In 1932 Zan Stark climbed the hill near where the Buckeye Roadhouse would open six years later.

Looking north, he took a photo of the half mile of newly opened redwood curving toward Mill Valley. “The longest Redwood Bridge in the world,” he wrote on the negative.

They said it was “more enduring than stone,” yet the restaurant outlived the bridge by seven decades and counting. But the bridge’s short 25 years of service isn’t the most unusual part.

Mid-span, barely visible, you can see the steel tower. The channel under the bridge, running up toward Mill Valley, was legally a “navigable stream,” so the Army Corps of Engineers required a lift span. The state built one in steel, 56 feet long, and announced it would open on 24 hours' notice. Almost nobody asked. Historian Barry Spitz counts six openings in 25 years.

Most of those were for one dredge. In 1952 a developer began dredging a 750-berth yacht harbor behind where the Acqua Hotel and Piatti are today, his dredge had to come and go under the lift span. The lift span went up at 9pm, traffic detoured through town, and residents got what the Record called “a horn-tooting, brake-squealing traffic jam.” That project was never finished.

After the Golden Gate Bridge opened in 1937, through the end of World War II, traffic grew modestly: a 45% increase to 4.8 million vehicle crossings. Then it exploded. By the time the redwood bridge came down in 1956, Golden Gate Bridge traffic had tripled, reaching 14.7 million.

The state's first plan, in 1951, was to keep the redwood bridge and build a twin beside it. Then in 1954 Sacramento budgeted $3 million for a six-lane concrete span, built 35 feet above the water so it wouldn’t require a drawbridge. In this photograph, you can see the two side by side:

The old bridge was disassembled, and its timber was sold. The redwood never failed. Twenty-five years in salt water, and the planks were still good enough to resell.

In fact, you might be able to buy some from this Richmond reclaimed-lumber yard.

p.s. Were Marin’s trees cut down for this bridge? By 1931 there was almost nothing left to cut. The redwoods along Mill Valley's creeks had been sawed into San Francisco lumber in the 1830s and '40s — that's where the name "Mill Valley" comes from — and Muir Woods had been a national monument since 1908. Old-growth redwood on the scale this bridge needed existed in one place: the North Coast, 200 miles up the highway in Humboldt and Mendocino counties.

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The Monty Python legend talks with Dave Eggers about his new book, Idle in Provence, at Dominican's 600-seat Angelico Hall. Sunday, October 25, 4pm, $45 including a signed copy.

The pop favorite brings her double-album tour to Bill Graham Civic Auditorium on Wednesday, April 21, 2027. The presale is Wednesday 10/7 at 10am (password: burningheart), and general on-sale is Thursday 10/8 at 10am.

A rare stadium-size metal show on the Polo Field, with Bring Me the Horizon co-headlining. Sunday, August 15, 2027, from $179.

Because leaving Marin might take more planning. Look for our Marin events in the Wednesday email.

The Blue Angels headline the three-day show. I recommend free viewing from Sausalito’s Fort Baker or SF Presidio’s Tunnel Tops. Noon-4pm, Friday-Sunday, October 9-11.

The country's oldest Italian-American parade marches through North Beach for the 157th time, with floats, music, and a church bazaar at Saints Peter & Paul. Mass at 10am, parade after, Sunday, October 11, free.

Pillar Point Harbor kicks off big-wave season with live music, food, a surf swap, and the surfers who actually ride Mavericks. 11am-5pm, Saturday, October 10, free.

Trading cards, toys, and artists fill the United Irish Cultural Center in the Outer Sunset, with learn-to-play tables for beginners and giveaways. 10am-4pm, Saturday, October 10, $5 (kids under 10 free).

Growers haul in pumpkins weighing more than a ton for the 53rd annual world championship. A new world record earns a $30,000 bonus (the world record was last set at this event in 2023). 7am-2pm, Monday, October 12, fere.

Please note that this property isn’t associated with the banner sponsor above or Marin Buzz in any way. It is just a unique home you might be interested in seeing, for entertainment purposes only!

137 Greenbrae Boardwalk, Greenbrae, CA 94904

A single-family home in Marin with a view and its own boat dock for under $700k? There's a catch: you can't drive to it.

The Greenbrae Boardwalk is a raised wooden walkway that heads out over the marsh on the south side of Corte Madera Creek, directly across from the Larkspur ferry. Walk past about 30 homes, one third of a mile, to arrive at this white house.

The ark houseboat tradition of naming your home survives. This 1920 cottage is The Pelican house. It's 864 square feet, two bedrooms, one bath, with vaulted open-beam ceilings, skylights, and a wraparound deck.

It sold in September 2023 for $490k, and it sounds like they’ve put a lot of work into it since. “Thoughtfully updated throughout, the cottage features a newer roof, along with new flooring, fresh interior and exterior paint, new appliances, and updates to the kitchen and bath.”

What do you think, can you see yourself here?

Web link

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Thanks for reading. We will be back with the regular events and activities email Wednesday morning!

— Allison + Brian