have that big cyclone fence along the top of the area. Kept them on the inside. But they had a lot of soldiers down there during the war. We were down in the other ranch there, and we had to put sheets over the top of the window so they couldn't see the light."- Laura Lopes

 
 
Silva Dairy Ranch ca1930s   006
Dairy Ranch in the Valley

Golden Gate NRA, Park Archives, GOGA 17928



He mixed it with some barley,and modern vitamins and all that. Now they got Dairy Miss Millie which mixed that already in it. Brings it in, they pump it into a big cylinder, then they just open the chute and slide it to the cows.- Joe Souza

 
 
Cattle Drive in Marin County c1920s
Cattle drive in Marin County c1920s

Golden Gate NRA, Park Archives, GOGA 35185


"They need somebody to round up cattle, a cowboy. To be a cowboy. And they had a large herd there. It's a big ranch. A dairy ranch, so it was a milk ranch. And they had several hundred head of cattle that they had to round up twice a day."- Werner Ottens

 
 

These oral histories may be used for any legitimate non-commercial public or press use with proper credit given to the National Park Service. If you have any questions or require additional information, please reach out to the Park Archives and Records Center’s reference archivist at 415-561-2807 or Contact Us.

For a Complete List of Oral Histories Available by Topic
 

Last updated: July 9, 2024

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