SONOMA COUNTY is bounded on the south by the
bays of San Pablo, San Francisco, and Marin county; on the 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-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 Italian 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 south-westerly 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 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 the 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."