Friends of Olompali

Upcoming class from our partner Miwok Archeological Preserve of Marin

Last Saturday, 5/23/26, twenty-five people came out to hear Noelle Olompali Barton share her experiences at Olompali in the 60's as a member of the Chosen Family. Poster is from the Grateful Dead's concert 60 years ago on May 22nd, 1966 at Olompali. Thank you Noelle!

https://conta.cc/3S5oifzFOO

June/July Walking Tours Email from Friends of Olompali *************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

Display of Olompali's Ethnobotanical Garden at the Native Plant: Preserving Partnerships event at Marin American Indian Museum on May 16th

Learn about the Victorian Garden at Olompali in the late 1800's !

This Saturday! Celebrate the 60 year anniversary of the big Grateful Dead party at Olompali!

Check out the newly painted Olompali history electrical boxes on Redwood Blvd and San Marin (Novato) by our local artist Kevin Akers!

ABOUT THE DESIGN: Kevin Akers artwork for the Novato Utility Box program celebrates Olompoli State Historical Park and its various inhabitants over the last 8,000 years. One box pays tribute to the native Coast Miwok tribe with their kotcha dwelling and tradition of basket weaving. A native wolf adorns another panel with Mt. Burdell on the back. This was home to the park’s first families. After Spanish Mission colonization and the Mexican revolution, Coast Miwok Camilo Ynitia was granted the 8,800 acre Rancho Olompali Mexican land grant. After California became part of the U.S. he sold the vast majority of Olompali to James Black in 1852. The beautiful Victorian garden panel was created by his daughter Mary Black Burdell. The crane sculpture atop the grotto was brought back from Japan in the late 1800s. She and her husband, Dr. Galen Burdell, raised children James and Mabell Burdell in a grand mansion. Another panel features the storied life of Mabell Burdell Coleman-Smith-Litchtenberg. Educated in Europe, enormously wealthy and married at least three times, her life was filled with glamour, ranching, powerful paramours, lawsuits, kidnapping and murder. She was the Elizabeth Taylor of Olompoli. The Grateful Dead leased Olompali for the months of May and June in 1966. The front panel depicts the estate’s time as a true hippy-haven, culminating in a poolside concert with The Dead, Janis Joplin and an array of counter-culture devotees. Rendered in a 1960s vibrant pop-art style, I hope the artwork encourages a visit to Olompoli and instills pride in the park from locals to tourists alike.

Last call for this chance to learn about the historic El Camino Real in Marin!
Come out to Olompali tomorrow morning at 10 am.

Hippie archaeology" generally refers to the archaeological study of the 1960s/70s counterculture, focusing on excavating or analyzing sites like communes, festival grounds, and camps. It is a form of contemporary archaeology that treats material remains—such as records, broken pottery, and personal items—as a time capsule of that era's lifestyle.

Breck Parkman: “Digging the Sixties: An Archaeology of Hippies and Marines” | Santa Cruz Archaeological Society Join SCAS for a talk by Breck Parkman entitled “Digging the Sixties: An Archaeology of Hippies and Marines” The talk will be held on June 13, 2019, at 7:30 pm at the Santa Cruz Live Oak Grange Hall at 1900 17th Ave, Santa Cruz, CA 95062 (click here for Google Maps directions).