El Marinero Chapter 
Daughters of the American Revolution

The name “El Marinero” was the affectionate name given by early Spanish settlers to an Indian chief of the Coast Miwoks who were living in this area when the Spaniards arrived.

Mission San Rafael Arcangel was founded in 1817. The chief and many of his people were Christianized and baptized there. The chief was a good boatman and often ferried small craft over San Francisco Bay. Thus the friars called him El Marinero, The Sailor. Later, the Anglo-Saxon people began to call the area Marin, shortening El Marinero. This name was chosen for our chapter because of the chief’s efforts to preserve the cultural heritage of the Miwok Indians.

A sundial with a marker commemorating El Marinero was placed in the plaza in Sausalito and dedicated on December 5, 1959, by our chapter. The marker was relocated to the site of Mission San Rafael and rededicated on March 21, 1982. On December 12, 1998, Daughters met at the Mission site for another rededication ceremony. It carries the following inscription:

El Marinero Chapter meets on Saturdays beginning at 10:00 am once a month, September through May. Programs are interesting, entertaining and educational.