Olompali State Historic Park
| Olompali State Historic Park | |
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The Burdell Barn at Olompali State Historic Park
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 Location in California
Location in California
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| Location | Marin County, California, USA |
| Nearest city | Novato, California |
| Coordinates | 38°9′9″N 122°34′11″W / 38.15250°N 122.56972°WCoordinates: 38°9′9″N 122°34′11″W / 38.15250°N 122.56972°W |
| Area | 700 acres (2.8 km2) |
| Governing body | State of California |
| Official name | Rancho Olompali |
| Designated | January 12, 1973 |
| Reference no. | 73000409 |
| Built | 1840 |
| Official name | Oldest House North of San Francisco Bay |
| Reference no. | 210 |
Olompali State Historic Park is a 700-acre (2.8 km2) park in Marin County, California, 3.5 miles (5.6 km) north of Novato, California, overlooking the Petaluma River and San Pablo Bay. In 1977 the State of California purchased Rancho Olompali and made it into a state historic park. The foundations of two early adobe brick houses are preserved in the park. The Burdell two-story frame house, built in the 1870s serves as the ranger station. Associated ranch buildings include barns, a blacksmith shop, a saltbox house and a ranch superintendent's house.
The park is the site of the oldest surviving house north of the San Francisco Bay, built in 1776 of adobe bricks by the chief of the Olompolli band of the Coast Miwok tribe. It is California Historical Landmark #210.
The chief's son, given the Spanish Mission Indian name of Camilo Ynitia (alternatively spelled 'Camillo'), was the only Californian Native American in Northern California to confirm and keep a large Mexican-era land grant in the post—Mexican Cession U.S. era.
The name "Olompali" comes from the Coast Miwok language and likely means "southern village" or "southern people". The Coast Miwok village site of Olompali (alternatively spelled "Olompolli", "Olompoli" or "Olumpali") dates back to about 500 CE. Olompali had been a main center in 1200 CE, and might have been the largest native village in Marin County.
An Elizabethan English silver sixpence minted in 1567 was discovered in the park by archeologists, indicating that villagers may have had contact with Sir Francis Drake, or with people who had traded with the early English explorer. Many Miwok cultural artifacts have been identified during archaeological studies within the area of the present-day park, indicating this may have once been an important trade and cultural crossroads.
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