THE IJ'S ROOTS in Marin go back to March 23, 1861, just before the Civil War engulfed the United States. The first edition of the weekly Marin County Journal published that day had four pages, printed one at a time on a hand-operated press. In October 1957, the newspaper completed a building in downtown San Rafael that more than doubled the size of its plant. In January 1981, a new chapter began when the IJ moved from downtown San Rafael to southern Novato, just west of Highway 101. In 2010, the IJ was honored by the California Newspaper Publishers Association as the best newspaper of its size in the state. In addition to the award for General Excellence, the IJ also won top honors for Freedom of Information, best Opinion pages and best editorial cartoon. In August 2011, the IJ moved to its current location, near the Marin Civic Center in Terra Linda. Today, the newspaper continues to publish in print, online and via mobile device. This combined reach gives the IJ its largest audience ever.