Portraits of Early Sonoma County Settlers is the narrative history of sixteen early settlers in the area which is now Sonoma County, California. A number of these persons arrived before California became a state in 1850. A number of them were lured here by the Gold Rush of 1849. They engaged in wide and diverse activities. Several were directly or indirectly involved in the settlement and development of new towns in the area. Others contributed to the development of agriculture, schools, and religion. Some of them had to deal with the Mexican Government and the ranchos in early Alta California. Overall it gives a good picture of what the area was like as it moved towards and became a part of the United States of America.

The climate was good, the soil was good, and the people who came to this fertile area on the Pacific Coast of America knew they had found a special place. Native American tribes came first, Europeans and their American descendents followed. With statehood and the Gold Rush, the population swelled. The river led to Petaluma and brought pioneers who settled in the growing cities Sebastopol, Santa Rosa, Sonoma, Healdsburg, Cloverdale, Windsor, and many smaller hamlets. Resilient pioneers rebuilt after the 1906 earthquake and took up the challenges of Prohibition, the Depression, and war. Construction of the Golden Gate Bridge opened the way for expansion. Historic Photos of Sonoma County uses striking illustrations to follow life, government, education, and events in this special place. Rare scenes captured in historic, black-and-white photographs preserve the essence of Sonoma County life from the 1860s to the 1960s.

Excerpt from An Illustrated History of Sonoma County, California: Containing a History of the County of Sonoma From the Earliest Period of Its Occupancy to the Present Time Democratic, but is liberal and conservative in his views. His success in life has been gained by his energy and business tact. Among his property in Sebastopol, mention may be made of his residence and one acre of fine orchard in which he is growing nearly all varieties of fruit produced in the county. He is also the owner of a valuable tract of timberland, 680 acres in extent, located in Humboldt County. From Mr. Berry's first marriage there areliving the following named children: Oliver M., Charles E. And Clyde S. The third child, Martha L., died in 1887, at the age of sixteen years. From the second marriage there are two children living, Elmer I. And Gertrude E; one, Lenia M., is deceased. All of his chil dren are members of his family. His three eldest sons are rendering him great assist ance in conducting his business. Two of them are driving the coaches on his stage lines, the other being engaged in the care and business of the stables. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.