In the early 1820s, a man slipped a tule boat into the dark water off the San Rafael shore and pulled hard against the tide. Behind him, the candlelit windows of Mission San Rafael Arcángel grew smaller. Ahead, two black silhouettes rose from San Pablo Bay — two rocky islands barely a mile offshore, cliff-sided and ringed by mudflats. He had grown up on these waters and knew just where to hide.

Huicmuse was his Miwok name. At about 20 years old in 1801, the Franciscans baptized him Marino at Mission Dolores in San Francisco. He was useful to the settlers, a Spanish-speaking Miwok who was a skilled navigator and natural leader. They made him alcalde at Mission San Rafael in 1817 to oversee his own people inside a system that had abruptly and forcefully overturned a way of life thousands of years old.

But useful and willing are different things. The duties of an alcalde included enforcing a discipline that ran to whippings and confinement, and the rift between Marino and the missionaries widened until, one night, he took a boat to escape.

He was a fugitive for months, able to watch the mainland and sneak back to allies on shore when needed. They caught him eventually, and he spent a year detained at the Presidio.

In 1835, while Marino was still alive, a mapmaker labeled them the Islands of Marin due to the local lore. Then the peninsula took the name, and eventually the whole county did too.

He wasn’t the only one to hide out on these islands. Decades later, the bay was thick with poachers running illicit hauls of oysters and salmon, and the State Fish Patrol gave chase across the same waters where Marin had hidden. A young Jack London, who had ridden with the patrol in the 1890s, wrote it into Tales of the Fish Patrol. One of his oyster-pirate villains needed a hiding place and London sent him to the Marin Islands.

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This free concert series in the Sunset District was so popular that last year they went to a lottery system. Each week you can enter a lottery for the show 6 weeks later. Right now, you can enter for Bomba Estéreo on June 21. There’s some big ones coming later this year (Public Enemy, Al Green, Major Lazer, etc.), so keep this on your radar to try for tickets.

Did you know this casino is only 30 minutes away from Marin? I just found out they did a $1B expansion with phase 1 opening last week (including a massive non-smoking gambling wing + sports bar that doesn’t even require walking through the smoking area). This year they brought in some more headliners, including Matt Rife this weekend (some tickets to the Saturday 10pm show remain). Next year they open a theater twice as large, so expect it to be a draw for top tier talent.

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

The race is 7 miles across the city and you can still register. Sunday 5/17, $116. Or you can people watch for free. I recommend the panhandle or Alamo Square.

Watch the movie and then a discussion with Jon Heder (Napoleon) and Efren Ramirez (Pedro). Although maybe it’s not that straightforward: “Perfect for the whole family, this live show is a wild and hysterical blend of Q&A, comedy improv, game show, and party, with plenty of audience participation.“ Friday 5/15, 7:30pm, $57.

There’s a massive car cruise and parade right where George Lucas filmed the movie in 1972. Saturday 5/16, free.

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!

20 Crest Road, Belvedere

The funny thing about $50 million dollar homes is they don’t really hit the market. It’s coming soon, but you can schedule a showing. I think a better description is it’s listed privately for the right buyer.

So even though it isn’t on Zillow, I had to feature it since it is shooting for the record of most expensive home ever sold in Marin County. Nearby Locksley Hall at 440 Golden Gate Ave sold for $47.5M in 2015. Then last year, Jony Ive bought it for $43M plus another $30M for three nearby homes to make an even larger compound. This would be going for most expensive single property, not exceeding that four-home package deal from last year.

Pool, sport court, entertaining balconies, winding garden paths, 8 beds, 11 baths. What do you think…

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

— Allison + Brian