Rancho Petaluma Adobe facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Rancho Petaluma Adobe |
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Rancho Petaluma Adobe, California
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| General information | |
| Town or city | east of Petaluma, California |
| Country | United States |
| Coordinates | 38°15′20″N 122°35′04″W / 38.25547°N 122.58451°W |
| Construction started | 1834 |
| Completed | 1857 |
| Cost | $80,000 |
| Client | Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo |
| Technical details | |
| Structural system | adobe brick and timber |
| Size | 200 x 145 feet (44.2 m) |
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Petaluma Adobe
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| Location | Casa Grande Road, Petaluma, California |
| Area | 5 acres (2.0 ha) |
| Built | 1836 |
| Architectural style | Adobe/Monterey Colonial |
| NRHP reference No. | 70000151 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | April 15, 1970 |
| Designated NHL | April 15, 1970 |
The Rancho Petaluma Adobe is a very old ranch house in Sonoma County, California. It was built using adobe bricks starting in 1836. A powerful leader named Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo ordered its construction.
This building was the biggest privately owned adobe structure in California. It is also the largest example of the Monterey Colonial style of architecture in the United States. Today, part of the ranch is saved as the Petaluma Adobe State Historic Park. It is an important California Historic Landmark and a National Historic Landmark. You can find the park on Adobe Road, east of the town of Petaluma, California.
What is the Petaluma Adobe Like?
The Petaluma Adobe was built for two main reasons. It was the main office for a busy ranch. It also served as a fort to protect against possible attacks. These attacks might have come from the Russians living nearby or from local Native American tribes.
Building Design and Features
The original plan for the Adobe included two large, two-story buildings. These buildings were meant to surround an open courtyard. This courtyard was about 200 feet long and 145 feet wide.
The builders used adobe bricks and strong redwood timbers. The floors were made of planks. The roof was low and covered with shingles. A wide, covered porch on the second floor helped protect the adobe walls from bad weather. It also gave a good view for defense if needed. There were big gates between the buildings on the south and north sides.
Living Areas and Rooms
The southwest part of the building was where the Vallejo family stayed. They visited the ranch often. Some walls inside were plastered and painted white. The kitchen and dining room were on the ground floor. The dining room even had special imported glass windows.
The second floor was called the "fort" by Vallejo. It had the family's sleeping rooms and Vallejo's office. The ranch manager also had a sleeping room there. There were guest rooms and shared sleeping areas for important workers. The dining room and some other rooms had fireplaces to keep warm.
Unfinished Parts of the Building
The eastern building of the Adobe was never fully finished. Its walls were built, but it never got a roof or floors. This part of the building no longer exists. So, what you see of the Petaluma Adobe today is only about half of its original planned size.
History of Rancho Petaluma Adobe
Mexican-American Era and Construction
In 1834, the governor of California, José Figueroa, told Lieutenant Vallejo to move his soldiers north. He gave Vallejo the first lands of Rancho Petaluma. In 1836, Vallejo began building the ranch house. He spent a lot of money and effort on it.
His younger brother, Salvador Vallejo, helped manage most of the building work. Between 1836 and 1839, many Native Americans worked at the ranch. They made bricks, moved wood, built structures, cooked, and farmed. They also made tools, tanned animal hides, and cared for the large herds of cattle.
Vallejo's family sometimes used the Petaluma Adobe as a summer home. They also used it to entertain guests. Their main home was in the nearby town of Sonoma. Vallejo's Sonoma home, called Lachryma Montis, is now part of Sonoma State Historic Park.
Vallejo had a foreman, or mayordomo, named Miguel Alvarado. Alvarado lived at the ranch and managed it daily. From 1836 to 1857, the Rancho Petaluma was a very busy place. It became one of the biggest ranches north of the San Francisco Bay. It was also a major social and economic center in Northern California.
Ranch Activities and Products
The ranch had many workshops. There was a tannery for making leather and a smithy for metalwork. It also had a grist mill powered by Adobe Creek. This mill ground grain into flour.
The ranch had over 12,000 cattle. About a quarter of them were used each year. The main products from the cattle were hides (animal skins) and tallow (animal fat). These were sent by river boats on the Petaluma River to the San Francisco Bay. Hides and tallow were the ranch's main source of money. Much of the meat was not used.
The ranch also had up to 3,000 sheep. Their wool was used to make products like blankets. Native American artisans at the ranch made many items. These included candles, soap, wool blankets, boots, shoes for soldiers, and saddles.
Native American Workers at the Ranch
The success of Rancho Petaluma depended on its many workers. Many Native American workers were paid with food, clothing, and other goods.
Some of the most skilled workers were Native Americans who had been trained at missions. Vallejo was good at getting these workers from the missions at Sonoma and San Rafael. They had the skills needed to run the ranch and its workshops. They made up most of the year-round workforce. The most respected workers lived in rooms on the second floor of the Adobe. Other year-round workers lived in traditional tule reed huts along Adobe Creek.
Other Native Americans worked seasonally. They helped with the grain harvest or the cattle slaughter. They also helped make adobe bricks. Some families chose to work at the Rancho for a time. Others might have been sent by Vallejo's allies, like Chief Marin or Chief Solano.
Decline of the Ranch (1846–1910)
The ranch's future changed during the war between the United States and Mexico (1846–1848). Lieutenant Colonel Vallejo was held captive because of his role in the Mexican military. While he was away, an American officer named John C. Frémont took many of the ranch's horses, cattle, and grain. Many of the Native American workers, who were the main workforce, left to avoid the soldiers. After this, the ranch became less valuable and less profitable each year.
In 1851, Vallejo asked the United States for payment for the animals and supplies taken by Fremont. He was paid $48,700 in 1855.
In 1856, the University of California thought about buying the ranch for a new campus. Around 1857, Vallejo sold the building and 1,600 acres to William Whiteside for $25,000. Whiteside then sold it to William Bliss. The southeast half of the adobe building started to fall apart. The Bliss family could not afford all the repairs.
Becoming a Historic Park
In 1910, a group called the Native Sons of the Golden West bought what was left of General Mariano G. Vallejo's large adobe ranch house. More than half of the building had been ruined by neglect and nature. In 1932, it was officially recognized as California State Historical Landmark #18.
After many years of hard work and raising money, the fully restored historic site was given to the State of California in 1951. In 1970, it was named a National Historic Landmark.
Today, the Rancho Petaluma Adobe is the main feature of Petaluma Adobe State Historic Park. About 80% of the adobe bricks are original. Most of the wood, however, has been replaced. You can still see part of the foundation of the half that fell apart. There is also a small museum and other exhibits to explore.
Locals often call it "Old Adobe."
Images for kids
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Rancho Petaluma Adobe, California
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Desk in the mayordomo's room at Petaluma Adobe
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A bust of General Vallejo at the park
