Rancho Nicasio's lasting impact
At one time, Nicasio was near the geographic center of the county. After a contentious, two-decade battle to move the county seat away from San Rafael to either Nicasio, Tomales or Olema — where the majority of Marin residents lived at the time — the state Legislature approved San Rafael as the permanent county seat in 1872.
Nicasio persevered as a charming and productive town with a picturesque downtown square. In December 1940, the Nicasio Hotel was ablaze and despite help from firefighters, the structure burned to the ground. In 1941, new owner John Mertens built a new restaurant named Nicasio Ranch House, which was purchased a few years later by Walter and June Lake. They increased the dining room and changed the name to Rancho Nicasio. Tragically, the Lakes were killed in a car accident. In 1954, the next duo to take over were Nick Kobseff, a former military man and baseball player, and Jack Barnes, who owned the general store and Jocko's Restaurant.
Upgrades included adding a general store (since the original one burned down in 1952), a post office and a gas pump. After a year, Glenn Kerch took over Barnes' business share. Kobseff and Kerch both built homes on the Rancho property, and Kobseff was active in Little League and fundraising for the March of Dimes. In 1957, they built a swimming pool so kids could take swimming lessons and residents could relax. The Rancho Nicasio Pool Association was created with 100 families involved. The swim club was active into the 1970s until liability issues forced it to close.
The restaurant served meals and offered dancing on Friday and Saturday nights. It also served as a venue for the annual 4-H fairs, wedding receptions, fundraisers, barbecues and meetings. A Christmas party was held one year for 100 San Quentin guards. In addition, the Kobseff and Kerch families ran the Nicasio Volunteer Fire Department.
And we can't forget the loyal employees. Ann Farley worked at Rancho Nicasio for decades, which included 33years in the post office and 17years as the postmaster, along with running the general store and pumping gas for customers — even in the rain! In addition, Mary Kobseff was the head cook and served up tasty meals for locals and tourists along with banquets. In 1960, Dorothy Dolucini purchased a third of the business and introduced her “famous barbecue sauce” and took on the role of hostess.
Since no town is without trouble, a would-be robbery almost took place at Rancho Nicasio. Local deputies
Irving and Bertrand noticed three men entering the restaurant at 1a.m. Dec. 12, 1961. They returned to their car and one man, Patrick Magee, emerged with a .22 caliber revolver and headed to the front door. When Deputy Bertrand ordered him to stop, Magee said he was the deputy sheriff, and that he was loading his revolver so they could do some jack rabbit hunting. No surprise, all three men were booked on suspicion of conspiring to commit an armed robbery. Magee was also booked on suspicion of impersonating a peace officer.
An Aug. 22, 1975 Marin IJ article announced that Bill Paterson and Henry Landaner were joining Kerch. Although they were running Paterson's Bar and Lounge in Sausalito and Pier 15 Restaurant in San Rafael, they jumped in to tend the bar and manage the dining room at Rancho Nicasio.
This historical gem has had changes over the years, but it still offers great food, entertainment, events and a bushel of nostalgia.
History Watch is written by Lane Dooling, marketing and social media coordinator at the Marin History Museum, marinhistory.org. Images included in History Watch are available for purchase by calling 415-382-1182 or by email at info@ marinhistory.org