A Brief History of the Valley of the Moon

By Paul Franson

Though Jack London publicized the Sonoma Valley as the “Valley of the Moon” in a book published in 1913, Father José Altimira had earlier (1823) used that designation in reference to the Native American name for the area when he established San Francisco de Solano – the structure now called Sonoma Mission.

Of course, Native American tribes inhabited Sonoma Valley long before the Spanish, and then Mexicans had arrived. These American Indians included the Coastal Miwoks, the Pomos, Cainameros (or Satisyomis) and the Wintuns, peaceful people who lived off the bounteous land and sea.

The town of Sonoma began in 1823 when missionary José Altimira determined the Sonoma Valley the ideal site for a new mission after an earlier site (at what is now Cline Cellars) had proven untenable. The area had fertile land, hot springs, creeks, game and adobe soil for building structures. Within two generations, however, the native people lost their land and died from diseases introduced by the Europeans.

Mission San Francisco Solano was the northernmost mission in the chain of 21 missions built in Alta, California, and it was the only California mission established under the newly independent Mexican Republic rather than that of the Kingdom of Spain. Soon after the Sonoma mission was built, the Mexican government secularized all the missions, and el Pueblo de Sonoma (the town of Sonoma) was established by Lieutenant Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo. He adopted the usual pattern for a Mexican town which emanated around a plaza, and which to this day is the town's center. The mission became a parish church.

Vallejo was an important figure in the area – and in California's history. He was born in Monterey in 1808, and rose quickly to become a Commandante. In 1834, he was sent to secularize the Mission San Francisco de Solano and personally took over the mission and vineyards. He soon ended up with all the nearby land. Vallejo built his Casa Grande on the Sonoma Plaza, on First Street West around 1836. His home was the most important center of life north of San Francisco for many years, and 11 of Vallejo's children were born there. Vallejo's home was later used as a store, city council chamber and for other purposes until it became a girls' school in 1854. The main part of the house burned in 1867 and only the low two-story servants' wing still stands today.

In 1851, Vallejo moved to a 20-acre estate, Lachryma Montis ("mountain tear”) , which was named after a beautiful spring a half-mile northwest of the Sonoma Plaza . The two-story, wood frame house was designed and built on the east coast, then disassembled and shipped by sail around Cape Horn and then assembled at the present site in 1851-1852.

In 1846, a group of American settlers, acting on the orders of Col. John C. Fremont, proclaimed the Bear Flag Republic, which combined with the discovery of gold at Sutter's Creek and led the U.S. to start a war with Mexico and claim much of its territory. Being realistic, Vallejo embraced the United States, and subsequently helped guide the development of Sonoma, granting large tracts of land throughout the valley.

The other communities in the valley, such as Kenwood, Glen Ellen and Boyes Hot Springs, were founded later in the 19 th -century, some as resorts that were centered on the geothermic hot springs that still flow. Boyes Hot Springs and Agua Caliente were popular health retreats for tourists until the middle of the 20 th -century. Today, the Sonoma Mission Inn, a well-known destination resort, carries on that hot springs resort tradition even though wineries in the region are now the main attraction for tourists.

Father Altimira directed the planting of the first wine grapes in Sonoma. They were “Mission” grapes, a European variety that makes mediocre wine and is little grown today. Vallejo replaced them with better varieties but the real growth of the local wine business began with the many Italians, French, Hungarians, Germans and other Europeans who came to California searching for gold. Most failed in their search for gold or at least didn't become rich, but ended up in other pursuits – like grape growing.

Among these immigrants, one stands out. Agoston Haraszthy was born in 1812 in Futak, Hungary, which was then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Haraszthy first settled in Wisconsin and planted grape vines there, but found they froze. In 1849, unaware of the Gold Rush occurring that year, he moved to San Diego. In 1850, he planted a vineyard with vines from Mission San Luis Rey and ordered vines from Europe. He planted those vines in 1851 but within a few years moved to the San Francisco Bay area.

By 1856, Haraszthy was in Sonoma, where he bought 560 acres of land, including a vineyard planted by local Indians. Haraszthy called this estate, Buena Vista – “beautiful view.” He ordered 14,000 European vines for his new estate and had another 12,000 growing in his nursery of 165 varietals.

Haraszthy clearly played a major part in establishing Sonoma as a viticultural center with his Buena Vista Winery. He continued to pursue questionable business deals, however, and ended up leaving the area, dying in the jungles of Nicaragua in 1869.

Northern Sonoma Valley has an interesting history, too. Jack London refers to this area in his Valley of the Moon , and he even built a home in this area, in Glen Ellen.

The northern Sonoma Valley area was as attractive to native people as Sonoma – and much of coastal California, because it offered plenty of food and water and a benign climate. The written history of the area begins with a grant deed of about 8 square miles, which was part of the Agua Caliente Rancho, by General Mariano Vallejo to Lazaro Pina, in 1829.

In 1858, Colonel Charles V. Stuart, bought the land and named his ranch Glen Ellen in honor of his Scottish wife, Ellen. The village that grew near the ranch also came to be called Glen Ellen and then to avoid confusion the name of the ranch was changed to Glen Oaks. The Glen Oaks Ranch, located on Highway 12 just east of Glen Ellen, is now on the National Register of Historical Landmarks.

Joshua Chauvet established Glen Ellen's first grain mill, the first lumberyard, brickyard and hotel in the late 1800s. He built Hotel Chauvet in 1906, which is the most prominent building in Glen Ellen, and it has subsequently been converted into six luxury condominiums. Chauvet planted grapes and began producing wine and brandy in 1875. Today the original grain mill houses the Glen Ellen Winery and History Center as well as restaurants and shops.

Glen Ellen received its first post office in July of 1871. Once railroad service came to Sonoma County (in the 1880's), San Franciscans began spending their summers there to get away from the cold and fog of the city.

The area's most famous resident was author Jack London. He lived, farmed and wrote in Glen Ellen from 1905 until his death in 1916. He and his second wife built a dream home, Wolf House, which burned the day before they had planned to move in. Its ruins still stand at the Jack London State Historic Park in Glen Ellen.

Some of the earliest planted vines in this region, which are over 100 years old, exist at Kunde Estate Winery and Vineyards. This property also houses the historic Drummond Vineyard's old stone winery building, which dates from 1879.