Rancho Petaluma Adobe
Encyclopedia
Rancho Petaluma Adobe is the name of a historic ranch house built from adobe
bricks that was owned and constructed by General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo
, commandant of the Sonoma Pueblo from 1834 to 1857. It is the largest example of the Monterey Colonial style of architecture in the United States. It has been preserved by the Petaluma Adobe State Historic Park as a California
state and National Historic Landmark
. The Rancho Petaluma Adobe is located on Adobe Road on the east side of present-day town of Petaluma, California
. The park has been threatened with closure.
. The eastern building no longer exists, so it is only half its former size. It took 10 years and thousands of local adobe bricks to make. It was detailed with imported glass windows in the downstairs dining room, interior fireplaces, planked floors, a low sloped shingled roof, and a two story wooden veranda that encased and protected the adobe walls. The combination of wood and adobe is unique to Mexican-American architecture.
granted General Vallejo the lands of Rancho Petaluma
. By 1836, General Vallejo had ordered construction of the ranch house, investing an estimated $80,000 in men, materials and years to complete. His younger brother Salvador Vallejo directed most of the construction. Between 1836 and 1839, at least 2,000 Native Americans
were employed at the ranch construction to make bricks, haul lumber, construct, cook, farm, make tools, tan hides and tend a large herd of cattle.
From the ranch and the Presidio of Sonoma
, the General lodged soldiers who kept peace in the region, and conducted ranch business. His family often used the Petaluma Adobe as a summer home, while he resided in the neighboring town of Sonoma, California
, where his house is preserved as part of the Sonoma State Historic Park
.
He left daily management to his mayordomo
(foreman), Miguel Alvarado, who resided at the ranch.
In its operational days between 1836 and 1857, the Rancho Petaluma employed up to 2,000 of the remaining Sonoma County
Native Americans
. Quickly, the cattle ranch became one of the largest Mexican-American owned ranches of the north bay and a social-economic center of Northern California.
The ranch included a tannery, smithy, and grist mill. It had over 12,000 head of cattle, one quarter slaughtered each year for the main exports of hides
and tallow
sent via river boats on the Petaluma River
down to the San Francisco Bay
. The export of hides and tallow was its main income source, a very lucrative business in the Mexican-American era, while much of the meat was wasted. Vallejo made an estimate $18,000 to $24,000 yearly on hides and tallow. The ranch also supported up to 3000 sheep. Necessities and other products such as candles, soap, thousands of wool blankets, boots and shoes for military troops under Vallejo’s command, and saddles were manufactured by native artisans in shops.
In 1843, Mexican Governor Manuel Micheltorena
deeded to General Vallejo the 84000 acres (339.9 km²) grant Rancho Suscol, adding to the ranch lands considerably, to reward Vallejo's military services. Rancho Suscol extended the lands of Rancho Petaluma south down to the San Francisco Bay
, and southwest to present-day city of Vallejo
.
were secularized in 1834, many Native Americans of the region, the Suisunes
, Coast Miwok
and Pomo
, sought employment on the large ranches of Northern California
. The Rancho Petaluma as the largest ranch employed the majority of the Native Americans in the County. Many Native Americans were recruited as ex-neophytes of the disbanded Mission San Francisco Solano
(the Sonoma Mission) who needed a new employer and were trained ranch people already, others were employed after being captured by force during military skirmishes. Some natives joined from military and political alliances with Vallejo, and others because it was social-economic center especially as a place of seasonal work. In a patron
arrangement that recalls the preceding mission system, many of the natives turned over all of their own cattle to Vallejo, in exchange to become a part of the ranch as the worker force and tenants. Many constructed huts of tule reeds and lived beside the ranch. In payment for working on the ranch as ranchers, cattlemen, artisans and servants, the Natives received some protection, daily food and clothing. However, unlike the Mission Indians, the Natives at the ranch were not expected to be Roman Catholic or follow strict Catholic practices.
and Mexico went to war: General Vallejo was imprisoned for his position in the Mexican military, and in his absence, John C. Frémont
requisitioned and stripped the ranch of its horses, cattle and grain reserves for his California battalion. Many of the natives, his main labor force, had fled from the incoming gold rush settlers. Thereafter the ranch declined in value and profitability for Vallejo every year. The University of California considered purchasing it for a campus site in 1856. Vallejo sold the building and 1600 acres (6.5 km²) to William Whiteside for $25,000 circa 1857 who sold it to William Bliss. The southeast half of the adobe deteriorated and the Bliss family could not afford all the repairs.
, Petaluma Parlor #27 purchased what remained of General Mariano G. vallejo's vast adobe ranch house. Over half of the building had succumbed to neglect and the forces of nature. In 1932 it was registered as California State Historical Landmark #18. After years of work and fundraising, the fully restored historic site was turned over to the State of California in 1951. In 1970, it was registered as a National Historic Landmark.
It is preserved as the centerpiece of Petaluma Adobe State Historic Park. About 80% of the adobe brick is original, although most of the wood has been replaced. A part of the foundation for the deteriorated half is visible, and a small museum and other exhibits are on display.
Locals refer to it as "Old Adobe."
as part of a deficit reduction program.
Adobe
Adobe is a natural building material made from sand, clay, water, and some kind of fibrous or organic material , which the builders shape into bricks using frames and dry in the sun. Adobe buildings are similar to cob and mudbrick buildings. Adobe structures are extremely durable, and account for...
bricks that was owned and constructed by General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo
Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo
Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo was a Californian military commander, politician, and rancher. He was born a subject of Spain, performed his military duties as an officer of Mexico, and shaped the transition of California from a Mexican district to an American state...
, commandant of the Sonoma Pueblo from 1834 to 1857. It is the largest example of the Monterey Colonial style of architecture in the United States. It has been preserved by the Petaluma Adobe State Historic Park as a California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
state and National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
. The Rancho Petaluma Adobe is located on Adobe Road on the east side of present-day town of Petaluma, California
Petaluma, California
Petaluma is a city in Sonoma County, California, in the United States. In the 2010 Census the population was 57,941.Located in Petaluma is the Rancho Petaluma Adobe, a National Historic Landmark. It was built beginning in 1836 by General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo, then Commandant of the San...
. The park has been threatened with closure.
Description
The Petaluma Adobe ranch house was the largest privately owned adobe building ever built in California. It was two stories high, built in a quadrangle roughly 200 by 145 ft (61 by 44.2 m), two buildings surrounding an open courtyard patioPatio
A patio is an outdoor space generally used for dining or recreation that adjoins a residence and is typically paved. It may refer to a roofless inner courtyard of the sort found in Spanish-style dwellings or a paved area between a residence and a garden....
. The eastern building no longer exists, so it is only half its former size. It took 10 years and thousands of local adobe bricks to make. It was detailed with imported glass windows in the downstairs dining room, interior fireplaces, planked floors, a low sloped shingled roof, and a two story wooden veranda that encased and protected the adobe walls. The combination of wood and adobe is unique to Mexican-American architecture.
Mexican-American era
In 1834, Governor José FigueroaJosé Figueroa
General José Figueroa , was a General and the Mexican territorial Governor of Alta California from 1833 to 1835.Figueroa oversaw the initial secularization of the missions of upper California, which included the expulsion of the Spanish Franciscan mission officials.This also involved the issuing of...
granted General Vallejo the lands of Rancho Petaluma
Rancho Petaluma
Rancho Petaluma was a Mexican land grant in present day Sonoma County, California given in 1834 by Governor José Figueroa to Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo...
. By 1836, General Vallejo had ordered construction of the ranch house, investing an estimated $80,000 in men, materials and years to complete. His younger brother Salvador Vallejo directed most of the construction. Between 1836 and 1839, at least 2,000 Native Americans
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
were employed at the ranch construction to make bricks, haul lumber, construct, cook, farm, make tools, tan hides and tend a large herd of cattle.
From the ranch and the Presidio of Sonoma
Presidio of Sonoma
El Presidio de Sonoma, or Sonoma Barracks, was a military outpost established in Alta California in 1836. It was built to house troops under General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo, the Commandant of the Northern Frontier, as part of Mexico's strategy to subdue the Native Americans of the Sonoma Valley...
, the General lodged soldiers who kept peace in the region, and conducted ranch business. His family often used the Petaluma Adobe as a summer home, while he resided in the neighboring town of Sonoma, California
Sonoma, California
Sonoma is a historically significant city in Sonoma Valley, Sonoma County, California, USA, surrounding its historic town plaza, a remnant of the town's Mexican colonial past. It was the capital of the short-lived California Republic...
, where his house is preserved as part of the Sonoma State Historic Park
Sonoma State Historic Park
Sonoma State Historic Park is a state park located in the center of Sonoma, California. The park consists of six sites in Sonoma: the Mission San Francisco Solano, the Presidio of Sonoma or Sonoma Barracks, the Toscano Hotel, the Blue Wing Inn, and La Casa Grande and Lachryma Montis, the homes of...
.
He left daily management to his mayordomo
Majordomo (domestic staff)
A majordomo is a person who speaks, makes arrangements, or takes charge for another. Typically, the term refers to the highest person of a household staff, one who acts on behalf of the owner of a typically large residence...
(foreman), Miguel Alvarado, who resided at the ranch.
In its operational days between 1836 and 1857, the Rancho Petaluma employed up to 2,000 of the remaining Sonoma County
Sonoma County, California
Sonoma County, located on the northern coast of the U.S. state of California, is the largest and northernmost of the nine San Francisco Bay Area counties. Its population at the 2010 census was 483,878. Its largest city and county seat is Santa Rosa....
Native Americans
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
. Quickly, the cattle ranch became one of the largest Mexican-American owned ranches of the north bay and a social-economic center of Northern California.
Hides
A hide is an animal skin treated for human use. Hides include leather from cattle and other livestock animals, alligator skins, snake skins for shoes and fashion accessories and furs from wild cats, mink and bears. In some areas, leather is produced on a domestic or small industrial scale, but most...
and tallow
Tallow
Tallow is a rendered form of beef or mutton fat, processed from suet. It is solid at room temperature. Unlike suet, tallow can be stored for extended periods without the need for refrigeration to prevent decomposition, provided it is kept in an airtight container to prevent oxidation.In industry,...
sent via river boats on the Petaluma River
Petaluma River
The Petaluma River is a river in the California counties of Sonoma and Marin that becomes a tidal slough near its mouth. It springs from farmlands southwest of Cotati and flows generally southward through Petaluma's old town and of tidal marshes to end in northwest San Pablo Bay.-History:The word...
down to the San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay is a shallow, productive estuary through which water draining from approximately forty percent of California, flowing in the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers from the Sierra Nevada mountains, enters the Pacific Ocean...
. The export of hides and tallow was its main income source, a very lucrative business in the Mexican-American era, while much of the meat was wasted. Vallejo made an estimate $18,000 to $24,000 yearly on hides and tallow. The ranch also supported up to 3000 sheep. Necessities and other products such as candles, soap, thousands of wool blankets, boots and shoes for military troops under Vallejo’s command, and saddles were manufactured by native artisans in shops.
In 1843, Mexican Governor Manuel Micheltorena
Manuel Micheltorena
Manuel Micheltorena was a Brigadier General of the Mexican Army, Adjutant-General of the same, Governor, Commandant-General and Inspector of the Department of the California...
deeded to General Vallejo the 84000 acres (339.9 km²) grant Rancho Suscol, adding to the ranch lands considerably, to reward Vallejo's military services. Rancho Suscol extended the lands of Rancho Petaluma south down to the San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay is a shallow, productive estuary through which water draining from approximately forty percent of California, flowing in the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers from the Sierra Nevada mountains, enters the Pacific Ocean...
, and southwest to present-day city of Vallejo
Vallejo, California
Vallejo is the largest city in Solano County, California, United States. The population was 115,942 at the 2010 census. It is located in the San Francisco Bay Area on the northeastern shore of San Pablo Bay...
.
Native American tenants
After the Spanish missions in CaliforniaSpanish missions in California
The Spanish missions in California comprise a series of religious and military outposts established by Spanish Catholics of the Franciscan Order between 1769 and 1823 to spread the Christian faith among the local Native Americans. The missions represented the first major effort by Europeans to...
were secularized in 1834, many Native Americans of the region, the Suisunes
Suisunes
The Suisunes were a tribe of Native Americans that lived in Northern California's Suisun Marsh regions of Solano County, California between what is now Suisun City, Vacaville and Putah Creek around 200 years ago. The Suisunes' main village, Yulyul, is believed to be where Rockville, California is...
, Coast Miwok
Coast Miwok
The Coast Miwok were the second largest group of Miwok Native American people. The Coast Miwok inhabited the general area of modern Marin County and southern Sonoma County in Northern California, from the Golden Gate north to Duncans Point and eastward to Sonoma Creek...
and Pomo
Pomo people
The Pomo people are an indigenous peoples of California. The historic Pomo territory in northern California was large, bordered by the Pacific Coast to the west, extending inland to Clear Lake, and mainly between Cleone and Duncans Point...
, sought employment on the large ranches of Northern California
Northern California
Northern California is the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. The San Francisco Bay Area , and Sacramento as well as its metropolitan area are the main population centers...
. The Rancho Petaluma as the largest ranch employed the majority of the Native Americans in the County. Many Native Americans were recruited as ex-neophytes of the disbanded Mission San Francisco Solano
Mission San Francisco Solano
Mission San Francisco Solano was founded on July 4, 1823, and named for Francis Solanus, a missionary to the Indians of Peru born in Montilla, Spain, known as the "Wonder Worker of the New World." Originally planned as an asistencia to Mission San Rafael Arcángel, it is the northernmost Alta...
(the Sonoma Mission) who needed a new employer and were trained ranch people already, others were employed after being captured by force during military skirmishes. Some natives joined from military and political alliances with Vallejo, and others because it was social-economic center especially as a place of seasonal work. In a patron
Patrón
Patrón is a luxury brand of tequila produced in Mexico and sold in hand-blown, individually numbered bottles.Made entirely from Blue Agave "piñas" , Patrón comes in five varieties: Silver, Añejo, Reposado, Gran Patrón Platinum and Gran Patrón Burdeos. Patrón also sells a tequila-coffee blend known...
arrangement that recalls the preceding mission system, many of the natives turned over all of their own cattle to Vallejo, in exchange to become a part of the ranch as the worker force and tenants. Many constructed huts of tule reeds and lived beside the ranch. In payment for working on the ranch as ranchers, cattlemen, artisans and servants, the Natives received some protection, daily food and clothing. However, unlike the Mission Indians, the Natives at the ranch were not expected to be Roman Catholic or follow strict Catholic practices.
Decline of 1846-1910
The fate of the ranch turned in 1846-1848 when the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Mexico went to war: General Vallejo was imprisoned for his position in the Mexican military, and in his absence, John C. Frémont
John C. Frémont
John Charles Frémont , was an American military officer, explorer, and the first candidate of the anti-slavery Republican Party for the office of President of the United States. During the 1840s, that era's penny press accorded Frémont the sobriquet The Pathfinder...
requisitioned and stripped the ranch of its horses, cattle and grain reserves for his California battalion. Many of the natives, his main labor force, had fled from the incoming gold rush settlers. Thereafter the ranch declined in value and profitability for Vallejo every year. The University of California considered purchasing it for a campus site in 1856. Vallejo sold the building and 1600 acres (6.5 km²) to William Whiteside for $25,000 circa 1857 who sold it to William Bliss. The southeast half of the adobe deteriorated and the Bliss family could not afford all the repairs.
Conversion to a historic park
In 1910, Native Sons of the Golden WestNative Sons of the Golden West
-History:The Native Sons of the Golden West was founded July 11, 1875 by General A. M. Winn, a Virginian, as a lasting monument to the men and women of the Gold Rush Days...
, Petaluma Parlor #27 purchased what remained of General Mariano G. vallejo's vast adobe ranch house. Over half of the building had succumbed to neglect and the forces of nature. In 1932 it was registered as California State Historical Landmark #18. After years of work and fundraising, the fully restored historic site was turned over to the State of California in 1951. In 1970, it was registered as a National Historic Landmark.
It is preserved as the centerpiece of Petaluma Adobe State Historic Park. About 80% of the adobe brick is original, although most of the wood has been replaced. A part of the foundation for the deteriorated half is visible, and a small museum and other exhibits are on display.
Locals refer to it as "Old Adobe."
Proposed for closure
Petaluma Adobe State Historic Park was one of the 48 California state parks proposed for closure in January 2008 by California's Governor Arnold SchwarzeneggerArnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger is an Austrian-American former professional bodybuilder, actor, businessman, investor, and politician. Schwarzenegger served as the 38th Governor of California from 2003 until 2011....
as part of a deficit reduction program.
External links
- Parks and Recreation in Sonoma County. Petaluma Adobe State Historic Park. Sonomanet web site. Retrieved 2009-8-30
- Petaluma Adobe SHP Official web site, State of California
- Early History of the California Coast, a National Park Service Discover Our Shared Heritage Travel Itinerary
See also
- Alta CaliforniaAlta CaliforniaAlta California was a province and territory in the Viceroyalty of New Spain and later a territory and department in independent Mexico. The territory was created in 1769 out of the northern part of the former province of Las Californias, and consisted of the modern American states of California,...
- Californios
- Bear Flag Revolt