History
History
Terra Linda
1953
1969
By Michelle Kaufman
Freitas Ranch in 1953
A long line of eucalyptus trees leads up the drive to the ranch house originally built by John Lucas . Lucas ’ uncle , Timothy Murphy , owned the property as part of the larger Santa Margarita , Las Gallinas and San Pedro land grant . Mount Olivet Cemetery is in the lower left corner and is also ringed by eucalyptus trees . Highway 101 can be seen arching over the Northwestern Pacific Railroad tracks in the lower left corner .
Manuel T . Freitas converted the 1,186 acres from a horse ranch to a dairy farm when he purchased the property from Lucas in 1896 . Dairy workers milked 250 head of dairy cattle and sold the milk to San Francisco . The ranch also supported a family orchard , vegetable gardens , chickens and pigeons .
Terra Linda , 1969
The valley has been developed into a community of single-family homes , the Northgate Mall , Kaiser Hospital and several elementary and middle schools .
Manuel Freitas ’ adult children entered into a contract with George Goheen on May 22 , 1953 to turn over
the property in stages for purposes of residential development . On July 1 , 1954 , developers broke ground and the ranch terminated its dairy operation . One of the residential developers was Joeseph Eichler who designed and built contemporary modern houses for a reasonable price .
The valley got its name when the developers asked for suggestions from the Freitas family members . Rose , Manuel ’ s daughter , suggested Terra Linda and it was selected . Terra Linda is Portuguese for “ beautiful land .”
The ranch house remained until it and the surrounding 10 acres were donated to the Catholic Church with the understanding that it would be developed into St . Isabella ’ s Parish ’ s rectory , school and church .
Mount Olivet Cemetery and the Northwestern Pacific Railroad tracks are still recognizable in the photo ’ s lower left corner .
Images donated by Roy Farrington Jones
MARIN ARTS & CULTURE 43