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In the famous story, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, the ghost of a very frustrated headless horseman rides through the glen in search of his long-lost noggin. But the only similarities between Washington Irving's eerie tale and Marin's bucolic Sleepy Hollow hamlet in San Anselmo are the whimsical street names.

Toward the end of Butterfield Road, the neighborhood's main thoroughfare, you'll find yourself winding through Tarry, Ichabod, Crane, Van Tassel, Katrina and Knickerbocker roads. However, the headless horseman does tend to pop up once a year in the community's annual Fourth of July parade, which attracts families from all over West Marin.

In spite of its innocuous reputation that reminds one of less complicated times, this diminutive, secluded area has quite a colorful past—-complete with low-down cattle rustlers, raucous wealthy party animals, greedy developers, secret army dealings and even the shady Chicago syndicate.

Sleepy Hollow also is not without its own spine-tingling ghost stories. Back in 1840, when the entire area consisted of expansive Mexican chaparrals, Domingo Sais, receiving a land grant from General Mariano Vallejo that included what is now Sleepy Hollow, harvested timber and cattle on his land. But as his cattle started to mysteriously disappear, he suspected that a notorious cattle rustler known as El Emperito was the culprit.

One moonlit night, as El Emperito was herding stolen cattle toward his hideaway past the valley, he was suddenly ambushed by a large group of very angry men. Cattle scattered in all directions, but El Emperito was quickly captured and hanged without ceremony on the nearest silver oak tree, which still stands today.

Some say that El Emperito's ghost wanders aimlessly near the tree looking for those who so mercilessly killed him, while others claim that the silver oak still shows the scars from where the hangman's rope was hastily hung.

Today, Sleepy Hollow is one of Marin's most desirable places to live, with homes averaging in the million-dollar range. Many residents have been there a long time and enjoy the old-fashioned community feeling enhanced by their own clubhouse and swimming pool, Horseman's Association of Sleepy Hollow (HASH), tennis club, swim team and Legend's Club, which raises money to support the Sleepy Hollow Clubhouse. Seeing your neighbors not only walking the dog, but riding their horse is not uncommon.

Sleepy Hollow acquired its whimsical name in the late 1800s when the Hotalings, a well-to-do family from San Francisco, built a grand estate at the end of Butterfield Road and called it Sleepy Hollow in honor of Washington Irving, their favorite author, who also happened to be a family friend.

The Hotalings had purchased the land from Peter Austin, who planted the beautiful eucalyptus and poplar trees that now line Butterfield Road from its start at Sir Francis Drake Boulevard all the way to where it ends at San Domenico School.

Austin's motivation was to create shade along the road that would lead to a luxury hotel, golf course and sizable lake, but he ended up having to abandon his dream to foreclosure.

Once their estate was finished, the rather eccentric Hotaling family built an elaborate stage in their living room, featuring a Romeo and Juliet balcony where they hosted many plays and madcap parties. They also had more than 200 Holsteins shipped from Holland to start a dairy farm, but soon grew bored with the country life and after just four years headed back to San Francisco. From there, the land was leased to a real dairy farmer, Sigmund Herzog, who in 1910 founded the first certified milk dairy in the United States.

Even though the area has changed drastically since its early rural days, Sleepy Hollow remains a perfect place to walk, hike and enjoy the outdoors. Just off of Fawn Court, which branches off Fawn Drive—-and, like so many of Sleepy Hollow's streets, starts at Butterfield Road—-are wonderful hiking trails along the ridge above the valley.

The Sleepy Hollow/Terra Linda Divide overlooks a large expanse of San Rafael, presenting stunning views and peaceful places to spend the day surrounded by nature. There was a time when developers were all too close to carving a highway through Sleepy Hollow and the ridge to create a direct route to Terra Linda. But the community saved the day and now the Marin County Open Space District protects the ridge.

In fact, developers have been eyeing Sleepy Hollow for decades. Prior to the Depression, a Chicago syndicate bought Herzog's dairy farm with the intention of massive development in the form of a hotel complex. The scheme collapsed when the stock market crashed, and they had to move on. By then the main road was firmly set as Butterfield Road—-named after a dairy farmer called Butterfield, who had leased the property from Domingo Sais's son, Pedro, in the 1850s.

Around 1930, Sleepy Hollow became the first in the West to have a play-as-you-go, 18-hole golf course that was known in its day as the second largest golf course in the world. But just a few years later, the course had to close due to pressure from developers, legal woes and having to share too much water with Hamilton Air Force Base.

In 1939, the land was given to the U.S. Army in preparation for World War II and a portion of Sleepy Hollow became a secret ammunition depot where it is believed some of the ammunition and its remnants remain buried in the ground to this day. Barracks were also built, as well as batteries on Stuyvesant Drive and Oak Springs Hill.

Once the war was over the Army left town as uneventfully as it had come. The Hotaling mansion had new life breathed into it by A.G. Raisch who, in 1946, purchased the estate and an additional 500 acres for $50,000.

In keeping with the home's lively history, Raisch held lavish parties for as many as 600, making cocktails in a cement mixer as his guests danced the night away in the adjoining pavilion. He made extensive upgrades to the home and even added gardens and an artificial lake. Alas, he too, left the Hollow for the big city and one day, as the house stood alone and empty of the laughter and grand parties it had once known, it caught fire with only a concrete wall and some steps spared, which can still be seen today.

It was after World War II that Sleepy Hollow started turning into a residential area. Lang Realty opened an office on the corner of Butterfield and Deer Hollow and sold 141 one-acre residential lots. The Dominican Order of the Catholic Church bought what had been the Hotaling mansion and in 1966 turned it into the prestigious San Domenico School for Girls.

Sitting right at the end of Butterfield Road, the beautiful campus is a learning oasis with a co-ed elementary school and girls' high school. The school recently completed a $13.4 million construction project for three new facilities. It also features a library, art studio, music classroom, athletic center, performing arts center, swimming pool, garden, riding center, music conservatory and tennis courts.

Today, the Hollow boasts 750 homes, most of which belong to the Sleepy Hollow Homes Association. With its own fire district and Brookside Elementary School's upper and lower campuses off of Butterfield, plus its lush trails and tight-knit community, Sleepy Hollow is a popular place for families to set down roots, making "For Sale" signs a rare sight. Both the towns of Fairfax and San Anselmo are conveniently nearby, providing restaurants, coffee houses and plenty of shopping.

With all its rural charm, one can only imagine that Washington Irving would have been proud to have Sleepy Hollow named for his most famous work. For as he once proclaimed: There is a serene and settled majesty to woodland scenery that enters into the soul and delights and elevates it, and fills it with noble inclinations.

Sleepy Hollow at a Glance

Fire Station — Station 20, 150 Butterfield Road; Ross Valley Fire Department, 777 San Anselmo Ave.

Library — San Anselmo Public Library, 110 Tunstead Ave., San Anselmo

Parks — Lansdale Park, Center Blvd. and Lansdale; Creekside Park, Downtown San Anselmo; Memorial Park, Veterans Place and Sir Francis Drake Blvd.

Post Office — San Anselmo Post Office, 121 San Anselmo Ave.

Public Schools — Sir Francis Drake High School, 1327 Sir Francis Drake Blvd.; Brookside Elementary School (Lower Campus, grades K-2), 116 Butterfield Road; Brookside Elementary School (Upper Campus, grades 3-5), 46 Green Valley Court

Did You Know? Around 1930, Sleepy Hollow became the first in the West to have a play-as-you-go, 18-hole, 8,000-yard golf course that was known in its day as the second largest golf course in the world.

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