Historic Mill Valley trails map mural proposed for Old Mill Park

By Janis Mara

jmara@marinij.com @jmara on Twitter

A 10-foot-tall map of decades-old Mill Valley hiking trails is revealed on a wall of the former Old Mill Market at the corner of Throckmorton and Old Mill avenues in Mill Valley. (Courtesy Mill Valley Historical Society)

A 10-foot-tall map of decades-old Mill Valley hiking trails is revealed on a wall of the former Old Mill Market at the corner of Throckmorton and Old Mill avenues in Mill Valley.

A 10-foot-tall map of decades-old Mill Valley hiking trails torn off the side of a building will be considered for installation in Old Mill Park.

The map, painted in shades of green, adorned a wall of the former Old Mill Market at the corner of Throckmorton and Old Mill avenues, across from the park. The Mill Valley Historical Society proposes to install it in the park, and story poles are in place there to give an idea of its size. The issue will be taken up at the Feb. 4 Parks and Recreation Commission meeting.

"It was a local grocery store, and hikers would go to get supplies and ask, 'How do I get to the top of Mount Tamalpais?' and the like," said Mill Valley Parks Supervisor Brandon Stewart. "So the proprietor painted a trail map on the side of the building to answer their questions."

The map, which is about 15 feet wide and 10 feet tall, would have a small roof over it, and would be placed near the toddler swings just east of Cascade Drive in the park, according to Denise Andrews, the operations superintendent of the city's Department of Public Works.

The map sets forth informal hiking trails that existed in 1949, Andrews said. Interpretive text would be included in the exhibit to explain that the trails depicted are not current.

"It's a historical map of what used to be here, but it's no longer the same trail system," Stewart said.

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Historic Mill Valley trails map mural proposed for Old Mill Park