Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
DEPOT HOTEL
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There is an abundance of water, good soil, and an excellent climate in Sonoma, which explains why
it is one of the most prolific agricultural counties in America today. These exceptional attributes
also explain why Native Americans settled in the area thousands of years ago. Tribes included the
Pomo-Kashaya, Wapo, and Patwin, who were still here when the Spanish, Russian, and European
settlers arrived in the sixteenth century seeking timber, fur, and farmland.
In 1823, Mission San Francisco Solano de Sonoma, the last and northernmost of twenty-one
California missions, was established by Father Junípero Serra. It was the only California mission
installed after Mexico achieved independence from Spain. According to the Native Americans, So-
noma translates to “valley of the moon” or “many moons.” Their legends say this was the land where
the moon nestled, giving rise to the names Sonoma Valley and The Valley of the Moon.
Sonoma was first recognized by Mexico as a city in 1835. General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo,
a prominent military leader sympathetic to a California free of Mexican control, led the transforma-
tion of Sonoma into a thriving Mexican pueblo. He directed the construction of the 8-acre central
plaza, which is still the largest in California. Vallejo also laid out the street grid and the 110-foot-
wide Broadway. Closely tied to political power, he was named military governor of Alta California
in 1838.
In 1846, California underwent a revolt against Mexican control similar to the 1835-1836 Texas-
style rebellion. Sonoma was declared the capital of the “Bear Flag Republic” on June 14, and Vallejo
was captured and imprisoned by the rebels. The town's status as the capital of California lasted only
25 days, ending when California was annexed by the United States. Two years later, Vallejo eventu-
ally supported the Americans when Mexico ceded all of California along with much of the rest of
the Southwest to the United States following the end of the Mexican-American War.
Vallejo went on to become a California state senator, but due to the appropriation of many
land holdings by the new government, he still lost almost all of his real estate, which at one point
amounted to seven million acres. When he died in 1890, in Sonoma, he was leading a very modest
life. Vallejo's support of the Americans in California against his native Mexican heritage is a testa-
ment to what it means to become a citizen of a country.
Sonoma was also quickly populated by prospectors and settlers during the California Gold
Rush. It became one of California's original counties, created at the time of statehood in 1850. The
lush valley would grow quickly.
