Shafters

Shafters swimming hole was named after James Shafter a logging & papermill company owner. A spur line or side line for the NP railroad had
Early Enterprises
Commerce
Much of the old-growth redwood forest was felled for lumber, milled at James Shafter’s lumber mill at what is now the bottom of Kent Lake, and at other Valley mills, and then shipped to San Francisco. In 1874 Adolph Mailliard tried to develop a gold mine, located west of the San Geronimo railroad station, but it proved unsuccessful. Other early commercial ventures in the Valley included a shingle mill at the foot of Nicasio Hill in 1877, a fur tannery that opened in 1886, and a creamery, located in San Geronimo.

To the west of the Valley many paper mills dotted the creek downstream, producing newsprint from cloth rags and sacks — Samuel P. Taylor’s mill is probably the best known of these. Taylor built a hotel as housing for mill workers. He also built a dam on Paper Mill Creek, to retain water to power his mill, and for 30 years salmon could not get upstream for the spawn. In 1886 the California Fish Commission forced Taylor to build the first fish ladder on the West Coast, perhaps one of the earliest environmental efforts in California to protect Coho salmon and steelhead trout! Today, creek-side plaques commemorate the sites of the mill and the dam, west of the park picnic area.In 1868, the Tamalpais Water Company was incorporated by Charles Howard and James Shafter to supply water to San Geronimo Valley from eight springs and from Lagunitas Creek. This water system was later operated by Mailliard family and was called the Lagunitas Water Company, the springs in the Valley then producing 120,000 gallons of water per day. After the remaining Mailliard family’s land was sold to the Lagunitas Development Company, the Lagunitas Water Company was renamed the San Geronimo Valley Water Company, and continued as such ­until 1951, when the Marin ­Municipal Water District absorbed it into its system. The local springs and intakes continued to supply the Valley until 1963, when they were abandoned by MMWD and the Valley was then supplied from the District’s system of lakes.

The Pacific Powder Works opened in 1865, just downstream from Taylor’s operations. It was destroyed by a violent explosion in 1877, was rebuilt, and finally closed in 1880. In the early 1900s, as Lagunitas was being subdivided, the first “shopping center” in the county was built, now the Lagunitas Grocery. It then consisted of the grocery store, a lumberyard, and a post office. An ice cream parlor and candy store were later added.
The conflict betyween passenger trains and lumber forced a spur line to be built along the creek. The swimming hole was named after taht Spur line as Shafter's Spur years later the Spur part would be lost.
Today many people call it the INKWELL. but in fact the Inkwell is the lower and smaller swimming hole of the two. The name Shafters has live for many decades and we ask that you contyinue to use the name.
Ignorant out of touch tourists who ahve started callign THE INKWELLS would defy the real name and treat the orignal natives of Lagunitas Like they were the one's with out knowlege.
In the 30's the loggers would ride the train and take a quick dip. In the 50's & 60's Famlies such as Tanzi, Weavers,Sievers. Suttons Kondratiff and several others would build a concrete & rock dam to crerate a deeper swimming hole. In the 60's a generation of Anti establishment anti war hippy pscyhedelic rock bands and fans would grace the swimming hole with the locals removing all there clothes turning it into a virtual nudist camp. The Marin County Sheriff's dept would show up. The word was spread Here come the fuzz Everyone would put their clothes on When the police left off came the clothes.
Many young people would come and get naked drink alcohol smoke marijuana and play acoustical muscial instruments while their beer and watermelons chilled int he water. People camped out all summer long.
To the north of the creek is a utility pole better known as a telephone pole. The PG&E serviced this pole more than any other pole inthe valley. The only thing was is that there was no PG&E connected to it. Hence forth the name Telephone pole. Janis Joplin and Big Brother The Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, and many other 60's rock bands would grace its rocky sun bathing banks. The smell of pertulia oil and B.O. filled the air until the end of the day when everyone splashing and diving in the water cleansed their bodies.There was never any fights or trouble
A young lady named Bronwyn Galloway has started a FB page with false information and just because She was not an original San Geronimo Valley family member and doesn't live in the Valley believes she has a right to rename the swimming hole. We ask that you keep the original name and callt he swimming holes what the locals named them for their pride of their community. This is a treasured swimming hole and we don't need any Johonny come lately's trying to mess it up for the sake of making themselves look like some sort of slick cool person at our expense. The name of the place is SHAFTERS/Inkwell She's nothingmore than a slimeball like several others plaguing the San Geronimo Valley. it used to eb a great place but the yuppies are ruining it so everyone should march to the beat of their drum. Stay strong folks and enjoy what's left if you can