A
collection of history links
Organizations
Russian
River Historical Society
Photos
Historical
Photograph Sampler
Magic
Lantern Slides
Articles
The
Russian River: A Historical Perspective
by Marty Roberts and Ron Schilling
History
of Development: Water Perspective
by Sonoma Flood Control and Water Conservation District
History
of the Russian River Valley
by Dutton Goldfield
Russian
River: Brief History
by Fern Grove Cottages
Brief Wine Growing History
by Russian River Valley Winegrowers
Yesterday on the Russian River: Photos
by Guerneville.net
Fort Ross Historical
Park
by California Department of Parks and Recreation
Russian
Settlement at Fort Ross
by Parks.sonoma.net |
|
Historical
Landmarks
View
Photos
Fort Ross
Founded
in 1812 by Russians from Alaska. When Russians withdrew to Alaska in 1841, Captain
Sutter bought the improvements and supplies. The State acquired the fort in 1906
and the remaining buildings-Greek Orthodox Chapel, Commandant's Quarters, and
Stockade-were restored. The chapel, destroyed by fire in 1970, was reconstructed
in 1974.
Location: 19005 Coast Hwy, State Hwy 1 (P.M. 33.0), 12 mi N of Jenner
Luther Burbank Home and Gardens
In
this garden Luther Burbank wrought with living plants to bring to the world greater
fertility, wealth, and beauty, developing new varieties that produced better fruits
and more beautiful flowers.
Location: 200 block of Santa Rosa Ave, Santa Rosa
Hood
House
This was the site of Rancho los
Guilucos (18,833 acres), which Governor Juan Bautista Alvarado granted to John
Wilson and his wife, Ramona Carrillo, sister-in-law of General Mariano Guadalupe
Vallejo, in 1839. The house, constructed in 1858 by William Hood for his bride,
Elsia Shaw of Sonoma, incorporates the original bricks fired on the property.
The property was purchased in 1943 by the California Department of the Youth Authority
for Los Guilucos School for Girls.
Location: Hood Mansion, Santa Rosa Jr College, 7501 Sonoma Hwy (Hwy 12), Santa
Rosa
St. Teresa's Church
Constructed
of redwood in 1859 by New England ship's carpenters on land donated by Jasper
O'Farrell, the church has served this coastal community continuously for over
a century. Father Louis Rossi was appointed pastor on March 8, 1860, and Archbishop
Alemany dedicated the church on June 2, 1861.
Location: Bodega Hwy near Bodega Ln, Bodega
Bodega Bay
and Harbor
Discovered in 1602-03 by Vizcaino's
expedition, the bay was named by Bodega in his survey of 1775. The harbor was
used in 1790 by Colnett and in 1809 and 1811 by the Kusov expeditions. The Russian-American
company and their Aleut hunters used the bay as an outpost until 1841, Stephen
Smith took control in 1843. Pioneer ships of many nations used Bodega Bay as an
anchorage.
Location: Doran Park, 1.6 mi W of State Hwy 1 (P.M. 9.4), on Doran Beach Rd, 0.5
mi S of Bodega Bay
Cooper's Sawmill
In
1834, Mariano G. Vallejo's brother-in-law, John B. R. Cooper, constructed California's
first known power-operated commercial sawmill. In addition to sawing redwood lumber,
the mill and surrounding settlement served as a barrier to Russian encroachment
from the west. Located on Mark West Creek, the waterpowered mill was destroyed
by flood in the winter of 1840-41.
Location: SW corner, intersection of Mirabel and River Rds (P.M. 174) near Mirabel
Park, 8 mi W of Santa Rosa
Walters Ranch Hop Kiln
This is the most significant surviving example of a
stone hop kiln in the North Coast region. Built by Angelo 'Skinny' Sodini in 1905,
it served the Russian River Valley and North Coast regions, once the major hop-growing
areas in the West. In the latter part of the 19th century, Sol Walters purchased
380 acres, part of the Sotoyome Rancho patented in 1853, from Josefa Fitch.
Location: 6050 Westside Rd, Healdsburg
John Medica Gardens
'Trying to make it look better,' John Medica spent
20 years transforming a barren hillside into a magical garden of plants and creative
stone works. Castles were his greatest triumph. A native of Yugoslavia, self-taught,
Medica created an oasis for people and animals to enjoy. This imaginative assemblage
is one of California's remarkable Twentieth Century Folk Art Environments.
Location: 5000 Medica Rd, off Stonespring Rd in a gated community, Santa Rosa
Icaria-Speranza Commune
Icaria-Speranza
was a Utopian community based on the writings of French philosopher Etienne Cabet.
In 1881, at Cloverdale, French immigrant families led by the Dehay and Leroux
families began their social experiment in cooperative living based on solidarity
and depending on an agrarian economy. It lasted until 1886. Icaria-Speranza was
the only Icarian Colony in California and the last of seven established throughout
the United States. On this site stood the Icarian schoolhouse, deeded to the county
in 1886.
Location: W side of Asti Rd, 1.68 mi N of Asti Post Office Rd, S of Cloverdale |
