Historic photos show life in Sonoma County in 1929
Herbert Hoover had taken over for Calvin Coolidge as president of the United States just months earlier when the nation plunged into the greatest depression in American history in 1929.
Meanwhile, Sonoma County was several years into Prohibition, which forced local beer and wine makers to find alternative means to stay afloat. Hop growers sold their crops to European brewers. Wineries produced sacramental wine for churches.
Santa Rosa native Robert Ripley's 'Believe It or Not' cartoon became a regular feature in 17 Hearst-owned newspapers across the nation.
And although he died in 1926, Luther Burbank's horticultural discoveries continued attracting celebrities and scientists from around the globe.
Janet Balicki Weber
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