Dr. Benjamin Lyford was born in 1841 in Vermont and died in 1906 in Tiburon. He was an embalmer in San Francisco. He married local heiress Hilarita Reed, daughter of John Reed.

Started the Eagle Dairy Ranch (aka Little Reed Ranch). He only bred Jersey cows on his Ultra Hygienic ranch. Because of his passion for cleanliness and treating the cattle with "great kindness", he believed his cows gave the purest milk in San Francisco.

Dr. Lyford planned to create a Utopian village on his land in Tiburon.

called "Hygeia" for the Greek goddess of health. He managed to build just the entrance, which the only remains standing today being Lyford Tower.

His mansion was saved also and it stands on the site of the Richardson Bay Audubon Center & Sanctuary.

References:

Ravizza, Denise. The Reed Ranch: The Story of Marin's Pioneering Family. California: s.n., 2008.