394 Transactions of the 



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THE RAILROAD SYSTEM. 



Wo have now given an imperfect description of the three great central 

 valleys of Sonoma County, extending from tide water to the northern 

 county line, separated from each other by an unapparent rise, forming 

 in fact a great valley fifty-five miles long, through the center of Sonoma 

 County. Eight miles below Petaluma, on the creek, is situated the Town 

 of Donahue. At this point there is sufficient water to admit the largest 

 river steamers which ply upon the Bay of San Francisco. The Town of 

 Donahue is the initial point of the San Francisco and North Pacific 

 Railroad. The steamer for Sonoma County leaves the wharf at San 

 Francisco at two o'clock p. m. every day, reaching Donahue at four 

 o'clock and fort}'-five minutes; distance about thirty-four miles. The 

 passengers and freight are transferred to the cars, which arrive in Peta- 

 luma at five o'clock and ten minutes; Santa Rosa, five o'clock and 

 fifty-three minutes; Healdsburg, six o'clock and thirty-seven minutes; 

 Cloverdale, the northern terminus, seven o'clock and twenty-five min- 

 utes. The time from San Francisco to the northern county line, passing 

 through each of the great valleys we have described, is about five 

 hours. Returning, the cars leave Cloverdale in the morning and the 

 steamer arrives in San Francisco at twelve M. A new and elegant 

 steamer is now building in San Francisco for this route, which will 

 materially shorten the trip across the bay. Eventually, by a further 

 extension of the railroad, the time will be shortened for the entire 

 route to about three and a half hours. From the above our proximity 

 to the great metropolis may be seen, and also our facilities for trans- 

 porting freight and passengers, which will soon be still further im- 

 proved. 



SONOMA VALLEY. 



We have given a descriptive account of three of the four great valleys 

 of Sonoma County, and of the railway which binds them together as one, 

 with a terminal point at tide water and another near the northern 

 boundary of the county. We now come to Sonoma Valley, from which 

 the county takes its name. It has marked peculiarities, differing from 

 the rest of the county and State, in climate and scenery, in soil and pro- 

 ductions. Those who have read the preceding description will under- 

 stand when we say that Sonoma Valley is separated from Petaluma 

 Valley and the plains of Santa Rosa on the east by a range. of hills 

 which rise from the marsh, on the bay shore, reaching, in a distance of 

 fifteen miles, an altitude of twenty-three hundred and six feet. From 

 the highest point the mountain slopes to the northward; one spur ter- 

 minates in the plain near Santa Rosa, twenty-five miles north of the bay; 

 another bears to the eastward and unites by a series of low hills with 

 the Napa mountains, forming the northern boundary of Sonoma Valley; 

 its western wall is the main mountain, its eastern the Napa Mountains. 

 On the south it has a frontage of about eight miles on San Pablo Bay. 

 A navigable estuary flows from the bay some miles inland. From the 

 peculiar conformation of the valley it is thoroughly sheltered. The 

 immediate sea breeze is turned by the high mountains on the west, and 

 the breeze from the bay passes south of the Sonoma tide lands. The 

 climate is semi-tropical. The soil and scenery, volcanic in nature and 

 appearance, is said to resemble the great wine-producing sections of 



