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A National Meet in Sonoma County
California?
Where the heck is Sonoma County California?
Sonoma County lies some fifty miles north of the
Golden Gate Bridge. Set between the rugged California Coast on the
west and the Napa Valley to the east. Mendocino County to the north
and Marin to the south, this area is home to world renown wineries
and many other attractions.
The town of Sonoma is about twenty miles to the east of Santa Rosa.
Here the last of the famous “California Missions” and the Barracks of
the Mexican Army stand in a restored state. A monument stands in the
town plaza commemorating the Bear Flag Rebellion of 1846.
To the west is Guerneville on the
Russian River, it was originally called Stumptown
because of the “clear- cutting” of the
redwoods by the loggers of the mid 1800s. Armstrong Woods State Park
nearby was set-aside so future generations could enjoy these
magnificent trees.
The Korbel Champagne Cellars is a must see spot along the Russian
River. Established in the 1800s this facility has continuously
produced a world class champagne. The tasting room is open to the
public and guided tours are held daily.
Bodega Bay was founded as the town of “Bay” in the late 1800s and
later changed its name to Bodega Bay. The first steam-powered saw
mill in California was in the town of Bodega a few miles inland.
Sport and commercial fishing is abundant. Alfred Hitchcock filmed
part of the movie “The Birds” here. Other movies filmed in Sonoma
County are, “American Graffiti” 1973, “The Egg and I” 1947, “Peggy
Sue Got Married” 1986, “Shadow of a Doubt” 1943 and a T.V. version
in 1991 as well as many more. Check out:
www.norcalmovies.com/Sonoma
County.
To the South is Petaluma the “ Egg
Basket of the World”, in the 1930s Petaluma
was exporting forty-one million (41,000,000)
eggs a year to San Francisco all of California
and the entire country.
Between Petaluma and Santa Rosa is
Cotati, site of the Cotati Speedway in 1921-22.
This mile and one quarter wooden track took
2,000,000 board feet of lumber and two railroad cars filled with nails to build and drew the likes of Barney Oldfield. A local boy
named Fred Wiseman drove a Stoddard-Dayton to a third-place finish in the first California
Grand Prize Race from Santa Rosa to Healdsburg
to the north and back in 1909. Fred Wiseman
like many young men had a love of speed.
He had no idea he was flying in to history when he took off from Petaluma heading for Santa
Rosa in February of 1911in his home made flying contraption with three letters and fifty copies of the local newspaper, The Press Democrat.
In 1947 Paul Garber, a Smithsonian curator, proved
the letters Wiseman had on board were “the first airplane-carried
mail flight officially sanctioned by
any U.S. post office and made available to the "public”. It took him two days to make the eighteen
and one half mile flight, but who was counting. Fred was also the first REO dealer in Sonoma County.
Cloverdale: Gateway to the Geysers.
This town was a citrus capital for many years. Freezes prior to 1920
devastated the local citrus industry. It never recovered. The
Geysers in the northeast corner of the county are the world’s
largest geothermal field. It is said that the first white man to
stumble on to them thought he had found the “Gates to Hell”.
Healdsburg: The town square offers shopping and dining and is the
gateway to the wine country. Alexander Valley along the Russian River and Dry Creek Valley are among the finest wine growing regions
in the world. At the top of Dry Creek Valley is Lake Sonoma, the
largest fresh water lake in Sonoma County.
Glen Ellen: The Jack London State Park offers a look into the life
of one of California’s most famous and beloved authors. It is said
Jack London spent his happiest days at his “Beauty Ranch” where he
lived from 1905 until his death in 1916.
The first automobile to appear on the
streets of Santa Rosa was a vehicle built by a bicycle shop owner named George Schelling.
He and his brother Alex vehicles in 1899. Doctor
James Jesse took ownership of one. Doctors seemed to know this new fangled thing could get them to emergences faster.
It took time to hitch up a team of horses, and in their business
time lost could be
disastrous. Doctor Jesse holds the distinction
of being in the first recorded automobile
accident in Santa Rosa. The primitive chain drive locked–up and the good doctor sped about lower Fifth Street on
two wheels, according to
local accounts, before over turning to
avoid hitting a vegetable cart vender. George and Alex had the first Oldsmobile Dealership in Sonoma County in 1901.The selling price
was $650.
Santa Rosa is the hometown of Robert
Leroy Ripley. His “Believe it or Not” column has appeared in
newspaper syndication worldwide for
many years. The “Church of One Tree”, which he
made famous, still stands in Santa Rosa.
In the1800s, as the wealthy found
new ways to spend their money, horse racing
became very fashionable. Round barns became
the place to stable thoroughbreds. There where hundreds of round barns around the country
and today there are a mere twelve left standing
in California. Three are in Sonoma County, and
two in Santa Rosa.
Santa Rosa is the home of the famed horticulturist, Luther Burbank.
His home and
gardens are open to the public and are located
across the street from Julliard Park. Many of the
foods and flowers we enjoy today were perfected
here.
One block from the host hotel is
“Railroad Square” filled with antiques, shops, and restaurants. On
one corner is a statue of a little round-headed kid and a dog. These
characters are loved around the world, Charlie Brown and Snoopy.
Their creator Charles Schulz made his home in Santa Rosa for many
years. The Charles Schulz Museum is open to the public every day
except Tuesday. Across the street from the museum is the Redwood
Empire Ice Arena, home of the Senior Hockey Tournament.. Players
from all over the world attend the games in July. The divisions
range from age 55 through 75. And you think old car people are nuts.
A short drive to the east is the town
of Calistoga, in Napa County, The “Saratoga”of the west as its founders called it. Local
rumor says that the towns founder, Sam Brannan was so drunk he couldn’t pronounce his toast to the “Saratoga of
California” and it came out the Calistoga of Sarifornia. Here the Ben Sharpsteen Museum sits
next to the upper waters of the Napa River. It houses many
artifacts, including one of Ben’s Oscars from his days with Walt
Disney. His credits include “Dumbo”,
“Sleeping Beauty” and many more. His first animated movie “The
Village Blacksmith” (1918), his last “Mickey Mouse Disco” (1979).
Half way between Calistoga and
Santa Rosa is the World’s Largest Petrified
Forest. This wonder of the world, discovered
in 1870, has been a Sonoma County tourist attraction for over one hundred years. There
has been a steady stream of visitors since the
advent of the automobile.
All this is with in a twenty-mile radius of
Santa Rosa.!
In 2004 more history was made in
Santa Rosa, Sonoma County, California.
The Antique Automobile Club of America’s
2004 Western Division National Fall Meet.
August 20th thru the 22nd, 2004.
(Early-bird reception August 19th 4-8pm)
The Redwood Empire Region was the host for this Meet.
Our website is
www.aaca.org/reraaca
Thank you joining the fun at the first Western Division National Fall Meet
north of the Golden Gate Bridge in more than twenty-five years.
The Redwood Empire Region
invites you to
Santa Rosa Sonoma County, California
“Come Early - Stay Late”
Fall 2004 Home/Where is the Meet//Schedule of Events/RER Home Page