Why Cazadero was once considered a 'hunter's paradise'

The tiny hamlet of Cazadero, population 420, was established in 1869 as a hunting resort by businessman Silas Ingram.

Originally named Austin, after early settler Henry Austin, the town boasted two major industries: hunting and logging.

Employing a diverse range of workers from across the globe, mills like McBain’s and Berry’s felled redwoods that built some of the earliest structures in San Francisco.

The Northwestern Pacific Railroad brought its first passenger trains to the area in 1886, helping Ingram market his town as a “hunter’s paradise.”

In 1888, he sold the town to San Francisco businessman George Montgomery, who promoted it as a sportsman’s destination. In 1889, he named the town Cazadero, which means hunting ground in Spanish.

Janet Balicki Weber