Sonoma County CA Archives History - Books .....Geographical Situation 1880
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Book Title: History Of Sonoma County

HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.

GEOGRAPHICAL SITUATION AND AREA—DERIVATION OF NAME—TOPOGRAPHY—VALLEYS—GEOLOGY
CLTMATOGRAPHY—WATER COURSES—TIMBER, ETC., ETC.

   SONOMA COUNTY is bounded on the south by the bays of San Pablo, San
Francisco, and Marin county; on the west by the Pacific ocean; on the north by
Mendocino county; on the east by Lake and Napa counties, and lies twenty-five
miles north of the city of San Francisco. Its sea coast line, following the
indentations of the shore, is about sixty miles; its average length from north
to south, some fifty miles; its width, about twenty-five miles, and its area in
round numbers, eight hundred and fifty thousand acres.

   The district of Sonoma originally comprised all that vast tract of territory
lying west of the Sacramento river, and north to the Oregon line; at the first
session of the Legislature, however, the State was divided into counties for
greater facility in the transaction of business, and the northern line of Sonoma
county was established along the fortieth parallel of latitude to the summit of
the Mayacmas range of mountains, and thence south to the San Pablo bay,
including all of the present Mendocino, and a portion of Napa. In 1859, Napa
county having been already formed, Mendocino was set apart, and the limits of
Sonoma contracted to its present boundaries.

   The immense advantages of location, which the county possesses, may be at
once observed on reference to a map of the State. It fronts on the San Francisco
bay, called at its most northerly end San Pablo, and at one time known as the
bay of Sonoma. The creeks, or estuaries, of Petaluma and Sonoma lead from the
bay a considerable distance inland, and are navigable at high water for steam
and sailing craft of considerable tonnage and carrying capacity, while along the
coast there are numbers of shipping points with well protected harbors, all
offering great advantages for the transmission of produce to the markets of San
Francisco.

   Sonoma county is less known than other portions of the State that have fewer
advantages in the way of climate, soil, and productions. The reason for this is
to be found in the fact that it lies off from the great central line of travel
which follows the Sacramento valley to tide-water, thence to San Francisco, and
from there turns southward. Mr. R. A. Thompson says:

   "It has been hidden, as it were, behind the Coast Range of mountains, which
separates it from the great Sacramento valley. From San Francisco, through the
Sacramento valley, you pass along the east foothills of the Coast Range; from
the same place to Sonoma county you pass along the west face of the same range.
The trend of the coast is northwesterly, and the county of Sonoma lies almost
entirely west of the city of San Francisco. Lying west of the greater part of
the State, may account for the fact that about one-third more rain falls here
than in San Francisco, and fully one-half more than in the counties south and
east of the bay of San Francisco. There has never been a season in the history
of the county when there was not enough rain to make a crop. There have been
years of drouth in other parts of the State, but in this section, in those
seasons, the crops were better than an average."

   THE DERIVATION OF THE NAME.—The origin of the name which this county bears is
described by General M. G. Vallejo, then a Senator, in a report made to the
Legislature of California in the year 1850, on the derivation and definitions of
the names of the various counties in the State. In that report, which was
unequalled in its style and in the amount of interesting information crowded
into small compass, the first explanation of the Indian word Sonoma, signifying
"Valley of the Moon," appeared. The General adds: "The tribe occupying Sonoma
valley was called the Chocuyens, but, in 1824, on the arrival of the first
expedition to establish a mission, the name Sonoma having been given the chief
by Father Jose Altimira, the Chocuyens then adopted the name, which they still
retain. This tribe was subject to a great chief, named Marin de Licatiut, who
made his headquarters near Petaluma."

   TOPOGRAPHY.—The main Coast Range, of which Mount Diablo is the best known and
most prominent peak, continues from the Carquinez straits in a northwesterly
direction, and forms the water-shed between the Sacramento valley and the coast
country. This chain of mountains traverses Napa county, which is one of the
eastern boundaries of Sonoma, and passing into and through the northeastern
corner of the latter, there attains an altitude of three thousand six hundred
feet above the level of the ocean, the highest mountain actually within the
county limits being the Geyser peak— so called from its propinquity to the
famous springs—which is three thousand four hundred and seventy feet high, and
is a conspicuous landmark, being visible from nearly every part of the county,
while from its summit the whole of Sonoma, and the Pacific ocean as well, is
brought within view. There are located in this part of the county, the Geyser
Springs, a wonder of California, and a number of quicksilver mines.

   From the Coast Range above described, many valleys extend southwesterly from
the main chain, and gradually expanding, front on the shores of the San Pablo
bay; these are divided from each other by spurs from the main range that run
parallel with the valleys. On the east there is the Napa valley, which bounds
the county on that side; running parallel to the west of it the beautiful Sonoma
valley, which gives its name to the county; west of Sonoma valley, and separated
from it by lofty hills is that most populous vale which extends from the
northern part of the county to the shore of San Pablo bay, a distance of sixty
miles, and has an average breadth of from ten to twelve miles. The lower end of
this vast plain is known as the Petaluma, the central portion is called Santa
Rosa, and the northern section the Russian River valleys. Through this immense
district, which may be classed as one great strath, the San Francisco and North
Pacific Railroad runs, from its terminus at Donahue to Cloverdale, without a cut
more than ten feet deep on the entire line.

   We may, therefore, consider the valleys which have just been named, as the
chief topographical features of Sonoma county. Those hills which divide Sonoma
valley from that which may be termed the great Central valley, terminate at
Santa Rosa. Twenty-five miles from its frontage on the bay, the Sonoma valley,
having gradually contracted, merges into the great Central valley, while west of
the latter lies the immediate coast country. "The southern section of the coast
country lying just north of Marin county, is celebrated for its dairy products.
The hills are rolling, destitute entirely of trees or brush, and covered with a
rich sward of grass, kept green most of the year by its proximity to the ocean.
This dairy section extends nearly to Russian river; along that river, and north
of it, to the county line, the country is densely timbered."

   OTHER VALLEYS.—Besides the four great valleys which we have just
mentioned—the Sonoma, Petaluma, Santa Rosa, and Russian River—there are others
smaller in size, but equally as beautiful and fruitful. Chief among them are:—

   Alexander Valley.—This is located east of Healdsburg, and is an arm of the
great Russian River valley, extending to the eastward, and borders on the great
bend made by that stream before turning towards the ocean. It was once a portion
of the Sotoyome grant, and was acquired and settled in 1845 by Cyrus Alexander,
from whom it takes its name. The land is of unsurpassed fertility.

   Bennet Valley.—Here we have another of the small valleys of Sonoma. It lies
south of the town of Santa Rosa, and east of the Santa Rosa valley, has a length
of eight miles, and an average width of four miles, while it possesses all the
features peculiar to other parts of the county, its soil and climate being
peculiarly adapted for the cultivation of fruits and grapes.

   Big Valley.—Otherwise known as the valley of the Estero Americano, an estuary
leading from the sea about seven miles, lies along a small stream falling into
it. The prosperous towns of Bloomfield and Valley Ford are situated in the
valley, while it is crossed by the narrow-guage line of the North Pacific Coast
Railroad. The principal products are potatoes, butter, and cheese, but cereals
are also grown in considerable quantities. One hundred thousand sacks of
potatoes are raised annually in the valley, and in the country north and south
of it there are at least eight thousand milch-cows, producing during the season,
a daily average of one pound of butter each.

   Dry Creek Valley.—Lies to the north of Healdsburg and west of the Russian
River, is about sixteen miles long, and two broad, and is without a peer in the
production of wheat, corn, and staple products, while the hill land on its
border produces all kinds of fruit, being especially adapted to grape culture.

   Green Valley.—This beautiful valley is on a creek of the same name which
flows north into the Russian river, and lies west of the Santa Rosa plain. It is
twelve miles long by three wide, and is adapted to the growth of fruit, and all
the staple crops; the speciality in fruit culture being apples, pears, plums,
prunes, peaches, cherries, table and raisin grapes. The finest orchards of the
county are situated in Green valley.

   Guilicos Valley.—This is in fact the upper part of Sonoma valley, proper, and
is one of the most picturesque places in the whole State of California. It was
originally granted to the wife of Don Juan Wilson, a famous sea-captain on this
coast during the Mexican regime. He married into one of the native Californian
families, and though an Englishman by birth, became a Mexican citizen, and was
granted the Guilicos valley. In 1850 it became the property of William Hood, a
Scotchman, who subdivided it and sold the greater part. Mr. Hood, however,
retains his charming homestead at the foot of the Guilicos mountain, one of the
most favored farms on the coast.

   Knight's Valley.—Has a position on the extreme eastern boundary of Sonoma
county, lying at the foot of St. Helena mountain, and includes about thirteen
thousand acres. It is characterized by the most beautiful scenery, and though
sparcely settled, still it contains much valuable agricultural land and
hill-pasture for sheep, wheat culture and stock raising being its principal
enterprise.

   Besides these there are the still smaller valleys of Rincon, near Santa Rosa,
Rural and Alpine, on Mark West creek, and Blucher valley, west of the Santa Rosa
plain, all of which possess the most splendid soil and are capable of producing
in extreme plenty all of the staple crops.

   The following able remarks on the geology of Sonoma county have been most
courteously supplied us by Doctor Carpenter of Petaluma, an accomplished
scientist and eminent physician of that city.

   GEOLOGY AND MINEROLOGY.—The county of Sonoma has never been honored with a
geological survey. It is pretty evenly divided between valley and mountain. The
valleys having formerly been submerged with the waters of the ocean, were left
upon their subsidence with a soil of adobe, but have since received a coat of
sedimentary deposit of alluvium. The soil of the eastern part of Sonoma valley
rests upon a hard pan of secondary formation. The sandy loam comprising the
country lying between Petaluma and the coast is modern alluvium. The redwood
forests adjacent to the coast, belong to the second epoch of the tertiary
period—the miocene of Mr. Lyell. The soil of the Russian River valley largely
formed through glacial influence, belongs to the secondary period. The mountains
are volcanic. Trap, or basalt is the leading rock, although porphyry, sienite,
granite, slate, and especially carbonate, or magnesian limestone are found. The
mountain range of basalt dividing the Petaluma and Sonoma valleys was poured out
of the crater of St. Helena and rolling onward, a mighty river of molten lava,
cooled and hardened where we now find it. The streets of San Francisco are
largely paved with this rock. In quarrying it small caverns are revealed most
beautifully lined, and crystalized with carbonate of lime. Notwithstanding that
Sonoma is classed as an agricultural county, its mineral resources are varied,
and in the near future will be a source of great profit.

   Coal, of not by any means a superior quality, has been found near the surface
on Sonoma mountain not more than five miles from Petaluma. Practical experience
has upset many scientific theories. Science taught that the native deposit of
gold was exclusively in quartz. The miner reveals some of the richest leads in
slate rock. Science formerly taught that the coal deposit was exclusively in the
carboniferous formation. The same authority now teaches that it may be found in
any geological strata. It is true that all the coal thus far found belongs to
the tertiary, or secondary formation—lignite or brown coal—yet competent
observers are sanguine in the belief that when sufficient depth shall have been
reached coal of good quality and in reasonable abundance will be found.

   Petroleum, a sister product, is also known to exist in this county. It is a
question whether oil wells will ever prove as productive in California as they
are in Pennsylvania, for the reason that the horizontal wheels of the palaeozoic
age confines the oil beneath the surface in the latter State, while the tertiary
rocks of California, turned up on edge, allow it to be forced to the surface by
dydrostatic pressure, and capillary attraction, and thus wasted. Hence large
quantities of oil on the surface is an unfavorable indication for well-boring.

   It is for this reason, and not because oil in quantities does not exist, that
the oil business has not a promising out-look on the Pacific coast.

   Quicksilver.—Quicksilver, principally in the form of cinnabar, exists in this
county in large quantities. During the quicksilver excitement of four or five
years ago many rich deposits were developed, and worked until the immense
quantities of the article found in every section of the State reduced its price
below the cost of extraction, which necessarily compelled a discontinuance of
operations.

   The composition of cinnabar being 81 3/4 grains of quicksilver and 19 1/3
grains of sulphur to the hundred, implies the existence of an abundance of the
latter article also in the county. When quicksilver exists where there is no
sulphur it must needs be in its native form. In the Rattlesnake mine, above
Cloverdale, is the only place that it is found in this county, otherwise than in
the form of cinnabar. In that mine the pure globules are interspersed through
soft tulcose rock.

   Borax.—Borate of soda has been found, but not in paying quantities.

   Kaolin.—This article is found in this county, but kaolin being decomposed
feldspar, and the pure atmosphere of California not possessing the power of
decomposing and disintegrating that article from its native rocks like the murky
air of England, the quantity is correspondingly small. So rapidly does the
atmosphere of England decompose feldspar, that granite, or sienite, exposed to
the air, becomes honey-combed in a few years. The reader is aware that fine
porcelain ware is made of finely pulverized quartz crystals, kaolin, and the
ashes of ferns—the fern ashes containing enough alkali, in the form of
bicarbonate of potassa—to produce the requisite effervescent action, in union
with the silisic acid of the quartz, to develope the beautiful finish of that
elegant ware. The kaolin for the immense quantity of porcelain ware manufactured
in England is gathered in Cornwall, where it is decomposed and disintegrated
from the granite quarries.

   Red and Yellow Umber {terra de sienna), as well as other ochreous coloring
earths of a superior quality, and in great abundance, are found in this county.
No better material for paints exist upon the earth.

   Petrifactions are found in this county—and, in fact, everywhere on the
coast—under circumstances which upset the accepted theory that petrifaction can
only occur by saturating the wood in thermal waters. Petrifaction takes place on
the surface of the earth—necessarily beyond the reach or influence of thermal
waters. The large amount of silex in the soil may account for this in some
instances, as there are many cases in which an excess of that element causes
wood to petrify instead of carbonize, even in the carboniferous formation. Still
the proposition holds that petrifactions are found under circumstances which
would seem to imply that atmospheric conditions must have something to do with
their transformation.

   Argentiferous galena exists in the northern part of the county, and in the
near future will become a paying industry.

   Copper.—Some rich deposits of copper—principally in the form of red
oxide—have also been discovered in the northern section of the county.

   Iron.—Iron is found nearly everywhere, but the most valuable yet unearthed
are the chromic iron ores in the mountains near Cloverdale, where the rock
formation is mainly serpentine. Some of these ores have been in the process of
extraction for several years with profit to the owners. A small amount of
hematite iron was found near Santa Rosa. Magnetic and Titanic iron is found in
more or less abundance as is usual in all volcanic rocks.

   Pisolites, Oolites, and Obsidian are among the products found in attestation
of the volcanic period.

   Boiling springs exist in several localities, the most noted, and remarkable
of which are the Geysers. These springs are among the most wonderful and
magnificent displays of nature in the world. Notwithstanding that the springs
are located within close proximity of each other, the chemical properties differ
much. We have not at hand a chemical analysis of these waters, but chloride of
sodium (table salt), borate of sodium (borax), carbonate of sodium, sulphur,
iron, and sulphate of sodium predominate. There is a trace of silica in all of
them we believe. Litton springs and Mark West are well known places of resort
for pleasure-seekers and invalids.

   Imperfect skeletons of several mastodons have been found protruding from the
banks of Petaluma creek; a short distance above the town of Petaluma, where the
floods had exposed them to view; and one tusk found—and now in a cabinet in the
latter city—is ten inches in length. They were perhaps mired down while seeking
water. Their discovery was merely accidental, paleontological research never
having received any more attention in the county than its kindred sciences.

   Bloodstone and agate are the only valuable varieties of the quartz family, so
far as we know, that have been found in this county.

   Sulphate of lime (gypsum) is found, but in comparatively small quantities to
that of the carbonate, or magnesian lime.

   The annexed remarks on the climate and rainfall of Sonoma county are
reproduced from Mr. R. A. Thompson's valuable work already alluded to:—

   CLIMATOGRAPHY—"The climate of the county of Sonoma differs in many respects
from that of other portions of the State. First, in this: the average rainfall
is about one-quarter more than at San Francisco, fifty miles south. We have
never, since the American settlement of the county, lost a crop from drouth,
though other parts of the State have suffered severely. This is particularly due
to the fact that our coast line is thirty-five miles west of a due north line
from San Francisco. As the coast trends to the northward and westward, the
annual rainfall increases. South of San Francisco the coast trends to the south
and east, and the reverse rule holds good—the rainfall is lighter until, as in
Lower California, it rarely rains at all.

   "The season of rain in this section may be said to commence in October and
end in May, though it sometimes rains in June. It is rare that it rains longer
than two or three days at a time, and the intervals between rains varies from a
few days to a month or six weeks. Old Californians consider the Winter the most
pleasant part of the year. As soon as the rain commences in October, the grass
grows, and by the middle of November the hills and pastures are green. So soon
as the ground is in condition to plough, after the first rains, the farmers sow
their grain. December is usually a stormy month, with now and then a fall of
snow in the surrounding hills, but it is rare that the snow falls in the
valleys, and never lies on the ground. The thermometer seldom goes as low as
thirty-seven degrees above zero; occasionally there is a thin coat of ice over
the pools of standing water. December is usually the month of heaviest rainfall.
In January we begin to recognize an indescribable feeling of Spring in the air;
the almond trees blossom and the robins come. During this month grass and
early-sown grain grow rapidly. If the early season has not been favorable for
seeding, grain may be sown in January, February or March, and it will produce
well. In this county it is often sown as late as the middle of April, producing
a fair crop. As a rule, the bulk of the planting is done either in the Fall, or
in January, February, and the first half of March.

   "February is a growing month, and is one of the most pleasant in the year. It
is like the month of May in the Eastern States. The peach and cherry trees bloom
this month. March is a stormy month; we are liable to have either heavy
southeast storms or a dry north wind.

   "April, as in the East, is often all smiles and tears, sunshine alternating
with showers. Nature pushes her work in April, and vegetation grows
astonishingly. The turning-point of the crop comes in the long, warm days of
this month; the rainy season is about over, and from that time until it matures
the crop is sustained by the sea fogs, which set in about the first of May. In
June the grain matures, and by the middle of July is ready for the harvest.

   "The season in Sonoma county begins a month sooner, and ends six weeks later
than in Southern California. This is one of the greatest of its advantages over
the other parts of the State, and has given the farmers of this section a good
crop every year, while disastrous failures have elsewhere occurred. Corn is
planted in April, after the rains have ceased, and a good crop is often raised
without a drop of rain having fallen upon it; by good crop, we mean, on the best
bottom lands, from eighty to a hundred bushels to the acre.

   "We have mentioned the fog which sets in about the first of May. This
phenomenon, of almost daily occurrence, from May to the middle of August, is an
important factor in the growth of the crops along the sea-coast and on the bay
of San Francisco. About the first of May the trade winds set in from the
northwest. The Spanish galleons, bound from Manilla to Acapulco—three hundred
years ago—steered for Cape Mendocino, where they would encounter the northwest
trade, and run before it, with swelling sails; to their beautiful harbor
Acapulco. To these winds the farmers of Sonoma, of our own time, are indebted
for their never-failing crop. After a drying north wind in the Spring, which has
parched the earth and twisted the blades of the growing grain, the trade sets
in, and, as if by magic, the scene changes, the shriveled blades unfold, and
absorb life at every pore from the moisture-laden breeze.

   "When the trade winds set in, a fog-bank forms every day off the land,
caused, perhaps, by the meeting of a cold and warm strata of air. In the
afternoon this fog comes inland with the breeze, which commences about noon
every day. It is not an unhealthful fog; on the contrary, the most healthful
season of the year is when the trade winds prevail. The fog spreads through the
county late in the afternoon, continues through the night, and disappears about
sun-rise. This mild process of irrigation is repeated nearly every day during
the season. The farmer estimates that three heavy fogs are equal to a light rain.

   "The growing season is from six weeks to two months longer on the coast than
in the interior: the grass keeps green, and this accounts for the productiveness
of the dairy cows on the coast, and also for the fact that the wool of this
section is very superior in length of staple, strength of fibre and in color, to
that grown in the interior of the State.

   "Our crops have been more often injured by too much than by too little rain.
In the dry years, 1863-4 and 1864-5, enormous crops were raised in this county,
while in the greater part of the State there was an absolute failure of crops
and grass.

   "Sonoma county is exempt from malarial disorders. There are no extremes of
heat and cold, and nothing like Winter. It is probable that more roses and
flowers bloom in the Santa Rosa valley, in December, than in all the hothouses
of New England. The climate is all that the most fastidious could ask. There are
no troublesome insects that prey upon vegetation or humanity. As an evidence of
the evenness of the temperature, we will state, in conclusion of this subject,
that the same clothing may be worn here all the year round, and is not too light
for Winter nor too heavy for Summer."

   The Thermal Belt.—There is a warm strata of air in the hills, a few hundred
feet above the valleys. This semi-tropical belt varies; in some locations it is
very marked, and in others it is much less so. At night, during the frosty
seasons, the cold air settles in the valleys and the warm air rises. At
day-light a severe frost may be seen in the valleys, heaviest along the water
courses, while in the warm belt, a few hundred feet above,—in some cases not
more than sixty—the most delicate flowers and shrubs are untouched. The soil on
the hills has often great depth, and is admirably adapted to fruit culture. Like
the valleys, the lands are covered only by scattered groves of trees, little of
it too steep for easy cultivation. It is exactly suited for semi-tropical fruit
culture; here oranges, lemons, limes," English walnuts, almond and pomegranate
trees grow well, and yield a certain crop. There are thousands of acres of this
kind of land in Sonoma county, which can be bought at from fifteen to twenty
dollars per acre. We know orchards where the fruits most sensitive to frost have
never yet been injured; where the geranium, the fuchsia and heliotrope will grow
out of doors, and blossom in the Winter months. Semi-tropical fruits are grown
in the valleys, but excepting the almond and English walnut, not with as much
certainty as in the warm belt. The value of the hill lands of Sonoma county is
not yet appreciated—least of all by those who have been longest here.

   WATER COURSES.—The valleys having their front on San Pablo bay have each an
estuary leading inland and navigable for craft of considerable size, the one
leading into the Sonoma valley is called Sonoma creek, and that into the great
central valley is known by the name of Petaluma creek, .the latter being
navigable for eighteen miles inland.    Of the other streams there are:—

   Russian River.—This is the largest stream in Sonoma, but is not navigable. It
enters the county on the north, and after taking a southeasterly course for
about thirty miles, turns sharply to the west and flows into the Pacific ocean.

   Mark West Creek.—This rivulet rises in a lofty spur of the Mayacmas range
between Napa and Sonoma valleys, and after flowing west across the plains,
empties itself into Russian River.

   Santa Rosa Creek.—Has its source in the same mountain, flows across the Santa
Rosa valley, and having run parallel with Mark West creek for four miles falls
into a series of lakes, which, in high water, overflow into the Russian River.

   Sonoma Creek.—Rises in the same range of mountains, and flows southerly
through Sonoma valley into San Pablo bay.

   Sulphur Creek.—Has its birth in the Mayacmas range and passing the Geysers,
flows in a northerly direction until it joins the Russian River above Cloverdale.

   Valhalla River—Spelt on the map Gualala, has its origin in the western border
of the county, flows due north, parallel with the coast just inside a range of
hills which rise up from the shore of the ocean, and after a straight north
course for nearly twenty-five miles, it turns, and forming the line on the coast
between Mendocino and Sonoma counties, falls into the great Pacific. Mr.
Thompson says: "There was never a stream so well named; great red-wood trees
shade its limpid waters, the favorite haunt of the salmon and the trout; the
hills are full of game—deer, elk, and bear—and if ever there was a place where
the 'bear roasted every morning became whole at night,' it was true,
figuratively speaking, of our Sonoma Valhalla,—for the camp on its margin was
never without its haunch of venison or creel of trout. May the fellow who
tortured the name by trying to Peruvianize it, never taste the joys of the real
Valhalla!"

   TIMBER—Redwood.—Over most of the agricultural counties of the State Sonoma
has one marked advantage, that is the immense source of wealth in its timber.
Commencing at Humboldt the great redwood timber-belt reaches down the coast for
one hundred and fifty miles, terminating within the limits of Sonoma; from the
Valhalla to the mouth of the Russian River is one continuous line of timber
going back from the ocean for eight miles. The reader will observe by reference
to the county chart that Russian river turns around the town of Healdsburg, and
flowing west, after leaving the valley, enters the timber region. Fed as it is
by the rich alluvial soil, on either bank of the stream, and watered by the
annual overflow of its waters, the trees grow to a prodigious size, and are not
to be surpassed anywhere on the Pacific Coast. They grow, in some cases, to a
height of over three hundred and fifty feet, have a diameter of fifteen feet; a
single tree has been known to produce sixty-five thousand feet of lumber worth
at least one thousand dollars; the wood in the standing tree is valued at two
dollars per thousand feet; one hundred and fifty thousand feet to the acre; six
million feet on a forty-acre tract, is an average of good land. On the margin of
the streams the finest timber would produce in the vicinity of eight hundred
thousand feet to the acre, and the yield runs downward from that figure to
twenty-five thousand feet to the acre.

   The redwood is a creature of the fog. As has been said above, during the
Summer months the trade winds set in along the northern shore of this county and
dense fog banks arise some miles from the coast; this is driven inland later in
the day; the great mass becomes sundered, and detached flakes, each chasing the
other, are driven into the hollows, and among the trees, where they all
accumulate, leaving the valley enveloped in dripping mist. The foliage of the
redwood possesses the peculiar power of condensing this mist and converting it
into rain; the roots which sustain the mighty bole—often one hundred and fifty
feet in height without lateral branches— are in this wise nourished during the
long summer months when no rain falls. The fog wraps these forests in its fleecy
mantle during the night; in the morning with the rising of the sun it disappears.

   It will thus be seen that the redwood belongs essentially to the foggy coast
regions. South of San Francisco the supply has been cut out, and as it grows
nowhere else, neither north nor south, Sonoma, Mendocino, and Humboldt counties
may be said to have a monopoly of this wood, the first in commercial importance
on the Pacific Coast. Oregon has it not; in Puget Sound with her endless
forests, it is wanting; while, it is not to be found on either slope of the
Sierra Nevada.

   Redwood is a close grained timber, splits true, and is like Eastern cedar in
the lightness of its color. It works beautifully, and has the merit of retaining
its shape without warp or shrinkage, while its durability is unquestioned.

   Hardwoods.—To be found among the redwoods, are the California laurel, a
beautiful evergreen, the timber of which takes a high polish, and is extensively
used as veneer; leaves and wood have a strong aromatic odor. The madrona is
another striking tree of the California forests. The bark, which is of a bright
red color, peels off at regular intervals, and exposes underneath the new growth
of a bright pea-green tint; its wood is hard and employed principally for the
manufacture of shoe-lasts, wooden stirrups and other articles.

   The Oaks.—The Chestnut oak is abundant in the redwood forests of Sonoma. The
bark is rich in tannin; the trees are stripped and large quantities of the bark
are shipped for tanning purposes.

   The Live oak also grows in large quantities in Sonoma but has little value
except for fuel.

   The Black oak is found on all the hill lands in the county, and is the best
wood obtainable for fuel.

   The Burr oak is the largest and most common of the oaks. It is this tree with
its long, drooping, wide-spread branches that gives such a charm to Californian
scenery. They grow in clusters and are especially graceful.


Additional Comments:
Extracted from:

HISTORY
—OF-

SONOMA COUNTY,
-INCLUDING ITS—
Geology, Topooraphy, Mountains, Valleys and Streams;
—TOGETHER WITH—
A Full and Particular Record of the Spanish Grants; Its Early History and
Settlement, Compiled from the Most Authentic Sources; the Names of Original
Spanish and American Pioneers; a full Political History, Comprising the Tabular
Statements of Elections and Office-holders since the Formation of the County;
Separate Histories of each Township, Showing the Advancement of Grape and Grain
 Growing Interests, and Pisciculture;
ALSO, INCIDENTS OF PIONEER LIFE; THE RAISING OF THE BEAR FLAG; AND BIOGRAPHICAL
SKETCHES OF EARLY AND PROMINENT SETTLERS AND REPRESENTATIVE MEN;
—AND OF ITS—
Cities, Towns, Churches, Schools, Secret Societies, Etc., Etc.
ILLUSTRATED.
SAN FRANCISCO:
ALLEY, BOWEN & CO., PUBLISHERS.
1880.



Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1879, by ALLEY, BOWEN & Co.,
in the office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D. C.

PACIFIC PRESS,
Oakland, Cal. Printers., Stereotypers and Binders.



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