Early Settlement (1) -- there is no doubt but that to Joaquin Carrillo belongs the honor of being the first settler in Analy township. He located and applied for a grant to the "Llano de Santa Rosa" rancho as early as 1844. In 1846 he built an adobe house on the western end of the rancho, within the present limits of the township, and near the present site of the town of Sebastopol. This was doubtless the first house ever built in the township. The remains of it are still standing.
The tidal wave of American emigration did not seem to strike this township until 1850. During that year quite a number of families settled in the northern end of it in what is now know as Green valley. Among those who settled there during that year may be mentioned. J. M. Hudspeth, P. McChristian, and Judge Josiah Morin. Farther south, in the neighborhood of the present site of Sebastopol, Otis Allen, James Delaney, M. Gillian, James M. Miller, John Walker, and Orlando Sowers settled also in 1850, while W. D. Canfield was the only settler in that year in what is known as Blucher valley. It was not until the next year that any one made any permanent settlement in Big valley, in the extreme south end of the township.
The very first man to pitch his tent upon a claim in that valley Wm. Abels. He was a man of family, and he and his estimable wife are still in the enjoyment of fine heath, and are residents of Santa Clara county. Their children and grandchildren are living in different parts of the State, and pint to the fact of first settlement in this section by their hardy ancestors with a just degree of pride. During the same year Elliot Coffer, Henry Hall, Wm Nutting, Robert Bailey, Geo. Woodson, G. W. Wolf, Edward F. Thurber, Mr. Larkin, W. P. Henshaw, L. D. Cockrill, Jacob McReynolds, Mr. Turtelot and Mr. McAllen came into this valley and settled. Nearly if not quit all of these men were unmarried, however, and did not prove to be permanent settlers.
Of these we are unable to find any trace at present, except Mr. Thurber, who is now a well-to-do fruit-raiser in Pleasant valley, Solano county. There settled in Blucher valley during 1851, Martin Reed, Dr. W. G. Lee, John White, Samuel Powers, Thos. Miller, Gideon Miller, John Rice, Geo. Campbell, and W. Easeley. We are unable to discover the names of any who settled in the vicinity of Sebastopol that year, but in Green valley we find that Jas. Greyson, John Marshall, Henry Marshall, Major Isaac Sullivan, and Mitchell Gilham became permanent settlers during 1851. Some time during this year Major Sullivan and Miss Polly Gilham linked their destinies together in the silken bonds of marriage. This was probably the pioneer marriage in the township, and a right royal jolly time was at the wedding.
In 1852, A. Stark, Robert Gordon, Wm. Jones, Wm. H. White, and a great many others came to Big valley; in fact, all the land was taken up during that year. Robert Gordon, Wm. Jones and Wm. H. White, however, are the only ones who are at present residing in the valley who came in that year. Robert Gordon, Wm. Jones and Wm. H. White, however, are the only ones who are at present residing in the valley who came in that year. During that year, A. T. Davidson, S. J. Smith, and D. Woodworth settled near Sebastopol. During this and the next year or two the settlement of the township was very rapid.
The settlers of those early days were very migratory in their habits, and but few of them remained more than a year or two. The title to the land was not very good, and many of them were merely squatters, so that when ordered off they had to go. In Blucher valley the only original settler there now is W. D. Canfield. He and his wife have remained there almost thirty years. They were pioneers in the fullest extent of the word, and they had seen the rough side of that kind of life for many years, enduring all manner of hardships, even to passing through an Indian massacre, he barely escaping to the woods with his life, having an Indian bullet in his body, which he carries there to this day, and she and her children being captives among a hostile tribe of savages...
In 1852 a post office was established at Miller & Walker's store, then located about one mile south of where Sebastopol now stands. The commission was issued February 20th, and James M. Miller was the Postmaster. The name of the office was Bodega, and it supplied all the section of the county lying west and north-west as far as the Valhalla River. (1)
Geography -- Analy township lies in the south central portion of Sonoma county. It is bounded on the north by portions of Redwood, Mendocino and Russian River townships, on the east by Santa Rosa and Petaluma townships, on the south by Marin county, and on the west by Bodega and Redwood townships. Its general outline, like that of every other township in California, is more the creature of circumstances and accident than of engineering skill. It has no streams passing through it of any importance. The Estero Americano is a swell stream flowing near its southern boundary. The Laguna de Santa Rosa traverses along its eastern side; Mark West creek skirts it on the north end; while Tusquadero creek rises on the eastern slope of the hills in the northern part of the township, and flowing through its entire length debouches into Mark West creek. It is said that the name of Analy was given to the township by Jasper O'Farrell in honor of his sister. The name is rather pretty at any rate, and we hope the story is true. (1)
Topography -- The topography of this township is as varied as that of any other in the county, but the changes are not so striking and prominent as in some others. In the southern portion of it the hills are not very high or steep, and are mostly all under a high state of cultivation. the valleys, such as Big and Blucher valleys and others, are broad and fertile. Farther to the northward the dividing lines run in the opposite direction, from north to south. Of this portion the western part of it is hilly and even mountainous, while the eastern part is a vast level plain. It is so level that the old Mexican grant was called "Llando de Santa Rosa" -- the "Plains of Santa Rosa." (1)
Soil -- The soil of almost the entire township is a sandy loam. There is no adobe in it, but there is some clay along the western sides. It is all very fertile and productive. This is especially so in the valleys. It is probable that there are no richer valleys in the State than those lying in this township. (1)
Products -- The principal product of this township and the principal export is potatoes. On every hand there are annually planted large and extensive fields of this vegetable, and the wonder is continually arising in the mind of a stranger, what can they do with all their potatoes. But these being of good quality find ready sale in the market, even when other varieties are scarcely saleable at all. All the cereals thrive well in all the farming sections of the township. Fruits and vegetables do extraordinarily well. Enormous quantities of fruits are grown here every year, also large quantities of grapes. The business of dairying is prosecuted quite extensively also, in all parts of the township. Taken altogether, it has probably as great a proportion of arable and productive land in it as any other in the county. (1)
Climate -- The climate of this township, especially the northern end of it, is far different from that of the coast townships. The range of mountains, lying along its western border breaks the fury of the ocean blast which sweeps up from the sea in a gale every afternoon during the summer season. The redwood forests on its crest also aid materially in effecting this change of climate by absorbing and condensing the fog with which the wind is laden. It is a well known fact that the leaves of the redwoods have the peculiar power of condensing the fog to such an extent that the ground around their roots is kept very moist. In fact, they have the capacity of self-irrigation. All this serves to make the climate of Analy township the most delightful and salubrious, being tempered by the sea breeze, shorn of its fury and its pernicious fogs. (1)
Schools -- The educational interests are well maintained in this township. There are in all ten school districts in it, as follows: Redwood, Green Valley, Oak Grove, Canfield, Mt. Vernon, Spring Hill, American Valley, Bloomfield, and Pleasant Hill. All the school buildings are neat, well furnished, and kept in excellent repair. A splendid corps of teachers are constantly employed, and the prospect is certainly bright for the educational advantages of the on-coming generations. (1)
The following towns were included in the Analy Township: Bloomfield, Forrestville and Sebastopol.
Sonoma County History: Freestone (article references Analy Township) . . . Link
From: Thomas Jefferson Gregory. History of Sonoma County, California, with biographical sketches of the leading men and women of the county, who have been identified with its growth and development from the early days to the present time online. (page 25 of 125) CHAPTER XXXVIII. . . . Link
West of Santa Rosa township and east of Bodega township lies Analy — the vine and orchard township of the county. Its northern side touches Redwood and Russian river townships, while its southern line is a boundary line of Petaluma township and Marin county. The southern portion contains the ranchos Canada de Pogolome and Blucher; this with the adjoining Bodega township on the west is the famous dairy and potato country, in the midst of which is the town of Bloomfield. The central part of Analy contains portions of the ranchos Llano de Santa Rosa and Canada de Jonive, while the northern portion contains a part of the El Molino grant.
If Sonoma township leads in the production of wine, Cloverdale in citrus fruits, Analy leads in much of everything else that grows and ripens on tree and vine. It is said that when Jasper O'Farrell, the noted surveyor, mapped off the counties, townships and ranchos of this section of the state, the only time that he turned to the family for a name is when he wrote 'Analy." for his sister Anna. It is a pretty name, well fitting the tract that it designates. With the exception of the district bordering Marin county and the sea, the entire township is a park and the portion around Sebastopol, Graton in Green valley, and Forestville, is a veritable "fruitland."
The Petaluma and Santa Rosa Railway enters Analy at its southeastern corner, near Stony Point, and extends to Forestville. This practically gives to the entire length of the township hourly electric trains. Where in all the state has there been a more complete fitting of the natural and the artificial than here. Its warm, sandy loam has no peer in productiveness and its harvest-possibility is anywhere within the vegetable kingdom. The inauguration of the suburban roads among the full-fruited orchards, vineyards and hop-yards, completed and perfected the settlement of this locality begun by Joaquin Carrillo at Sebastopol in 1846. The wooded hills of the coast range on the western border shield the eastern slope of the township from the sea gales howling down the Mendocino coast. The redwood belt along the Sonoma ocean shore for ages has been nature's wind-break, tempering the airs blowing across the Analy valleys.
In 1849-50, the period William Hood settled in the Los Guilicos, William Elliott on Mark West creek and Martin Hudson in Santa Rosa plain, the settlers began to come into what is now Green valley. J. M. Hudspeth, Patrick McChristian and James McChristian, Josiah Moran, Otis Allen, Joseph Morgan Miller, Olander Sowers and John Walker. The chief pioneer of Blucher valley was W. D. Canfield. Farther to the southwest, in Big valley, came William Abels, Elliot Coffer, Henry Hall, Robert Bailey. Horace Lamb, George Woodson, E. C. and W. P. Henshaw, Jacob McReynolds, Patrick Carroll and William Jones. Joaquin Carrillo after receiving his portion of the Llano de Santa Rosa rancho, built his adobe home on the laguna just east from Sebastopol, where the ruins of the ancient hacienda may be seen.
From: Thomas Jefferson Gregory. History of Sonoma County, California, with biographical sketches of the leading men and women of the county, who have been identified with its growth and development from the early days to the present time online. (page 25 of 125) . . . Link
The apple has ever been an object of keen interest to man. In history it is as old as he, in fact it is the fruit named as one of his earliest contemporaries. It was one of the properties provided when the stage was set for the first human drama — the play in which he was the star, and where the villain of the piece used the apple to the star's final undoing. It may not be gallant to make any reference, except with the utmost delicacy, to the star actress in that early-play so tragic to the human race. Possibly there are later Eves in the Analy Edens where the juicy Gravensteins grow, who might not be pleased at an allusion, though veiled, to their great ancestress.
However, a gallant Gold Ridge orchardist, and one who evidently knows, says if there is a combination calculated to tempt a modern Adam, it is a girl and a Gravenstein. That young, man truly was speaking along the lines of history, for the combination has worked fatally in several instances of the past. It was to loot the famous golden apple orchard of the Hesperides run by three beautiful sisters and guarded by dragons, that led Hercules into numerous difficulties. A woman and an apple brought about the fall of Troy when Venus in exchange for the fruit awarded Helen to the Trojan prince, Paris. This was a neat thought on the part of the love-goddess, but Helen happened to be the wife of another man — and a fighting man at that — and the tragedy wrought by that apple has been told in Homeric verse that will live through all the ages. Another fair Grecian, Atalanta, to rid herself of many suitors, agreed to marry the one who beat her in a foot race, but the losers should die. As she was the speediest of mortals, and was heartily weary of the whole bunch of lovers, she thought and hoped she had them going — gone. However, the young fellows, to their eternal credit, were not discouraged by the awful alternative, and entered for the contest. Atalanta picked up her dainty feet and led from the start, but she finally was beaten by a trick. One of the racers carried a bag of apples which fruit he scattered one by one ahead of the girl along the track. They must have been prize-winners — they were as they won a wife — for she halted to secure them as they rolled past her, and lost that Marathon and her chance of remaining all her life an Arcadian bachelor-maid.
Not only in mythology but in history, sacred and profane, in art, on marble and canvas has this graceful, glowing globe, the most nutritious and life-sustaining of all fruits, taken a leading place. It has gone into proverb, for the Wisest of Men has said, "a word fitly spoken is like apples of gold." To Jehovah, the monarch-minstrel of Israel swept his harpstrings and chanted. "keep me as the apple of the eye."
The apple is a native of southwestern Asia — not far from the supposed cradle of the human-race, and the scene of the Eden incident; and in the plant genera is third cousin to the rose, proving its aristocratic, even royal lineage. It is a sturdy, healthy subject of the vegetable kingdom, and while it demands a thermal soil for its roots, it just as strongly demands a temperate, shading to cold, atmosphere for its fruit. A resume of Analy township is a resume of the Analy apple — the noble fruit of an old-time day coming to its own again. The citrus and the grape are here taking advantage of the subtropical nooks and corners of the temperate zone. Even the potato is a native of South America, though Burbank made that tuber a far more edible food than it was when Pizarro landed in Peru to harvest the Inca. The apple tree is long-lived. Place that bit of vegetation in the hands of a horticulturist and it will be flourishing when he is among its roots.
The first orchard in Sonoma county is at Fort Ross, set out by the Russians shortly after their arrival there in 1812, and these trees have borne fruit through all the ruinous changes at that historical place. The pioneer orchards of Analy planted in 1850-1, are yet bearing. Among the oldest Gold Ridge growers are Alex. Caldwell, Isaiah Thomas, John Churchman, Major Sullivan, N. E. Gillman, Henry Marshall and James Gregson. The successors of these early groves are the twelve or fifteen hundred orchards of this locality. There are probably twelve or fourteen thousand acres of orchards in the county, running from sixty to seventy-five trees to the acre. Young trees, seedlings, cost about $15 each, land for planting $200 to $250 an acre. In seven to nine years the orchard begins to pay, and is worth from $700 to $1,500 an acre. Many orchardists economize in space and increase their harvest income by planting berry vines between the tree-rows. Apple prices range from $30 to $40 a ton delivered at the packing and drying houses in Sebastopol. It is estimated that fully one-half million boxes are packed yearly in Analy township, at a cost of twenty-five cents a box. The apple industry of this section is yet in the nursery stage, and no one can tell what it will be when all the rich sandy loam of these slopes and valleys is in orchard and the orchard is in fruitage.
. . . . . . .
This is the story of "Pine Grove" from the time Joaquin Carrillo reared his adobe dwelling on the shore of the Laguna, including the day Peter Hibbs was besieged in Dougherty's store and gave the town its Crimean war-title, up to its present place on the map. It has 1,500 people, two railroad systems, two banks, a big cannery employing 400 hands, six fruit packing houses, a large winery owned by the famous Italian-Swiss Colony of Asti, a $20,000 grammar school, two newspapers, — the Analy Standard and the Sebastopol Times — a pair of lively weeklies, that work for Analy. — city-owned water system, steam fire engine and other features that go to make a modern city.