Golden Gate - Tennessee Valley - Marin County, CA
Posted by: 
DougK
N 37° 52.164 W 122° 31.669
10S E 541529 N 4191429
Tennessee Valley is located in the Marin Headlands, north of San Francisco, California.
Waymark Code: WM9BBM
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 07/26/2010
Views: 2
"It was a gray Sunday morning in March 1853 when the fog lifted just enough to show Captain Mellus of the
SS Tennessee that he'd missed the Golden Gate and was about to collide with an unknown shore. Rather than crash against the rocks, the captain steamed his vessel right up onto the beach at what is now Tennessee Cove. All 550 passengers (about 100 of whom were women and children) climbed safely off the ship onto dry land. There was even time to salvage fourteen chests of gold before heavy surf broke the Tennessee's oak hull to pieces at the southern end of the cove."
Thus the Tennessee Valley area got its name from the abandoned shipwreck off the coast. In the 1960's a "planned community" to known as Marincello was narrowly approved by the county board of supervisors. This was to be a cit of 20,000 residents complete with high-rise buildings, businesses and light industry on these open slopes of the Marin Headlands. In 1967, financial disputes and legal action from open space advocates halted the development. The idea of this being parkland took hold and in 1972 the Nature Conservancy bought the land. Eventually they transferred the land to the National Park Service to become part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.
Today the Tennessee Valley is home to bobcats, deer, hawks and butterflies. There is an extensive trail system and historic sites for public enjoyment. The Marincello trail goes the area originally planned for development. From the main parking lot the trail to the beach is about 1.5 miles. The Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy has some History, Nature and Visitor Tips for Tennessee Valley.