On June 12, 1912, a group of five Austrians and Germans living in the Bay Area founded a local chapter of Die Naturfreunde, an organization for lovers of the outdoors established in Vienna in 1895. The San Francisco chapter was the first of three California branches. Oakland and Los Angeles followed.
Before the Golden Gate Bridge, members traveled from San Francisco by ferry, then by train to a Mill Valley of about 2,500 residents, then on foot up Mount Tamalpais to hike and camp.
On November 3, 1912, they discovered a neglected cabin above what is now Muir Woods. They purchased it, renovated it, and by 1915 had begun work on an alpine chalet, hauling materials by mule before the Panoramic Highway existed. That lodge still stands today.
Members building the lodge in 1917. (Courtesy: San Francisco Nature Friends)
The club continues to hold hikes and festivals on the mountain, 114 years on. The next public event is Kinderfest on September 20 at the lodge above Muir Woods.
Sources: touristclubsf.org; Keith Skinner, Membership Secretary, SF Nature Friends
