Travels in the 2nd half

  No trip to northern California is truly complete without seeing the magnificent redwoods in that part of the state. If you are visiting the Sonoma area, that is best done with a trip to the Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve , in Guerneville. Guerneville, California, is an old logging town, that now survives supporting tourism along the Russian River.   The entrance to the park is a 23 mile drive from Santa Rosa. The prettiest route is along River Road, which follows the Russian River. This is one of the most beautiful drives in the area. On this route you will also pass some of the Russian River Valley’s many vineyards.   In the early 1870’s, American settlers in the area were harvesting the coastal redwoods, both for the wood, and to create farmland in the area. Colonel James Armstrong moved his family to this area from Ohio in 1874, investing in the Guerneville lumber industry, along with real estate in Santa Rosa. In 1878 Armstrong gifted 440 acres of the redw...

Rancho Petaluma Adobe House   While the European history of Sonoma county dates back to the early 1800’s, native populations have been in the area for 12,000 years. The three main tribes in the Sonoma Valley were the Miwok, the Patwin and the Pomo. The Miwok lived in an expansive area, stretching from the coast to the Sierra Nevada mountains. The Patwin were concentrated within a 300-mile radius of what is today Sonoma, mostly along the bodies of water. The Pomo were loosely organized, and were known as traders, who moved thorough the area. All of these people were present when the Mexicans arrived, but none of these nations exist today. Mission San Francisco de Solano - Sonoma, California Mission San Francisco de Solano In 1823 Mission San Francisco de Solano , the last, and northernmost, of the Spanish missions, was founded near the Sonoma Creek. The missions were a tool of colonization. They served as a home base for Mexican farmers and traders who moved into the area, after bei...