Sonoma County Travel Album MC300
Memories of a Three Weeks Sojourn in Sonoma County During August 1908Liz Phillips
University of California, Davis Library, Dept. of Special Collections
2021
1st Floor, Shields Library, University of California
100 North West Quad
Davis, CA 95616-5292
Telephone: (530) 752-1621
Fax Number: (530) 754-5758
speccoll@ucdavis.edu
Contributing Institution:
University of California, Davis Library, Dept. of Special Collections
Identifier/Call Number: MC300
Physical Description:
1 volume
Thirty-one annotated photographs, partially-interleaved with [18]pp. of handwritten text tipped in. Oblong octavo. Contemporary
grey wrappers, front cover stamped in maroon.
Date: 1908
Abstract: Photograph album with a narrative account documenting travels through the wine country of California in the first decade of
the 20th century.
Physical Location: Researchers should contact Archives and Special Collections to request collections, as many are stored offsite.
Language of Material:
English
.
A unique annotated vernacular photograph album with an interesting and informative manuscript narrative account documenting
travels through the wine country of California in the first decade of the 20th century. The text and photographs in this album
document a nearly month-long tour through Sonoma and Napa counties, with observations on towns, sites, agriculture, and more.
The annotated photographs capture a "mountain schoolhouse," a eucalyptus grove near Napa, a vineyard near Forestville, a "glimpse"
of the town of Forestville, the small village of Duncan Mills, a scene near the mouth of the Russian River, fishing at Salt
Point, "An Old Shipping Point at the Riebach Cove, used in pioneer lumber days," breakers at Salt Point, a rural farming family,
"McKerlie's Blacksmith Shop & Granary," people preparing venison jerky, views of the Riebach Cove and the Sutherland Resort
between Cazaderro and Guerneville, a large redwood tree growing out of a rock near Cazaderro, the Schuber residence near Fisk
Mill, and more. The manuscript narrative opens with the unknown male author and a friend, Gussie Kaufman leaving home and
heading to
Sonoma
County
by steamer. They travel around
Sonoma
County
in a horse-drawn carriage, visiting a number of towns and villages: Winters, Vacaville, Fairfield, Cordelia, Napa, Sonoma
City, Kenwood,Santa Rosa, Forestville, Guerneville, Duncan Mills, Markham, Jennings, Fort Ross, Timber Cove, Salt Point, Sea
View, and Cazaderro. The author comments on the fine quality of the soil near Winters and Vacaville. They travel past the
Pierce ranch and "its large peach, prune, pear, apricot, and cherry orchards," which employs "many Chinese and Hindus." They
pass "several big vineyards and a winery" near Cordelia. Upon arriving in Napa City, the author reports its "beautiful residences
and lawns...a very lively town commercially." They pass orchards and vineyards in the Napa Valley ("they are found in all
the valleys in Sonoma Co.") and the author makes a pointed remark about Napa: "The trees, vines, fruit, & grapes can't compare
with Yolo Co. product, either in size or flavor." The implication is that the author hails from Yolo County, an adjoining
county and the largest producer of tomatoes in the United States. Continuing to Sonoma City, the author mentions the town's
new Carnegie Library and the frequency of saloons between Sonoma City and Santa Rosa. The traveling pair sees hop fields in
Santa Rosa, a town the author calls "the most beautiful and tidiest city I ever saw." Forestville, the author observes is
"all orchards and vineyards." Guerneville is described as "on the bank of the Russian River, a very beautiful stream, and
is a great summer resort." The two travelers face "a lot of trouble" near Duncan Mills after "some Italians had chopped a
tree down and it had fallen across the road." They travel through Markham (described as "a lumber camp") and Jennings (where
"the mill was shut down") before seeing their first glimpse of the ocean. Visiting Fort Ross, the author notes that it "was
settled by the Russians long before the 'Gold Rush of '49' and some of the buildings are still standing although they suffered
greatly in the earth quake of April 18th, 1906." After having some difficulty finding hay, the author finds the McKerlie Ranch,
where he and Gussie stay for the night and learn to go "fishing and abaloning." The reference to foraging for abalone, a local
delicacy, is notable. Here, they also pick hazlenuts, huckleberries, and go swimming. While staying with the McKerlies, the
author helps retrieve a load of alfalfa from Cazaderro, where he stays a night at the Buena Vista Hotel, "run by Italians
and [where] the bedbugs nearly ate us up." At this point, on September 3, "we bid farewell to Salt Point and started for home...."
When they travel back through Napa, they encounter a strange scene: "Barnum & Bailey's circus was there and we overtook about
200 or more inmates of the asylum going home from the circus. There was a guard for every 2 or 3 patients. Some of the patients
were quarreling and throwing rocks at each other but when they got to the gate they had to go through in single file so that
they could be counted." The narrative ends with a list of towns visited by the author and Gussie Kaufman, with distances noted
between the towns.
[Description provided by William Reese]
Collection is open for research.
Liz Phillips created this finding aid with information supplied by bookseller William Reese.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Purchased from William Reese, 2020.
[Identification of item],
Sonoma
County
Travel Album, MC300, Archives and Special Collections, UC Davis Library, University of California, Davis.
All applicable copyrights for the collection are protected under chapter 17 of the U.S. Copyright Code. Requests for permission
to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Head of Special Collections. Permission for publication
is given on behalf of the Regents of the University of California as the owner of the physical items. It is not intended to
include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the researcher.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Napa County (Calif.) -- History -- Pictorial works
Michael and Margaret B. Harrison Western Research Center