Larkspur Creek
Encyclopedia
Larkspur Creek is a short stream which flows 3.5 miles east to meet Corte Madera Creek in Larkspur, California
just before reaching Richardson's Bay. The creek was named for the town of Larkspur, which was named by Georgiana Wright, a Briton and spouse of the 1887 developer of the area. She named the town of Larkspur for lupine flowers on the hills that she mistook for larkspur
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land grant in 1834 which extended from Point Tiburon to Larkspur Creek. Secretary Daniel Taylor of the Baltimore and Frederick Trading and Mining Company recalled in a 1914 newspaper article, “When we arrived at Larkspur, there was no one to meet us. The country was a wilderness, with wild geese in abundance." Baltimore Canyon (the Larkspur Creek subwatershed) was named for the timber sawmill the company had transported to Larkspur from Baltimore, Maryland by sailboat around Cape Horn in 1849. The sawyers denuded Mt. Tamalpais of old-growth redwoods in short order. Said Taylor in 1914, "I can picture the majestic redwoods that covered the flat where Larkspur stands today. Some of the trees were eight feet in diameter and lifted their immense bulk 300 feet upward.” This newspaper account also described the hunting of a 375- pound black bear
(Ursus americanus): "He was beautiful and the boys had the feast of their lives for a week on bear meat.”
By the early 1860s, the forest had been clear-cut and only vestiges remained. Commented Judge Samuel Gardiner, who lived adjacent to the mouth of the canyon in the early 1900s, “One thing that is not appreciated today is the character of the redwood growth that existed here. There were thousands of redwood stumps ranging from five to 15 feet in diameter at the point of cutting...thousands of them.” At the area now know as Dolliver Park, Judge Gardiner reported that the creek "was about nine feet across and about 25 feet deep" (where now it is but two feet deep in summer). Judge Gardiner mentioned Night herons
(Nycticorax nycticorax) in the early 1900s: “ I remember well there was a large colony of night herons which nested in the redwood tops of the Baltimore Canyon and nightly flew to the marsh area to hunt for shell fish. They stayed all night and came back at dawn.”
Baltimore Canyon Open Space Preserve protects the upper watershed, where perennial pools harbor young steelhead and Pacific giant salamander
s (Dicamptodontidae). At the head of the canyon lies Dawn Falls, a spectacular 30-foot cascade during the wet winter months through early spring.
Larkspur, California
Larkspur is a city in Marin County, California, United States. Larkspur is located south of San Rafael, at an elevation of . As of the 2010 Census, the city's population was 11,926. Larkspur is located north of San Francisco near Mount Tamalpais. Larkspur's Police Department is shared with that...
just before reaching Richardson's Bay. The creek was named for the town of Larkspur, which was named by Georgiana Wright, a Briton and spouse of the 1887 developer of the area. She named the town of Larkspur for lupine flowers on the hills that she mistook for larkspur
Delphinium
Delphinium is a genus of about 300 species of perennial flowering plants in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae, native throughout the Northern Hemisphere and also on the high mountains of tropical Africa. The common name, larkspur, is shared with the closely related genus Consolida...
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History
John Reed received the Rancho Corte Madera del PresidioRancho Corte Madera del Presidio
Rancho Corte Madera del Presidio was a Mexican land grant in present day Marin County, California given in 1834 by Governor José Figueroa to John Reed. Corte Madera del Presidio means the "lumber mill of the Presidio". The grant encompassed what is now southern Corte Madera, Mill Valley,...
land grant in 1834 which extended from Point Tiburon to Larkspur Creek. Secretary Daniel Taylor of the Baltimore and Frederick Trading and Mining Company recalled in a 1914 newspaper article, “When we arrived at Larkspur, there was no one to meet us. The country was a wilderness, with wild geese in abundance." Baltimore Canyon (the Larkspur Creek subwatershed) was named for the timber sawmill the company had transported to Larkspur from Baltimore, Maryland by sailboat around Cape Horn in 1849. The sawyers denuded Mt. Tamalpais of old-growth redwoods in short order. Said Taylor in 1914, "I can picture the majestic redwoods that covered the flat where Larkspur stands today. Some of the trees were eight feet in diameter and lifted their immense bulk 300 feet upward.” This newspaper account also described the hunting of a 375- pound black bear
American black bear
The American black bear is a medium-sized bear native to North America. It is the continent's smallest and most common bear species. Black bears are omnivores, with their diets varying greatly depending on season and location. They typically live in largely forested areas, but do leave forests in...
(Ursus americanus): "He was beautiful and the boys had the feast of their lives for a week on bear meat.”
By the early 1860s, the forest had been clear-cut and only vestiges remained. Commented Judge Samuel Gardiner, who lived adjacent to the mouth of the canyon in the early 1900s, “One thing that is not appreciated today is the character of the redwood growth that existed here. There were thousands of redwood stumps ranging from five to 15 feet in diameter at the point of cutting...thousands of them.” At the area now know as Dolliver Park, Judge Gardiner reported that the creek "was about nine feet across and about 25 feet deep" (where now it is but two feet deep in summer). Judge Gardiner mentioned Night herons
Black-crowned Night Heron
The Black-crowned Night Heron commonly abbreviated to just Night Heron in Eurasia, is a medium-sized heron found throughout a large part of the world, except in the coldest regions and Australasia .-Description:Adults are...
(Nycticorax nycticorax) in the early 1900s: “ I remember well there was a large colony of night herons which nested in the redwood tops of the Baltimore Canyon and nightly flew to the marsh area to hunt for shell fish. They stayed all night and came back at dawn.”
Ecology and Conservation
Steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) were collected from Larkspur Creek in 1981.Baltimore Canyon Open Space Preserve protects the upper watershed, where perennial pools harbor young steelhead and Pacific giant salamander
Pacific giant salamander
Pacific giant salamanders are a family of large salamanders.The family includes only a single genus, Dicamptodon. The genus was formerly thought to contain two species, Cope's Giant Salamander on the Olympic Peninsula, Washington, and the Pacific giant salamander Pacific giant salamanders...
s (Dicamptodontidae). At the head of the canyon lies Dawn Falls, a spectacular 30-foot cascade during the wet winter months through early spring.