Point Reyes is located about 64 kilometers from San Francisco. Today the Point Reyes National Seashore is 71,028 acres. The original inhabitants
of Point Reyes were the Coast Miwok First Nations who were uprooted and relocated
to “missions” around the area in the late 1700s and early 1800s -- after settlements
were established.1
In 1579, Sir Francis Drake was noted as the first European explorer to land here. However
it was in the early 1800s, that Mexicans established cattle ranches at Point Reyes.
These establishments encouraged a further wave of other agricultural operations.2 This area is also known for its rocky shores that caused many shipwrecks such as
the Labouchere which, according to Kennedy, was lost at Point Reyes as it was on its way to San Francisco from Victoria.3
Due to all the shipwrecks at Point Reyes, the United States Government established
lighthouses and lifesaving stations in the late 1800s to early 1900s. This area became
an official part of the United States in 1850 once California was incorporated as a formal state.4