Venado, California facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Venado, California
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at the Healdsburg Museum
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Venado Post Office on Mill Creek Road
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 Venado, California
Location in California
Venado, California
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| County | Sonoma |
| Elevation | 1,102 ft (336 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-8 (Pacific (PST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-7 (PDT) |
| Area code(s) | 707 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1656386 |
Venado is a small, quiet place in Sonoma County, California. Its name means "venison" in Spanish. It's not a city, but an unincorporated community, which means it doesn't have its own local government. Venado is located about 12 miles west of Healdsburg.
This community once had its own post office from 1921 to 1941. Sadly, in 2020, Venado was badly hit by the Walbridge Fire. This fire was part of a much larger event called the LNU Lightning Complex fire. Many homes and buildings, including the old Venado Post Office and Daniels School, were destroyed.
Contents
History of Venado
The story of Venado began in the 1860s when the Gray family first settled here. The name "Venado" was chosen by Stillman Batchellor, who became the first postmaster. A post office opened on May 7, 1921. Mail was delivered three times a week: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. People living in the area had to provide their own mail sacks and a post or hook by the road for deliveries.
The first post office building burned down. A new one was built, which still stands today, though it's old and decaying. This building is on Mill Creek Road. The post office closed on November 15, 1941. Mail service then moved to Healdsburg, about 12 miles east.
Stillman Batchellor, the first postmaster, was a mining engineer. He moved to the area in the early 1900s and became a fruit grower. He owned a huge ranch, about 11,000 acres. He turned redwood forests into land for vineyards and prune orchards.
One-Room Schoolhouses
After 1863, California law encouraged building schoolhouses about three miles apart. This was because students traveled by horse and buggy. Many one-room schoolhouses were built near Healdsburg. By 1951, only five of these schools were still open.
Daniels School Story
Daniels School is over 120 years old. It's located on Mill Creek Road, about two miles east of where the Venado post office used to be. It's also about 10 miles west of Healdsburg.
Daniels was a small, one-room school, about 284 square feet. One female teacher taught students from first to eighth grade. The school closed in 1951 because there weren't enough students. The original school building is still standing. The Venado Historical Society plans to restore it. The school was first called Davis School. It was renamed Daniels School in 1907 when R. A. Daniels agreed to move it to its current spot.
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Daniels School - Venado's one room schoolhouse on Mill Creek Road
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Daniels School from Mill Creek Road
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foundation
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from side road
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inside back wall
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inside front wall
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girls outhouse
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girls outhouse
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Daniels school
Felta School History
Felta School was another one-room schoolhouse built in 1906. It closed on November 27, 1951, along with Daniels School and three others. Schools began to combine to offer more resources and be more efficient.
Today, Felta School has been fully restored. It's open to the public and can be used for educational programs. It's located about two miles south of Healdsburg, on Felta Road.
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An early photo of the teacher and students of the Felta School, c. 1910.
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The Felta School in 2011.
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Felta School classroom
Geography and Nature
Venado is located near Gray Creek. This creek starts high up on Vulture Ridge and flows into East Austin Creek. The area around Gray Creek is full of nature, including bay trees, horsetails, azaleas, ferns, wild grapes, oaks, and redwoods.
Gray Creek is about 4.8 miles long. It flows into East Austin Creek, which then flows into Austin Creek, then the Russian River, and finally the Pacific Ocean.
Rainfall in Venado
Venado is known for getting a lot of rain, especially compared to other places in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Mill Creek and Its History
Mill Creek got its name in the 1850s from March's Mill. William J. March and Samuel Heald started their sawmill and lumber mill along Mill Creek in September 1850.
Mill Creek starts high on Vulture Ridge. It flows for about 12 miles and joins Dry Creek. The area around Mill Creek is forested with tan oak, alder, bay, and redwoods. The northern spotted owl, a protected bird, lives in the Mill Creek watershed.
