NORTHERN CALIFORNIA - San Francisco and Northern California - page 189

General Vallejo in 1840. A short
drive northward leads to the
Jack London State Historic
Park . In the early 1900s, London,
author of The Call of the Wild and
The Sea Wolf , abandoned his
hectic lifestyle to live in this
1-sq-mile (3-sq-km) expanse of
oaks, madrones, and redwoods.
The park retains eerie ruins of
London's dream home, the Wolf
House, mysteriously destroyed
by fire just before completion.
After London's death, his widow,
Charmian Kittredge, built a
magnificent home on the
ranch, called the House of
Happy Walls. Today it is a
museum, worth a visit for its
display of London memorabilia.

Sonoma Valley Wineries
The Sonoma Valley has a rare combination
of soil, sun, and rain perfect for growing
superior wine grapes. In 1824, Father José
Altimira planted Sonoma's first grapevines
to produce sacramental wine for mass at
the Mission San Francisco Solano de Sonoma.
In 1834, General Vallejo replanted the vines and
sold the wine he made to San Francisco
merchants. In 1857, Hungarian Count
Agoston Haraszthy planted the nation's
first European varietals at Sonoma's Buena Vista Winery, now the
oldest premium winery in the state.
The Sonoma Valley includes the Sonoma Valley, Carneros, and
Sonoma Mountain wine-growing regions. The climate varies slightly
creating different environments suitable for particular grape varieties,
including Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay. Today, Sonoma
has more than 50 wineries,
which produce millions of
cases of wine a year. Some
of the most notable
wineries in the area are
Sebastiani Vineyards,
St. Francis Winery,
Gundlach-Bundschu
Winery, and Château
St. Jean. Most wineries
have picnic areas, free
wine tastings, and tours.

The arms of the
Sebastiani Vineyards

P Mission San Francisco Solano
de Sonoma
114 E Spain St. Te l [phone].
Open 10am-5pm daily. &
Y Jack London State
Historic Park
London Ranch Rd, Glen Ellen.
Te l [phone]. Park & Museum:
Open 10am-5pm Thu-Mon. Cottage:
Open noon-4pm Thu-Mon. & 7
museum only. 8

Vineyards in the Sonoma Valley

transcontinental railroad and
Pony Express had their western
terminus here, with riverboats
providing passage to San
Francisco. The California State
Railroad Museum houses some
fine, old locomotives. A little
away from the old city, the State
Capitol stands in a landscaped

park. To its east, Sutter's Fort
is the town's restored
original settlement.

7 Sacramento
k £ @ 30, 31, 32. Old
Sacramento Visitor Center :1002 2nd
St, Old Sacramento.
Te l [phone]. Open 10am-5pm
daily. ∑ oldsacramento.com

E California State Railroad
Museum
111 I St. Tel [phone].
Open 10am-5pm daily.
Close Jan 1, Thanksgiving, Dec 25.

California State Capitol
Designed in 1860 in grand Renaissance
Revival style, this building was completed
in 1874. Housing the office of the
governor and the state senate
chambers, the Capitol also serves as
a museum of the state's political
and cultural history.

Founded by John Sutter in
1839, California's capital city has
many historic buildings along
the waterfront in Old
Sacramento. Most date from the
1850s, when it became the
supply point for miners.
Both the

The Capitol Rotunda
was restored to its
original 19th-century
splendor in 1975.

Original 1860
statuary

Entrance

The Historic Offices on the first floor
contain a few government offices restored
to their turn-of-the-century appearance.