Collection: Books and Periodicals

About This Item:

Title: A Memorial and Biographical History of Northern California (1891) Collection Type: Books and Periodicals Publisher: Lewis Publishing Company Published: 1891 Copyright: In the public domain or published before 1925 Source(s): Google Books # of Pages: 713 Download PDF: User Login Required Download OCR Text: User Login Required

Date Scanned: 2024-07-22 00:25:09 Item Sourced From: PDF First Created: 2025-03-17 03:11:29 Last Updated: 2025-03-17 06:30:36

Original Held At: Searls Historical Library Location: 161 Nevada City Hwy, Nevada City, CA 95959

Page: of 713  

HISTORY OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA. 253 miles, to the Laguna San Antonio (once a tule adapted for brick-making is also plentiful. There is a deposit of chrome iron near the town of Fairfield, but, as yet, little or nothing has been done with it. In the hills adjacent to Benicia, also on the margin of San Pablo Bay, and not far from the town of Vallejo, there exists a fair quantity of hydraulic limestone; the last mentioned deposit being submerged at high tide. The Benicia deposit was tor a time worked quite extensively, an establishinent having been put up for burning and grinding the material. Although a tolerably good cement was made here, the enterprise, owing to various causes, was abandoned. SONOMA COUNTY. LOCATION AND TOPOGRAPHY. “Sonoma” is an Indian word, signifying valley of the moon, by which the aborigines designated the valley of that name. Geographically considered, Sonoma County occupies one of the most favored positions of any county in the State. [ler southern limb rests upon San Pablo Bay, the connecting link between the Straits of Carquinez and the Bay of San Francisco. Leaching inland there are two tidal streams, the Petaluma Creek and Sonoma Creek, the former being navigable to steain and sailing crafts a distance up from the bay of twelve miles. These arteries of water transportation are of incalculable value to the agriculturists and dairymen of the surrounding country, insuriug to them for all time to come cheap transportation of their products to San Francisco, the great metropolis of the Pacitic coast, that is only distant from the southern limits of the county about twenty miles. Along these tidal streams are vast areas of marsh land, much of which has already, and all of which in time will be, reclaimed and brought in subjection to profitable cultivation. The meanderings of Petaluma Creek northward from San Pablo Bay to within four miles of Petaluma is the boundary between Sonoma and Marin counties, where the boundary line leaves tidal salt water and follows the serpentine course of the San Antonio Creek northward abont nine marsh but now drained and under cultivation), and thence ina direct line to the head of the Estero Americano, near Valley Ford, a tidal stream, that tending westerly debouches in the Pacitic Ocean about six miles distant from the latter place. From this point to the mouth of ‘the Gualala River, a distance of about thirty miles, Sonoma County has for her boundary the broad Pacific. The boundary between Sonoma and Mendocino counties commences at the inouth of the Gualala River and following its meanderings about two miles to a point just above the confluence of South Gualala, takes a straight line easterly over the mountains, about twentyfour miles to the summit of Redwood Mountain, where, with a slight angle, but with a still easterly deflection, the line continues on and across the Russian River cafion at a point four miles northward from Cloverdale, and in a straigth line about twelve miles to the Lake “County line on the summit of the Macuway Mountains, From this point, and at almost right angles, the line of boundary between Sonoma County and Lake and Napa connties it runs south ina straight line about forty-eight miles to the intersection of the boundary line between Napa and Solano counties; and thence the boundary between Sonoma and Solano counties runs westerly about six miles, to San Pablo Bay. the place of beginning. The extreme length of Sonoma County from northwest to southeast is about seventy miles, and the width twenty. Of course, like most newly organized communities, the county has had contests over disputed territorial jurisdiction. The present area is 1,550 square miles, being thus the seventh in the State in point of A large proportion of the land is rich and arable, and the county is so favorably situated with reference to the surrounding communities and ports that her highest development may be attained. The most important events of settlement and political goverment that have taken place in this county were of such general relation to extent.