Your Community: 5 historical facts about Sonoma

Surrounded by the Mayacamas Mountains on one end and the Sonoma Mountains on the other, Sonoma Valley is a beautiful area steeped in natural beauty and a rich agricultural and immigrant history.

A popular gathering spot downtown is the Sonoma Plaza, which boasts an array of shops, parks, bars and restaurants. But visitors are delighted to find that it’s also home to historic sites like such as the Mission San Francisco Solano, the Sonoma Barracks and a plaque and statue commemorating the Bear Flag Revolt.

The town of Sonoma’s population was 1,513 in 1870, according to the U.S. Census. Today its population has increased to about 11,000.

Bear Flag Revolt

In June 1846, the first California Republic flag was erected by a group of American settlers as tensions were rising between them and the Mexican government that ruled the land.

The settlers pounded on the door of the Sonoma home of Mexican Gen. Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo and demanded his surrender. Vallejo did not resist and even invited the group into his house to talk. A few hours later, the group arrested Vallejo.

The men declared their independence from Mexico and California a republic. They replaced the Mexican flag in Sonoma with a flag they made that had a single red stripe, a star and a bear. The incident became known as the Bear Flag Revolt.

Mission San Francisco Solano

The oldest building located downtown Sonoma is the Mission San Francisco Solano, built in 1823. It’s located just off a corner of the Sonoma Plaza across from the military barracks.

It was founded by Father José Altimira, and it’s the only mission in California founded after Mexico achieved independence from Spain, according to the California Missions Association.

It was destroyed in the 1906 earthquake and later restored. It’s now one of the featured sites of the Sonoma State Historic Park.

Lachryma Montis

Less than a mile west of the Sonoma Plaza is Gen. Vallejo's home, Lachryma Montis, or “tears of the mountain.”

Erected in 1851, the historic home is in the Victorian Carpenter Gothic style and each room has its own white marble fireplace, according to Sonoma Petaluma Parks.

Vallejo’s house is preserved and maintained, open to visitors, and is also part of the Sonoma State Historic Park.

Williams Sonoma originated in Sonoma

In 1947 Chuck Williams moved to Sonoma, when it was a small agricultural town and not so much a wine tourism destination. He came to build houses, but after visiting France in 1953 he was inspired by the specialty cookware there and in 1956 he transformed a hardware store into the first Williams Sonoma store, located on Broadway near the Sonoma Plaza.

The store had a green awning and its name came from Williams’s surname and the town of Sonoma, which he thought sounded high-end. Its logo designed by Williams was a pineapple, a symbol of hospitality.

Williams-Sonoma, Inc. is now a multi-billion dollar retail company.

Depot Park Museum

Authentic old railroad cars are parked at the Depot Park Museum, located a block north of the Sonoma Plaza. The museum opened in 1979 after a fire destroyed the original Northwestern Pacific train depot in Sonoma. Museum exhibits feature Sonoma Valley history.