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Some of
the earliest people in this area were the Kashaya Indians.
At the turn of the 19th Century, Russian people from Sitka, Alaska
settled in the coastal area founding Fort Ross in 1811 and erected
buildings at Bodega Bay. They had come to collect sea otter pelts
and to grow food for their Alaskan colony. In 1841, being unable to
adequately support themselves and Sitka, the Russians sold their
stock at Fort Ross to John A. Sutter.
After 1842 Americans began settling in the area as a result of Bear
Flag Revolt, Mexican-American War, the Gold Rush, and California's
admission to the Union.
Logging of the Redwood
forest and mining for quicksilver (mercury) were the primary
interests in the area. The largest Redwood tree from this area was
known as "the Monarch of the Forest" at a height of 367
feet 8 inches with a circumference of 45 feet. The oldest Redwood in
the area was proved to be over 3,300 years old and would have
attained a diameter of 17 feet when Christ was born.
The boom of the
logging industry was during the period of 1870 to 1910 and as a
result of this, Guerneville acquired a nickname of Stumptown. Upon
realization that lumber resources were finite and thanks to actions
taken by James Armstrong much of these giants have been preserved.
Railroads
of narrow and broad gauge came into the area in the late 1800's to
serve as tools to the lumber and mining industries of the area. And
later these railroads served to provide a means for vacationers to
come into the area from San Francisco and other areas.
With the
end of the logging and mining industries, vacationing and tourism
became a major business for the Russian River area centered around
Guerneville. Vacationing was the major attaction during the 1920's
until about 1935. But by 1935 as a result of various disasters and
the economy, the railroads had gradually been dismantled.
From the
pioneer days of the area to the present, Guerneville and other
Russian River towns, have managed to survive floods, fires, the 1906
earthquake, and other disasters.
Today
the Russian River Area continues to grow at its own pace. Even with
a few floods of our own time The Russian River continues to exist.
The River remains to be a great vacation area for people around the
world, a place where people come to enjoy its beaches along the
river, to wander amongst its amazing Redwoods, and to enjoy its many
other splendors from the vineyards to the Pacific Ocean.
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707-545-0209