In 1835, Vallejo described coming to San Rafael, proceeding past Novato and continuing to the Rancheria of Captain Pulpula near present-day Schellville, where he encountered over 3000 Native Americans led by Chief Solano. Vallejo pitched tents and dispatched messengers to ask all Native Americans in the region to make treaties with the Mexican government. Vallejo claims that within 48 hours, a gathering of 11,000 Native People had formed, and only a third of them seemed friendly to him. He remembers Chief Solano acted as his interpreter, and recounts how Solano urged the gathering crowds to be friendly to the arriving Mexicans, persuading them that an alliance meant Mexican military aid. The alliance Vallejo formed with Chief Solano eventually turned into a sincere friendship.

One year later, Alexander Rotchef, arrived at Ross, and in 1838 became the new Administrator. All who came into contact with Rotchef found him to be “a gentleman of courteous manners and of much administrative ability.” It was Rotchef that ultimately prepared Ross for abandonment. Rotchef was known to translate the works of Shakespeare, Schiller, and Victor Hugo in Russian. His wife, Elena Pavlovna, was born Princess Cagorina and she was reported to have been quite stunning. Mariano Vallejo also found her to be quite exceptional describing her as “a beauty barely entering her 20th spring and possessing, besides other talents, an irresistible charm.”

I believe Vallejo enjoyed Rotchef for a variety of reasons. Vallejo enjoyed the interaction of an intellectual. Given Rotchef’s knack for translating literary pieces into Russian, this type of cerebral exercise would have been quite appealing to Mariano. I am certain he also enjoyed Rotchef’s library.

In 1839, Vallejo warned the Mexican government of danger from the Russians which might only be averted by an increase of force at Sonoma. He requested more soldiers and more money to develop his town. I doubt Vallejo actually was concerned about the Russians, but used them as a pawn to solicit help from his government. Vallejo had pleaded time and time again for supplies, money and soldiers, all to no avail. He sent his personal secretary, Juan Castenada to Mexico City, to bring back money to develop the new presidio and pueblo, all to no avail. Eugene Duflot de Mofras, a French naturalist, diplomat and explorer who held a diplomatic post in Mexico City in 1839, visited Ross and Sonoma. Many of his comments focused on the California missions and his time spent at Sutter’s fort. In 1840 he commented “…it is evident that California will belong to whatever nation chooses to send there a man-of-war and two-hundred men.”

There was an incidence however, between Vallejo and Rotchef, towards the final days of the colony at Ross. Josiah Spalding, Captain of an American ship, sailed down from the Columbia river and held the notion that Bodega was a free port belonging to Russia, as such, he would land passengers there and trade without paying anchorage dues and other duties. In the past, the Russians would not have permitted such an action, however, on this occasion Rotchef left Ross for San Francisco and Monterey, leaving the American ship at Bodega with crew and passengers. Spalding also set out for San Francisco, while four passengers headed to Sonoma to obtain passports, which would allow them to remain in the country. Vallejo was taken off-guard as four armed men made their way into town, and particularly disturbed to learn that a foreign vessel was docked free from all restrictions in respect to contraband trade and the landing of passengers.

Vallejo immediately dispatched Alferez Pina and a few soldiers to Bodega, warning them that if any goods were removed from the ship, they would be charged with smuggling, as Monterey was the only port open to foreign trade. Pina was also to collect tonnage due at a rate of $1.50 per ton.

Spalding, on his way back to Bodega from San Francisco, stopped in Sonoma, where Vallejo demanded he pay the tonnage fee, which he did not do, stating that Bodega was a Russian port. Furthermore, he claimed Rotchef told him that! Vallejo instructed Pina, to state clearly to Rotchef, that Bodega belonged to Mexico. When Rotchef returned, he became furious as one of the written correspondence regarding this issue threatened to arrest Rotchef. Later, Vallejo claimed that his original correspondence had been copied and changed. None-the-less, both Rotchef and Vallejo seemed to have made amends as both men appeared to be on good terms during Rotchef’s final year as the Administrator at Ross.

To conclude, in the heart of our city and within our historic Plaza, City Hall flies seven flags, including the Mexican and Russian-American Company. This gesture is certainly a testament honoring the cooperation between foreign governments and two of the most historically significant locales in the State of California, Fort Ross and the City of Sonoma.

This paper addresses the relationship between two locales, Fort Ross and the City of Sonoma, with a particular focus on the founder of Sonoma, Mariano Vallejo. I will present fact, and in some cases fiction, but it’s not my fault, as anyone who has studied the history of California from the beginning of European colonization to the present, is well aware that its development is full of exaggeration. I will not let a good myth or legend get in the way of a good story.

While Spain was attempting to expand their territorial domain in the New World, incursions by the French, English, Americans and Russians created a heightened level of insecurity for the Spanish Crown and authorities in Mexico City. While on paper, and often for political posturing, the Russian presence in Alta California appeared to be, for lack of a better word, insulting to the Spanish and later Mexican governments. The relationship between those living closest to the settlement of Ross was quite friendly, though it wouldn’t be too far-fetched to describe the personality of many of the Mexican politicians and leaders as quite schizophrenic. On the one hand, we find comments declaring loudly how the Russians in Ross are nothing more than squatters, then, almost within the same breath, are requests to trade for goods and food, at times, with little to trade in return.

While Mexican authorities in Mexico City were concerned about the Russian presence in Alta California, relations between Ross and the City of Sonoma were quite congenial. To gain a better understanding of this congenial relationship, I must go back to 1807, a few years before the settlement at Ross was founded, to the tiny hamlet of Monterey, when Mariano Vallejo was born. At the time of his birth, Monterey was under the authority of the Crown, yet even in 1807, it was evident that for all practical purposes, they were independent of not only Europe, but of New Spain as well.

Supply ships from the mother country were few, financial support almost non-existent, and while sanctions against trade with U.S. ships were in place, illicit trade with the Boston Clippers brought goods to this isolated outpost from around the world. More than exotic treasures and mundane necessities, the one thing the inhabitants of Monterey desired most was news. The isolation from the rest of the world created in Vallejo and others, an independent air, and in young Mariano, a deeply rooted desire to learn more about the world far from his humble home in Monterey.

This sense of isolation rang true twenty years prior to Mariano’s birth, as the first president of the California missions, Junipero Serra, wrote Francisco Palou in Mexico stating, “It is just one year last month since I received my last letter from Christian people, so your Reverence can well imagine how hungry we are for news. But for all that, I only desire, when occasion may permit, to know how it is with your Reverence and with my companions, what may be the name of His Holiness, the reigning Pope…” Serra is not pleading for food or money, but for information.

As a teenager, Mariano, his nephew Juan Bautista Alvarado, who was to become the Governor of Alta California, and Jose Castro, who was to become the Commandante General of the Mexican Army during the Bear Flag Revolt of 1846, received preferential treatment and instruction by Governor Pablo Vicente de Sola. The boys were given access to government documents and newspapers from Mexico city. They had access to the governor’s personal library. Eventually, Vallejo worked as a clerk for the English merchant William Hartnell, who taught Vallejo English, French, and Latin. Mariano was educated. (To be continued)

This week, we heard some great news. Jack London State Historic Park, an absolute treasure, will now be operated by the Valley of the Moon Natural History Association. Ruth Coleman, director of California State Parks, stated, “We have reached a milestone in our effort to save this park.”

Other parks in both Marin and Sonoma counties may not be so fortunate. Personally, I wear many hats, one of them as a board member of The Olompali People (TOP). The mission of TOP is to promote the parks 8,000 years of human history. TOP, with the leadership of Chair Diane Einstein, is in the process of developing a plan allowing the park to operate through our non-profit parent, the Marin State Parks Association (MSPA).

If you have never been to Olompali State Park, there has never been a better time. On May 20, our annual Heritage Day will take place, celebrating the cultural and natural resources the park has to offer. There are an incredible number of activities including guided walks focusing on Olompali’s birds, plants and archaeology. Visitors will discover more about the history of Camilo Ynitia’s adobe and the Burdell Mansion.

For children, there will be interactive demonstrations, such as basketry, flint-knapping, clam shell disc bead and adobe brick making and blacksmithing. Be sure to bring your check books, as one of the finest silent auctions around, featuring items donated by local merchants, will be available for bidding all day long. If for some strange reason, natural and cultural history is not your thing, come for the free ice cream donated by Clover Stornetta.
Olompali is not the only park slated for closure. China Camp State Park, tucked in along the shores of San Pablo Bay, also features a wide range of natural and cultural treasures. The park has extensive intertidal salt marshes, meadows, and oak-woodland habitats. On a good day, one might get a glimpse of local deer, coyote, fox, and bats. Two endangered species include the California clapper rail and the salt marsh harvest mouse.

For the more historic-minded, China Camp once was home to a thriving Chinese shrimp-fishing village. In the 1880’s almost 500 people, primarily from Canton, China, lived at the village, which included three general stores, a marine supply store and a barber shop. The shrimp were dried and while some were shipped to Chinese communities in the US, most made their way back to China.

Quan Hung Quock moved to China Camp from San Francisco in 1895. He built one of the general stores, and his grandson, Frank Quan, is the last remaining resident at China Camp today! Chair of Friends of China Camp, Ernest Chung, has also had to take the groups mission statement and tweak it to meet the demands of the current state of affairs. There efforts are now focused on saving China Camp from closure.

Both TOP and Friends of China Camp, operate under the nonprofit status of MSPA. The groups have notified state officials that they would like to operate these parks and negotiations are well under way. MSPA has raised over $100,000, yet more money is needed to ensure a successful transition.

Both Olompali and China Camp provide a unique opportunity for all of us to learn more about the natural world that surrounds us and educate us about our local histories. Now is the time to go for a visit and donate a little extra if able to do so. I do hope upcoming headlines in our local newspapers will echo what we have read this week about Jack London State Historic Park, that once again, we have reached a milestone in efforts to save our local parks. Looking for ways to help, visit olompali.org and friendsofchinacamp.org.

Early written eyewitness accounts of Sonoma are rare, but in January 1842, Sonoma had a visitor from Britain’s Hudson’s Bay Company, Sir George Simpson, born in Scotland in 1787. A British visitor must have been both tantalizing and held with some degree of alarm. Tantalizing, for Mariano Vallejo and company, as living rather isolated in the northern frontier must have held a certain amount of trepidation with the mere consideration of conversations about worldy affairs. Alarming, as the Mexican government perceived the British as a threat with thoughts of expansion into California. The Hudson Bay Company was well established in the Canadian fur trade and had been sending teams to California’s central valley since the 1830’s.
Simpson’s predominantly scathing review of travels to Sonoma is fascinating. Simpson had arrived about ten miles outside of town on a rainy day in January. He was greeted by an Indian, who returned to Mariano Vallejo a note, indicating the nature of Simpson’s business and a request to bring horses to assist in their travels to Sonoma. The next day, horses arrived with a “sergeant and two troopers, with a rabble of native auxiliaries.” On their final leg to Sonoma, Simpson describes the valley as being “intersected in every direction by artificial ditches, which are fed from the creek for the purposes of irrigation.”

Simpson continues with a description of Vallejo’s Casa Grande on the Plaza. He remarks about the unfinished steps leading to the general’s house which was about fifty feet in length. He remarks “…this apartment was very indifferently furnished, the only tolerable articles upon the floor being some gaudy chairs from Oahu…this was California all over, the richest and most influential individual in a professedly civilized settlement obliged to borrow the means of sitting from savages who had never seen a white man ‘til two years after San Francisco was colonized by the Spaniards.” Simpson was greeted by Mariano and Salvador Vallejo and Mariano’s brother-in-law, Jacob Leese. Interestingly, Leese had owned property in San Francisco, selling it to the Hudson Bay Company in 1840.

Mariano Vallejo and Simpson spent a short time together before being joined by the ladies of the family. He describes Senora Vallejo and her sister who was “married to an honest Scot from Bonny Dundee,” a sister-in-law married to Captain Cooper, Mrs. Leese and her unmarried sister, and Mrs. Cooper’s daughter. “It won’t be the general’s fault if the English race does not multiply in California. So far as names went, we might have supposed ourselves to be in London or in Boston.” Simpson was just getting started.

His description of the meal that was to follow is highly informative, though apparently not to his liking. “In front of Mr. Leese was placed an array of five dishes – two kinds of stewed beef, rice, fowl, and beans. As all the cooking was done in outhouses-for the dwellings…have no chimneys or fireplaces – the dishes were by no means too hot when put on the table; while being served out in a succession to a party of about twenty people, they became colder than the other before they reached their destinations…Then every mouthful was poisoned with the everlasting compound of pepper and garlic…when to the foregoing sketch are added bad tea and worse wine (ouch), the reader has picked up a perfect idea of a Californian breakfast, a Californian dinner, and a Californian supper…”

The sarcastic ramblings of Sir George Simpson, knighted by Queen Victoria in 1841, are indeed slanderous, but highly informative of early life here in Sonoma. To dig a little deeper, read Simpson’s “An Overland Journey Round the World,” published in 1847.

Though claiming to explore northern California for French business interests, in the modern world, he might have been convicted as a spy. Many of his comments focused on the California missions and his time spent at Sutter’s fort. In 1840 he commented “…it is evident that California will belong to whatever nation chooses to send there a man-of-war and two-hundred men.”

While visiting Sutter’s Fort, Mofras also made a number of interesting statements. He noted that Sutter’s work force of about thirty men included Germans, Swiss, Canadians, Americans, English and French. These men were employed as wood-cutters, black-smiths, carpenters and trappers. He further noted that Sutter lives in a territory “barely” belonging to Mexico. Mofras also expressed the idea of having Sutter import French missionaries to assist in the civilizing of Indian tribes living in the area.

Mofras visited Sonoma in 1841. Mariano Vallejo welcomed him to Sonoma, however, did not like Mofras. Evidently, Mofras, while visiting the Alisal Rancho, made an unwelcome advance to one of the women living on the rancho. Though discounted by many, Vallejo held on to his dislike of the Frenchman. Mofras was also arrested by Jesus Pico, the administrator at San Antonio. Here, Mofras complained that he had not received the proper attention to which he was accustomed, during his visit.

Sir George Simpson, another visitor to Sonoma in early 1841, spoke of Mofras as having an arrogant air. Simpson states that “though this gentlemen professed to be collecting information for the purpose of making a book…he scarcely went ten miles from his comfortable quarters… while in conversation he was more ready to dilate on his own equestrian feats than to hear what others might be able to tell him.”

There is little doubt that Mofras was exploring more than the natural and cultural wonders of Mexican California. In his book, Mofras made note of all Frenchman residing in various pueblos and ranchos throughout Alta California. He made numerous mention of Sutter’s New Helvetia as being essentially a French settlement. Recall, he made comments encouraging French missionaries to assist Sutter in civilizing native peoples. Mofras was undoubtedly making comments that would assist the French government in making decisions regarding colonization in California.

In 1841, California saw a much stronger overland migration through the Sierra Nevada. As the Russians packed their bags and vacated Ross over on the coast, immigrants from all over the world began to trickle into California. Mariano Vallejo treated many of these newcomers with kindness, assisting them in making their residency a legal affair. Governor Alvarado made many implications, implying that Vallejo was unwise allowing foreigners to remain.

Manifest Destiny, the American belief that the U.S. was destined to expand across the continent, certainly came to fruition. Within a few short years, any designs by the English or French, to colonize California, evaporated into thin air. Much of this mind set centered on the belief that American expansion must promote and defend democracy throughout the world.

To sum it all up, I leave you once again with the words of Sir George Simpson. He offers, “Duflot de Mofras was a man of talent, but somewhat wild, bent on amusing himself, fonder of personal comforts than of study; gentlemanly in manner, but not overawed by the dignity of California officials; and somewhat too careless about the reputation he might leave in so distant a land.”

Mexico had long been concerned with U.S. threats to annex Texas, so it may have been a little awkward for both countries when Texas became a state in 1845. The diplomatic relationship between our two countries was severed upon such a declaration. Prior to statehood, there was a discrepancy between the two countries regarding the Republic of Texas boundaries. The Republic claimed land up to the Rio Grande, while Mexico claimed the border up to the Nueces River.

President Polk contacted the American consul in Alta California, in essence stating that he supported voluntary accession to the U.S. John C. Fremont arrived in California with an armed militia in the winter of 1845-46. Fremont was commissioned by the U.S. government. He arrived in the Salinas Valley and claimed he was looking for a seaside home for his mother. Sort of warms your heart!

The heart of Mexico’s Northern Regional Commander, General Jose Castro, was not warmed by the thought of Fremont’s real estate inquiries in the heart of Alta California. Castro insisted that Fremont go back from where he came. Instead, Fremont raised an American flag on Galivan Peak overlooking the Salinas Valley.

President Polk sent John Slidell to Mexico City, offering the Mexican government $25 million for the Rio Grande border. Mexico was not interested. In fact, under the rule of Mariano Paredes y Arrillaga, Mexico held on tight to the notion that Texas was clearly within Mexican territory.

Just to be clear, and put events into some kind of historical timeline, the infamous Battle of the Alamo took place ten years before the U.S. declaration of war against Mexico. Prior to battles at the Alamo, which annihilated Americans protecting the Alamo, and at San Jacinto, which ended the Mexican revolution, Mexican troops were driven out of Texas. Hostilities between our two countries were still going strong ten years later.

In 1846, Polk ordered General Taylor and his militia south of the Rio Grande. U.S. forces were now well into the area claimed to be Mexican territory by the Mexican government. Now, under the leadership of General Chlamon, Mexico claimed that all of Texas was theirs. The Mexican Calvary attacked a U.S. patrol on April 25, 1846, killing 16 U.S. soldiers.

Given Slidell’s efforts to buy the disputed territory and the attack by General Chlamon, Polk considered this enough to declare war on Mexico. Polk stated that, “Mexico has passed the boundary of the United States, has invaded our territory and shed American blood upon American soil.” U.S. Congress declared war upon Mexico on May 13, 1846.

In the next 20 months, U.S. forces took Mexican cities one by one. The Mexican forces could no longer defend against U.S. forces. The Treaty of Gaudalupe Hidalgo was signed on February 2, 1848, ending the war. The treaty also provided the U.S. with control over Texas and ceded to the U.S. the states of California, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico, and parts of Arizona, Colorado, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Wyoming.

The U.S. forgave a $3,000,000 dollar debt and paid $25,250,000 for the land. President Ulysses S. Grant, no stranger to Sonoma, was quite opposed to the war, believing it was unjust for such a power house to bully a nation far weaker than the U.S. Reflections by many compared the U.S. desire to obtain more land to the actions of European monarchies. Many felt that war could have been avoided, and annexation sought through negotiation rather than aggression.

Many of the disputes took place in and around a saloon, however, most disturbing are the number of women killed by their husbands. “The People vs. Michael Ryan,” is one of several instances in which husbands seemed to fall off the deep end, to the detriment of their wives. On February 7, 1865 Mr. Ryan reached for a pick and plunged it deep into the skull of his wife. The act killed her instantly. The account indicates that the Ryans were “newcomers” to Santa Rosa and “lived unhappily together.” I should say so! The account also indicates that Mr. Ryan was prone to “dissipated habits.” Ryan was convicted and sentenced to death. He was hung at the jail in Santa Rosa on March 23, 1866.

Also of interest is the case in the stabbing death of Hugh McLaughlin at a livery stable in Healdsburg. Evidently, on July 6, 1861 James B. Boggs killed McLaughlin with a knife. Witnesses state that both men were under the influence of alcohol. The men met each other at Foss’ livery stable, where McLaughlin worked, around 6:30 p.m. Upon seeing a well-groomed horse, Boggs spoke out stating that the animal was “not of much account.”

McLaughlin looked Boggs up and down, ground his right boot into the ground as if to put out a smoke, and remarked that the horse came from “Pike, and nothing from there is of any account.” Pleasantly, Boggs stated that “…I came from Pike and you know that I am a good fellow.” McLaughlin pushed him down to the ground at the same time yelling “liar.” McLaughlin left the stable and headed over to the saloon. Boggs followed him there, where the two met at the swinging doors of the old watering hole.

Neither men had pistols, so they immediately pulled out knives and began fighting. Both struck each other at the same time. Both men fell back, looked each other in the eyes, and lunged once again toward one another. McLaughlin fell into Boggs, then, slipped to the dusty floor of the saloon, dead. Boggs waited for the sheriff to arrive and was escorted peacefully to the jail. Boggs was not convicted of any wrongdoing.

Now, Boggs is an interesting name, as there is a connection to our own little town of Sonoma. James Boggs was the nephew of Lilburn Boggs, the sixth Governor of Missouri. Lilburn is remembered for a number of interesting fun facts. He is responsible for Missouri Executive Order 44, which is known by the Mormons as the “Extermination Order.” Lilburn first arrived in California in 1846, taking an overland route. Mariano Vallejo allowed Mr. and Mrs. Boggs to live on his Petaluma Ranch. Mrs. Boggs gave birth to a son, who they named Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo Boggs. Mariano appointed Boggs as alcalde of the Sonoma district in 1847.

Lilburn’s brother, Thomas Jefferson Boggs, followed Lilburn to California, bringing along their two sons, Abriel and James. They settled into the town of Healdsburg and upon their father’s death in 1855, received 10 acres of farmland near the Russian River. Who would have ever imagined that, six years later, 29 year old James would have a run-in at the local livery. I could not find an exact date for his death, but know he lived into the 20th-century. One can’t help but think, if it weren’t for the dissipated habits of Sonoma County’s early citizens, the murder rate might not have been so dramatic.

In the “History of Sonoma County” published by Alley, Bowen & Co. in 1880, one will find a list of distinguished and exceptional characters. Most of these individuals came during California’s gold rush to seek their fame and fortune. Their journeys to California must have been rather rigorous. I find them interesting because they found themselves living in and around the most historically significant city in California. This week, I bring to you two exceptional and distinguished individuals from back in the day.

James Biggins was born in Cavan County Ireland in 1825. Ireland was going through some rather significant turmoil. It is estimated that one million people died during the potato famine. Mr. Biggins was not one of them and in 1844, made his way to America. He spent a few months in Philadelphia and New Jersey and in 1851 jumped on board the steamer Brother Jonathan taking him through the isthmus. He then boarded the Pacific which took him to San Francisco.

Biggins got a job in Sonoma with Haven and Smith, working to garner business on their ranch. Saving his pennies, he eventually bought their interest in the ranch and became a Sonoma County landowner. In 1854 he bought the Lawler Ranch from Mariano Vallejo where he continued to hone his ranching skills. For the next 25 years, Biggins continued to purchase land throughout the county, becoming one of Sonoma’s most exceptional and distinguished ranchers.

David Burris was born in the town of Old Franklin, Cooper County, Missouri in 1824. During the Mexican-American war, while Mariano and comrades were put behind bars by the Bear Flaggers, Burris was hauling provisions into Mexico through Santa Fe to support American troops. Burris made his way to California in 1849, crossing the Sierra Nevada into Bidwell’s Bar on the Feather river. Here, he began working the mines in search of gold.

In 1851, Mr. Burris made his way to Camelot, arriving in sunny Sonoma Valley. Here, he was a lumber man, cutting down redwoods trees throughout the county. Burris had a hard time staying put, and made his way east to drive cattle back to the west. In the spring of 1869 he returned to Sonoma and became one of the “great landowners of the county.” He was also involved in banking and was one of the founders of the Santa Rosa Bank. Because he was exceptional and distinguished, he became the president of the Sonoma Valley Bank.

Next week I shall explore the opposite of distinguished and exceptional. There is a wonderful chapter titled “The Homicides of Sonoma County.” During the transition from Mexican authority, which relied on the Law of the Indies to address criminal behavior, to U.S. authority, whose justice system had long been established on the East Coast, little was done to address aberrant behavior. For a number of years, California was a rather lawless society.

The chapter begins its discussion on murder right here on the streets of Sonoma. Evidently, a quarrel broke out between Peter Peterson and Antone Bruner regarding the dispute of the rental of a bar-room. Peterson pulled out a pistol and shot Bruner dead. Neither men could ever have imagined that one day they would be memorialized in the annals of Sonoma history.

The first street lights in recorded history come from the ancient city of Antioch, now known as Antakya, in merry old and historic Turkey. The Arab empire was known for promoting streetlights in the 9th and 10th centuries while London joined in on the action in the early 15th century. There were no electrical or gas lights in those early days, so street lights were constructed from poles with lanterns hanging from them. In the U.S., Benjamin Franklin invented a glass vessel in which a candle could be placed. Franklin’s design had four sides, protecting the candle from the wind from a swift passing horse.

William Murdoch invented the gas light in 1792, allowing larger cities in Great Britain, to illuminate their street-scapes with ease. Here in the U.S., Baltimore was the first to use gas lighting in 1816. While most of the cities in the U.S. converted from gas to electricity, some cities, like South Orange, New Jersey, still use gas light on their streets. The revolutionary work of Edison changed the way in which most of the planet illuminates their surroundings, be it in a home or out on the street.
Wabash, Indiana has the distinction of being the first city in the world to use electric lights. Charles F. Brush invented the “Brush Light” and Wabash agreed to test the lights on March 31, 1880. A flood of light lit the town as four mounted Brush Lights were fixed upon the courthouse. It must have been an amazing sight to witness. In the early 20th century, lighted streets were known as a “white way” and the lighted streets of Broadway in New York, known as the “Great White Way.” To be clear, the term had nothing to do with any kind of racial supremacy.

Cities around the world began to use electric lights and even the pueblo of Sonoma got in on the act in 1898. Sonoma’s city government, however, was evidently not interested in owning a lighting company, so some of our citizens took the task into their own hands. A handful of locals began the business venture by establishing the Sonoma Electric Light Company. The company was incorporated with a capital stock of $10,000. The principal stock holders included some of Sonoma’s movers and shakers such as Messrs. Duhring, Leiding, Hall, Granice, Aguillon, Ciucci, Clewe and Schocken.

Just prior to the incorporation, the City made a number of discouraging statements. A February 12, 1898 Sonoma Index editorial stated, “Not satisfied with doing their level best to defeat by misrepresentation the water proposition in their hatred of every public improvement, they are now seeking to discourage several of the promoters of the electric lighting project by telling them that there will be assessments instead of dividends.”
Although two of the principals jumped ship, the Sonoma Electric Light Company was opened in 1898. The company lasted about a year and went through a number of transformations before being purchased by PG&E in 1906. So, the next time you’re walking down the widest street in town, take notice of the handsome streetlights and recall a by-gone era.

So when does Dr. Mallory celebrate his birthday on non-leap years? Believe it or not, there are societal rules for those born on February 29. People born on February 29 are called “leaplings” or “leapers” and celebrate their birthday on February 28 or on March 1. In China, their civil code states that the legal birthday of a leaper is February 28. Go to Hong Kong, and the legal birthday of a leaper is March 1. I have a feeling Dr. Mallory celebrated his birthday on the day that was closest to the weekend.
Understanding Leap Year requires a little math. In a typical year the Earth circles once around the sun. The journey takes about 365.242199 days. The Gregorian calendar has 365 days in a year. If we didn’t add a day every four years, humanity would lose six hours off the calendar each year. After 10 years, the calendar would be off 2.4 days. Leap Year was first implemented within the Roman Empire by Julius Caesar over 2000 years ago. The calendar, called the Julian, had one rule. If the year could be divided by four, it would be a Leap Year.

Prior to the implementation of the Julian calendar, the Roman calendar set the stage by tracking the movement of the moon and sun. This lunisolar calendar named days after the syzygies (an incredible Scrabble word) of the moon. Syzygy is the alignment of three celestial objects as the sun, earth and moon. The new moon was known as Kalendae (calendar) and the full moon as Idus (ides).

In 64 BC, Julius Caesar was advised to make a few changes to the system, implementing the Leap Year. The Julian calendar allowed for too many Leap Years, but it would take another 1500 years to make the correction with the Gregorian calendar. The Gregorian calendar provided for exceptions given that the solar year is slightly less than 365.25 days. Here are some of the rules in case you need them in your back pocket when watching Jeopardy or Who Wants to be a Millionaire.

Years divisible by 100 are not Leap Years unless they are evenly divisible by 400. The years 1600 and 2000 were Leap Years, however the years 1300, 1400, and 1500 were not. This adjustment works to keep things on an even keel, so that within the course of a year, there will be 365 days, 5 hours, 49 minutes, and 12 seconds. The Gregorian calendar was also designed to keep the vernal equinox close to March 21.

Calendars are often designed around significant events within any given culture. There are Islamic, Chinese, Coptic, Ethiopian and Hebrew calendars. In the Hebrew calendar, the holiest day of the year, Yom Kippur, must never fall next to the weekly Sabbath on Saturdays. Also, it must fall on the tenth day of the Hebrew year. To accommodate such religious tenets, Hebrew years may have between 353 and 355 days and up to 13 months in a year.

There are a few celebrities that were born on February 29: the great Dinah Shore, Ja Rule (American rapper and actor), Fabien Bownes (Chicago Bears), and of course my own Dr. Mallory. Leap Year is a new theme for Turning Stones, and a column that I won’t be able to re-hash for another four years!