By Larry Clinton, Sausalito Historical Society
Mitch Powers is an expert kayaker and a prolific author. His most recent book, Sausalito History & Guide, grew out of an earlier edition titled A Brief History Of Sausalito and Richardson's Bay, which was reviewed in this space back in 2012. The new, expanded book is an even better resource for anyone interested in learning about Sausalito and its surroundings, including Tiburon, Belvedere and Angel Island.
Mitch Powers covers the waterfront ─ and more ─ in his new book.
The latest edition is much longer (130 versus 85 pages) with new content and photographs.
Chapters include an overview of Sausalito’s Human History, the Natural History of Richardson's Bay, Floating Homes and Anchor Outs, and self-guided tours. Plus, it offers short histories of nearby towns, stories related to Sausalito and Richardson's Bay, and a resource section.
The self-guided tours will help you learn about this fascinating town and are divided into south, central and north Sausalito which you can enjoy by foot, bike or car.
For example, the South Sausalito Tour starts at the heart of downtown (Princess and Bridgeway). Here the author takes you up Princess Street (new to this edition) and with photos and short descriptions introduces you to many of the beautiful historic buildings (late 1800s) on this street. Along with the self-guided tours and enhanced content, the author includes maps to help you orient yourself and get around town.
Finally, there is a new section on Fort Baker and the Marin Headlands including a tour along with maps. All in all, this latest edition, available at the Sausalito Visitor Center (Ice House) and Book Passage, is an entertaining and informative read about Sausalito and its neighbors.