Coming from the Petaluma Coast Guard Station I came to California State Route 1 at Tomales where I stopped to take some pictures. This picture was taken from the same spot as the previous one, I just pointed the camera in a different direction. The small town was quiet, it was early in the morning on a Friday, and the coastal fog hadn't completely dissipated yet. As I looked at the row of small businesses, I noticed that I was standing directly in front of the 'William Tell House'. The first thing I noted was BBQ Oysters, but I realized everything was still closed. The second thing was that this place, the William Tell House, Tomales, Ca, was billed as the 'Oldest Saloon in Marin (County), est. in 1877'. I stood there for awhile and absorbed the peace and quiet and was ready to head south on U.S. 101 when the 'William Tell House' struck me as odd. The California coast was explored and mostly settled by Spaniards first and later during the California Gold Rush mostly by English-speakers. So what was it with the 'William Tell House'? Totally out of character. And the more I thought about the more intrigued I became. Well, I went on and forgot about it, but when I came home and went through my pictures I ran across the 'William Tell House' picture. Why 'William Tell House'? Why was it named 'William Tell House'? Who named it 'William Tell House'? So I decided to check into it and came up with the following after perusing several sources: A William Tell Coleman was born on February 19, 1824 in Cynthiana, Harrison County, Kentucky. His parents died while he was a child, and he eventually became educated at St. Louis University. In 1849 he came to California, probably lured by the California Gold Rush and eventually settle in San Francisco, where he engaged in shipping and commission business, which made him a rich man. He became a leading man in both the 1857 and 1866 Committee of Vigilante, where he was responsible for and was given credit to putting an end to the lawlessness. Coleman started and operated his own shipping lines, was involved in water storage and regulation and many other business interests. He was involved in the Great Railroad Strike of 1877, where some of the actions were racially motivated against the Chinese and resulted in the founding of the 'Workingmen's Party' which he feared would take power in San Francisco, which resulted in the 'Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. In 1871 he discovered the sleepy little town of San Rafael which was known for its healthy climate. He bought the Magnolia Valley, cleared of trees by its previous owner for farmland. Coleman imported Eucalyptus tree seeds from Australia and established a nursery growing many other trees besides Eucalyptus. He sold parcels from 1 to 20 acres lots in size, and had no trouble doing so since he also provided the water to San Rafael and nearby San Quentin. He used his own money for this project, made in speculating with raw cane sugar. He was given credit for building San Rafael and became known as 'San Rafael's First Shaker'. Between 1883 and 1889 Coleman owned the 'Harmony Borax Works' in Death Valley and used twenty mule teams to bring the product to market. He kept expanding and his economic kingdom made him about $14 million annually. But he over-produced and when the market declined he lost most of his wealth. Being an honorable man, probably of Swiss extraction, he paid off his depth before he died in 1893. The above is a condensed version of William Tell Coleman's life, but nowhere is it mentioned that he was the person after whom 'William Tell House' in Tomales, CA was named, or if so, whether it was named so at its founding or after his death. This picture was taken on 21 August 2015, Sig...