Articles

Fred Korematsu Day Honors Interned Americans

February 6, 2011

By Gerald Hill Last Sunday was officially “Fred Korematsu Day” in California. So who was Fred Korematsu, why should he be honored with a special day and why should anyone in Sonoma Valley care? The Japanese navy made a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii from the air and sea on December 7, 1941 [...]

Understanding Governor Jerry Brown of California

February 6, 2011

By Gerald Hill, Index-Tribune Historian January 15, 2011 From the time two years ago when Jerry Brown told us that he was going to run for Governor again, I was sure he would win. My first contact with him was in the summer of 1967 when Jerry telephoned me at my office in San Francisco, [...]

Understanding Gov. Brown

January 31, 2011

First of two parts From the time two years ago when Jerry Brown told us he was going to run for governor again, I was sure he would win. My first contact with him was in the summer of 1967 when Jerry telephoned me at my office in San Francisco because I was chairman of [...]

Krug-Bale marriage launches wine industry

January 3, 2011

A re-enactment of the most historically significant wedding of the Sonoma and Napa Valley wine world took place on Dec. 26, celebrating the marriage of Charles Krug and Caroline Soberanes, which occurred 150 years ago. The modern event, held Sunday, was hosted at the Charles Krug Winery in St. Helena, owned by generations of Mondavis. [...]

The Death and Rebirth of Sonoma

November 24, 2010

When the two incumbent City Council members Ken Brown and Steve Barbose, along with newly-elected Tom Rouse, are sworn in to office on Wednesday to join the city’s two female council members, Joanne Sanders and Laurie Gallian, the city government will be far different from that which existed in 1850 when California became a state, [...]

The Life, Death and Myth of Joaquin Murieta

November 12, 2010

A Cherokee Indian named Yellow Bird, who wrote under the name John Rollins Ridge, in 1854 wrote a book entitled The Life and Adventures of Joaquin Murieta, the Celebrated California Bandit. The first print run was 7,000 copies and it was illustrated by Charles C. Nahl, the noted California artist. Nahl had created the attractive [...]

Vallejo to London to Benziger

November 5, 2010

In the beginning there was just a sawmill built for General Mariano Vallejo on the creek in the early 1840s ten miles north of Sonoma. The little village of Glen Ellen was originally named for Ellen, the wife of Colonel Charles V. Stewart who planted Glen Ellen Vineyards in the lush vale in 1860. French [...]

Sonoma Index-Tribune – from Lynch mob to Lynch family

November 3, 2010

Twenty-five-year-old Harry Granice lay face down in the damp dirt, listening in the dark to the hoof beats of the horses carrying the mob of men who were out to kill him. Although desperately cold, he was thankful for the thick tule fog that kept him invisible to his enemies. He waited long minutes until [...]

Eccentric Dr. Edward Bale Wins by Losing

September 2, 2010

First of two parts Dr. Edward Turner Bale made a splash upon arrival in Mexican California in 1837 as one of the few who made it to shore when the British sailing ship “H.M.S. Harriett” was wrecked on the rocks entering Monterey Bay. Born in 1810, Bale came from a large but financially modest family. [...]

James Zellerbach, Industrialist, Diplomat, Vintner Honored as “Muse”

July 5, 2010

The Sonoma Community Center on Saturday, July 31, will honor its chosen annual “Muse,” a person who contributed to the culture of Sonoma Valley and the world and inspired others to do the same. This year’s honored Muse is the late James D. Zellerbach, founder of Hanzell Winery. The theme of the dinner is Roman [...]

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