A Brief history of Nicasio
First Settlers
The name Nicasio is believed to come from a local Coast Miwok Indian who was named after St. Nicasius (Nicasio in Spanish) by the mission padres. When the San Rafael Mission was closed in 1834, the Indians were given their choice of mission lands. They chose Nicasio, and General Mariano Vallejo set aside 80,000 acres to be their home and hunting grounds. The land, however, was never legally deeded to them, and on August 1, 1844, Mexico granted the land known as Rancho Nicasio to Spanish nobleman Pablo De la Guerra and sea captain Juan Bautista Roger Cooper.
Officially surveyed at 56,621 acres, it was the largest land grant in Marin. Thirty thousand acres of this grant were purchased by Lieutenant Henry Halleck in 1850 for $30,000. Halleck (who later became General-in-Chief of the Union armies and President Lincoln’s Chief-of-Staff) built a cabin on the creek that bears his name, just up the road from where this restaurant stands today. He enjoyed fishing and hunting here, however, after marrying Elizabeth, the granddaughter of Alexander Hamilton, Halleck began selling off his Nicasio land. Scottish immigrant James Black bought 3500 acres from Halleck in 1848 and built the first house in Nicasio.
Since 1941
Tucked Away
Tucked away, among the rolling hills of West Marin County, sits the quaint village of Nicasio. Nicasio, which means “the hidden one”. is a town that has been unspoiled by time. The town, which had its beginnings somewhere around the mid 1800s, has seen people come and go, yet has not lost many of the characteristics that it possessed approximately one hundred and fifty years ago. Located at the exact center of Marin County, Nicasio still retains a vast amount of land that has seen slow and gradual progress. These changes have not disturbed the tranquility that the town still possess.
The early beginnings of Nicasio were led by pioneers. Cattle grazing, saw mills, and fishing became the top industries. Nicasio became a thriving town and the Hotel Nicasio was built in 1867 to accommodate the influx of new people. Traders would come great distances and spend time at the hotel to bargain for cattle and timber. The hotel’s twenty two rooms were virtually filled to capacity by traders and San Franciscans, who spent weekends and vacations in the pleasant and peaceful valley.
The boom of Nicasio faded with the advent of the railroad and the hotel burned down shortly before WWII on December 15, 1940. One year later, Rancho Nicasio was built where the hotel once stood and once again became the meeting place for the townspeople. The town square consists of Rancho Nicasio, St. Mary’s Church (est. 1890), a general store, post office and a volunteer fire department.
Nicasio has retained its rural atmosphere and tranquil beauty. The community still looks like a frontier town, a place where change is slow and predictable. The town gradually drifts through time, at an unnoticeable rate and will most likely boast those characteristics for many years to come.
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Rancho Nicasio
1 Old Rancheria Rd, Nicasio, CA 94946
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Hours
M-Fri: 11:30am - 8:00pm
Sat-Sun: 11:00am - 8:00pm
Sat-Sun Brunch: 11:00am - 3:00pm
