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A Remarkable Map of Southern Marin County
Blue line map of Marin County, showing such towns as San Rafael, Sausalito, Larkspure, Bolinas, etc. and features, particularly Mount Tamalpais, with railroad, trails, and wagon roads delineated.
First edition of one of the earliest road maps of southern Marin County. A railroad is shown running to the east peak of Mount Tam, which operated between 1896 and 1930, and was then known as “The Crookedest Railroad in the World.” The line was a little over eight miles in length, and ran from Mill Valley to the tavern on Mount Tam. One of the railroad’s innovations was the use of gravity cars, introduced in 1902, which upon descending the mountain depended on gravity for forward motion and large brakes operated by conductors who had instructions not to exceed twelve miles per hour.
Publisher Hanak & Hargens consisted of Fred Hanak, President, and George Hargens, Secretary. Based in San Francisco, the firm specialized in books (especially guide books) and stationery. The following note appeared in San Francisco: The Metropolis of Western America, an 1899 publication by the Board of Supervisors of San Francisco:
HANAK & HARGENS: The great success of this city is due partly to the enterprise of her businessmen. An important branch of trade is the stationery and book-selling line, and a prominent house in this city is Hanak & Hargens, established in 1898, and occupying the lower floor of the four-story brick structure at 107 Montgomery Street, and employing five salesmen. Its trade is exclusively a city one, and it handles books, papers, periodicals, cutlery—in fact, everything in the stationery line. Its specialty is fine art works of all kinds, and German, French and Spanish books. Mr. Hargens is a native of New Jersey, twenty-eight years old, and has been in San Francisco eighteen years. Mr. Hanak was born in Austria, is twenty-nine years, and in this city for eighteen years.
Rarity
The map is extremely rare. OCLC locates 1 example ( Bancroft Library).
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