Sonoma County History Moment

Today Sonoma County has a population of approximately 495,025 people.

As the Spanish arrived and the first Europeans, there were 133,000 Native Americans. By 1890 those numbers had delcined to 17,000 decimated by disease brought into California by the Spanish and other new comers. 70 reservations were finally establisher over 436,900 acres. Locally we had a Kashi reservation near Stewarts Point and another in Alexander Valley. Humboldt County had a large Hoopa reservation. Pomo live in the area as well.

The Spanish land grants took much of the land once owned by the Native Americans. The first Spanish grants were given in 1784. There were only 20 ranchos by 1821 when Mexico won its independence from Spain. Between 1834 and 1846 Mexican governors confirmed at least 600 private Rancho Grants. The smallest was 4,500. And the largest was 100,000 acres.

Sonoma was located in one of the Rancho Grants and the home of the last Missions. It was the end of the El Camino Real. It was the domain of General Vallejo a Governor of Mexico. In June of 1846 soldiers from Sacramento rode into Sonoma and arrested General Vallejo and declared CA an Independent Republic. For 25 days Sonoma was the capital of the Republic of CA. To create a flag for the new republic the men used unbleached muslin and a donated red petticoat. One of the men sewed a red star on the upper left-hand corner and a red stripe along the bottom. He hand-painted CA Republic and drew a crude grizzly bear just above it. This has been come to be known at _____?______The bear flag was born and is used as the CA flag to this day. The original flag was destroyed in the 1906 earth quake and fire.

Today a natural rock in the Sonoma plaza marks the site where the flag was raised.

Stay tuned for more History moments.