If you want to visit some of the places most closely associated with Louise Arner Boyd in California, here are some of the best:
- St Paul’s Episcopal Church
1123 Court Street, San Rafael
Located around the corner from Miss Boyd’s home, this is the church she attended as a young girl and all throughout her adult life. Her own memorial service was held here as were the services for her family members. The stunning memorial window honouring her two brothers is still in place.
- Boyd Memorial Park and Boyd Gate House
B Street and Mission Ave., San Rafael
Originally part of Louise Arner Boyd’s backyard until her parents donated it to the town of San Rafael in memory of her brothers, this park is now a peaceful greenspace enjoyed by the local residents. Located right next door is the Boyd Gate House which housed the Marin History Museum until recently. The Gate House was built by Miss Boyd’s maternal grandfather as part of the larger Boyd estate.
- Maple Lawn/ Elks Lodge #1108
1312 Mission Ave., San Rafael
This was the much-loved luxurious mansion built by Louise Arner Boyd’s uncle and grandfather and later renovated by her. She lived there until the early 1960s when she sold it to the Elks and while many things have changed here, the bones of the building and many key elements remain the same. It is privately owned but it is well worth trying to find an Elks member who would consent to showing you around the place.
- Diablo Country Club
1700 Club House Road, Diablo
This is another site where it helps to have a member take you around. The entire property of the Club was once part of the vast Oakwood Park Stock Farm owned by the great uncles of Louise Arner Boyd and later inherited by her mother. The summer home of the Boyd family is a private residence nearby but the Club property was once enjoyed by the young Louise and her family as they roamed the hills for hours.
- Mt Tamalpais Cemetery and Mortuary
2500 Fifth Avenue, San Rafael
Many local luminaries are buried here including the illustrious Boyd family. The Boyd family crypt is easily found and it houses the remains of her parents Louise and John Franklin Boyd as well as her two older brothers. But Louise Arner Boyd herself was so passionate about the North that she requested her ashes be spread over the Arctic Ocean. However, it is known that she tended the Boyd crypt regularly over the years.
Joanna Kafarowski 