Sonoma County CA Archives History - Books .....Knight's Valley Township 1880 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ca/cafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com February 26, 2006, 12:32 am Book Title: History Of Sonoma County KNIGHTS VALLEY. This township is situated on the north-east boundary of Sonoma, with Napa county at the foot of Mount St. Helena, one of the loftiest and most beautiful peaks of the Mayacmas range. It includes about thirteen thousand acres of valley land, covered by a Spanish grant, and is now partly owned by a company who maintain a Summer resort at Kellogg, and partly by Calvin H. Holmes, an old and most respected pioneer. The scenery in Knight's Valley embraces the characteristic groves of oaks and other woods on the hills and in the hollows, which are to be found all over the county; walks and drives of rare beauty, excelling those which might be devised by man's handiwork, intersect the low-lying grounds and mountain slopes, while through its length passes one of the roads—that from Calistoga—leading to the far-famed Geysers, the most marvelous of Sonoma's romantic pictures. This thoroughfare was built by Sam. Brannan, W. Patterson, Calvin Holmes and others, in 1869-70, and though by no means so famous as the Hog's Back road, on account of its many hair-breadth escapes, still it combines all the beauties of scenery, and grandeur of hill and dale which the other made attractive. The earliest settler in Knight's Valley was William McDonald, who came there from Napa county in the year 1850, and was the first to act as guide to the Geysers, visitors to the Springs being provided with saddle horses by him. Thomas Knight, from whom the valley takes its name, arrived in 1853, and purchased the property for the small sum of ten thousand dollars from Berryesa, a Spaniard, who had been located there for many years previous. A school was taught in the valley, on the land now owned by Calvin Holmes, by Charles Rushmore, in 1857, and is still used for that purpose, while service is occasionally held in it by a clergyman from Calistoga. The principal industry of this township is wheat-growing and sheep-raising; there are, however, two mines located on Holmes' land, which are not now worked. The Great Western Quicksilver mine is also partly situated in Knight's Valley township, the workings running under the dividing line between Sonoma and Lake counties. Besides these industries, there are two saw-mills situated at the upper end of the valley, one now in disuse; that in operation is the property of Annesley and Davis, of Lake county. The one now working was built by Thomas Knight in 1856, and is the property of Steele Brothers. The outlet for the productions of the township is the town of Calistoga in Napa county, to which there is an excellent road, and from whence there is communication with San Francisco by railroad. Any account, however meagre, of Knight's Valley would be imcomplete [sic] without mention being made of the fine estate of Calvin Holmes, a portion of the original Rancho de Malacomes. Here Mr. Holmes has erected a superb mansion, and magnificent farm houses, arranged with every design to insure the care and confort of his stock. Adjoining this farm is the elegant residence and fine ranch of George Hood, of Santa Rosa. KELLOGG.—This Summer resort is situated in Knight's Valley, at the foot St. Helena mountain, about seven miles from Caiistoga, nineteen from the Geysers, and seventeen from Healdsburg. The original building (now remodeled as a hotel) was built by Berryesa and was constructed of adobe clay, to which he made additions of frame and stone; it next passed into the hands of Knight and Rockwell, who disposed of it to a man named Hasbrook, who in turn sold it with the Knight's Valley Ranch to one Stewart. He incorporated it into the Knight's Valley Land and Contract Company, from whom it passed into the hands of Steele Brothers, the present proprietors. It was first opened as a place of Summer resort by the aforesaid Stewart. The buildings consist of ten cottages besides the main hotel, while there is capacity for one hundred and twenty-five visitors. FOSSVILLE.—This is a station between Kellogg and Calistoga named after and owned by Clark Foss, the porprietor [sic] of the stage-route to the Geysers, who came here in 1871 and opened a hotel. This hostelry is furnished with every convenience throughout, has twenty-five rooms and accommodation for a large number of guests. Mr. Foss has here several stables and coach-houses, and in the summer months the scene presented in front of these buildings is animated in the extreme. 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. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ca/sonoma/history/1880/historyo/knightsv141gms.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/cafiles/ File size: 6.1 Kb