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Petaluma Adobe State Historic Park was the main residence of Rancho Petaluma, the agricultural empire that General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo one of the most powerful men in the Mexican Province of California from 1834 to 1846.
Vallejo ran his cattle, hide and tallow business, raised sheep, bred horses, and grew numerous crops. The adobe contains authentic furniture and exhibits depicting early rancho life.
The huge adobe building, the largest private rancho in California between 1834 and 1846, was the center of activity on one of the most prosperous private estates established during the Mexican period.
The park has shaded picnic areas with views of farmland and oak-studded hills.
Park News Alert
Service Reductions are in place at this park, as follows:
Open: Tuesday & Wednesday
Closed: Thursday - Monday
Closed: Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day Holidays
Service Reductions are in place at this park, as follows:
Open: Tuesday & Wednesday
Closed: Thursday - Monday
Closed: Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day Holidays
Getting There
A 20 minute drive from Sonoma. The park is at the east edge of Petaluma, off Highway 116 and Adobe Road.
A 20 minute drive from Sonoma. The park is at the east edge of Petaluma, off Highway 116 and Adobe Road.
Climate/Recommended Clothing
The weather can be changeable; layered clothing is recommended.
The weather can be changeable; layered clothing is recommended.
Operating Hours & Contact
Please call the park for hours of operation.
Telephone: 707-762-4871
Please call the park for hours of operation.
Telephone: 707-762-4871
History
Native People
The Coast Miwok lived in the resource-rich Petaluma River Valley centuries before European incursions. Village communities sheltered in places near fresh water. The abundant tule rushes along waterways provided ample materials for constructing dwellings and boats. Wildlife, including rabbits, quail and deer, kept the Coast Miwok supplied with meat, fur and tools. Seasonally the women harvested acorns, buckeye, fruits and kelp. The ocean provided the Coast Miwok with a year-round food supply. They used nets, hooks and traps to catch freshwater and marine fish, and the women gathered crabs, clams, oysters, abalone and mussels in the tidal zones. Craftsmen transformed the cleaned shells into beautiful ornaments and into strings of beads (dentalium) used as major trade items.
European Contact
The establishment of missions San Francisco de Asís in 1776, San José in 1797, San Rafael in 1817, and San Francisco Solano in 1823 quickly disrupted the traditional life ways of the Coast Miwok. Villages emptied as the natives were brought into the missions to work as laborers and craftspeople.
Following its separation from Spain, the Mexican government began to secularize the missions into parish churches. The vast mission holdings were divided and sold as land grants. In 1834 Governor José Figueroa ordered Lieutenant Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo, commandant of the San Francisco presidio, to secularize Mission San Francisco Solano and to start a pueblo at Sonoma north of San Francisco Bay. Mexico increased its presence in northern California to address the threat posed by the Russian outpost at Fort Ross. Vallejo was promoted to Commandant General and received a land grant of 44,000 acres (later supplemented with another 22,000 acres), which he named Rancho de Petaluma.
Rancho de Petaluma
Vallejo selected a site on a knoll adjacent to Adobe Creek, with an excellent water supply, gentle climate and rich soil. In April 1836 building construction began, using adobe bricks and hand hewn redwood planks. Some walls were plastered and whitewashed; the wide, covered second story veranda protected the adobe walls from the weather. The eastern wing of the complex was never fully completed. The portion of the building remaining today was part of a larger complex forming a quadrangle around a central courtyard. The adobe complex housed a variety of processing and manufacturing operations with storage and living space for visiting members of the Vallejo family. Ranch managers lived on the second floor.
General Vallejo relied on goods and crops produced at the rancho to help support his military command. The rancho’s main income came from the hide and tallow (rendered fat) trade. Cowhides were so common an exchange item that they were called “California bank notes.” Hides were a valuable source for leather goods and machinery belting, while tallow was used to make soap, candles, leather dressing and lubricants. Rancheros traded the tallow and hides with merchant ships plying the coast of California in exchange for manufactured goods not available in California.
Rancho de Petaluma needed a large workforce to tend the vast herds of livestock, to labor in the fields, and to manufacture goods. Vallejo employed hundreds of Indian laborers who lived on the rancho and worked at the trades learned at Mission San Francisco Solano. Harvested crops of grains and vegetables were stockpiled in large storerooms for food and trade. Blankets and carpets were loomed out of coarse wool. The blacksmith supplied tools and metal items necessary for ranch and military operations.
The Bear Flag Revolt
An American group effort to seize control of Mexican California during the “Bear Flag Revolt” ended Rancho de Petaluma’s prosperity. In June 1846 Vallejo was arrested at his home and taken to the Sacramento compound of Swiss immigrant John A. Sutter. During Vallejo’s imprisonment, John C. Frémont and his soldiers stripped the rancho of all valuables. When the political turmoil had subsided and his legal title to the rancho had been accepted by the U.S. Government, Vallejo leased it to a group of French colonists. Financial and legal problems, as well as squatters on his land, finally forced General Vallejo to sell Rancho de Petaluma, also known as Petaluma Adobe, in 1857. As it passed through the hands of succeeding owners, the adobe complex fell into disrepair.
Petaluma Adobe Today
In 1910 the Petaluma Chapter of the Native Sons of the Golden West purchased the portion of the Petaluma Adobe that had not succumbed to neglect and the forces of nature. In 1951 the State of California acquired the property. Archaeological excavations and research have unearthed details on construction of the rancho buildings and daily life as well as the Miwok, Wappo, Wintun, Pomo, Spanish and Mexican inhabitants. Learn their stories in the restored and furnished rooms of Petaluma Adobe State Historic Park.
Native People
The Coast Miwok lived in the resource-rich Petaluma River Valley centuries before European incursions. Village communities sheltered in places near fresh water. The abundant tule rushes along waterways provided ample materials for constructing dwellings and boats. Wildlife, including rabbits, quail and deer, kept the Coast Miwok supplied with meat, fur and tools. Seasonally the women harvested acorns, buckeye, fruits and kelp. The ocean provided the Coast Miwok with a year-round food supply. They used nets, hooks and traps to catch freshwater and marine fish, and the women gathered crabs, clams, oysters, abalone and mussels in the tidal zones. Craftsmen transformed the cleaned shells into beautiful ornaments and into strings of beads (dentalium) used as major trade items.
European Contact
The establishment of missions San Francisco de Asís in 1776, San José in 1797, San Rafael in 1817, and San Francisco Solano in 1823 quickly disrupted the traditional life ways of the Coast Miwok. Villages emptied as the natives were brought into the missions to work as laborers and craftspeople.
Following its separation from Spain, the Mexican government began to secularize the missions into parish churches. The vast mission holdings were divided and sold as land grants. In 1834 Governor José Figueroa ordered Lieutenant Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo, commandant of the San Francisco presidio, to secularize Mission San Francisco Solano and to start a pueblo at Sonoma north of San Francisco Bay. Mexico increased its presence in northern California to address the threat posed by the Russian outpost at Fort Ross. Vallejo was promoted to Commandant General and received a land grant of 44,000 acres (later supplemented with another 22,000 acres), which he named Rancho de Petaluma.
Rancho de Petaluma
Vallejo selected a site on a knoll adjacent to Adobe Creek, with an excellent water supply, gentle climate and rich soil. In April 1836 building construction began, using adobe bricks and hand hewn redwood planks. Some walls were plastered and whitewashed; the wide, covered second story veranda protected the adobe walls from the weather. The eastern wing of the complex was never fully completed. The portion of the building remaining today was part of a larger complex forming a quadrangle around a central courtyard. The adobe complex housed a variety of processing and manufacturing operations with storage and living space for visiting members of the Vallejo family. Ranch managers lived on the second floor.
General Vallejo relied on goods and crops produced at the rancho to help support his military command. The rancho’s main income came from the hide and tallow (rendered fat) trade. Cowhides were so common an exchange item that they were called “California bank notes.” Hides were a valuable source for leather goods and machinery belting, while tallow was used to make soap, candles, leather dressing and lubricants. Rancheros traded the tallow and hides with merchant ships plying the coast of California in exchange for manufactured goods not available in California.
Rancho de Petaluma needed a large workforce to tend the vast herds of livestock, to labor in the fields, and to manufacture goods. Vallejo employed hundreds of Indian laborers who lived on the rancho and worked at the trades learned at Mission San Francisco Solano. Harvested crops of grains and vegetables were stockpiled in large storerooms for food and trade. Blankets and carpets were loomed out of coarse wool. The blacksmith supplied tools and metal items necessary for ranch and military operations.
The Bear Flag Revolt
An American group effort to seize control of Mexican California during the “Bear Flag Revolt” ended Rancho de Petaluma’s prosperity. In June 1846 Vallejo was arrested at his home and taken to the Sacramento compound of Swiss immigrant John A. Sutter. During Vallejo’s imprisonment, John C. Frémont and his soldiers stripped the rancho of all valuables. When the political turmoil had subsided and his legal title to the rancho had been accepted by the U.S. Government, Vallejo leased it to a group of French colonists. Financial and legal problems, as well as squatters on his land, finally forced General Vallejo to sell Rancho de Petaluma, also known as Petaluma Adobe, in 1857. As it passed through the hands of succeeding owners, the adobe complex fell into disrepair.
Petaluma Adobe Today
In 1910 the Petaluma Chapter of the Native Sons of the Golden West purchased the portion of the Petaluma Adobe that had not succumbed to neglect and the forces of nature. In 1951 the State of California acquired the property. Archaeological excavations and research have unearthed details on construction of the rancho buildings and daily life as well as the Miwok, Wappo, Wintun, Pomo, Spanish and Mexican inhabitants. Learn their stories in the restored and furnished rooms of Petaluma Adobe State Historic Park.
Accessible Features
The lower exhibit areas of this historic adobe may be usable but will present some challenges for wheelchair users or others with mobility difficulties. Exhibits are housed in various adobe rooms with dirt floors that may be uneven and/or soft. Paths of travel within the site are also over dirt. Entry thresholds to various rooms may be up to two inches high. Security barriers are up to 41" high and may interfere with lines of sight for seated persons or those of short stature. Equipment displays in courtyard are generally surrounded by dirt that is firm in dry weather. An audio program and script are available.
Restroom: A generally accessible chemical toilet is located at the nearby picnic area.
Parking: Designated accessible parking is available, but it is about 750 feet from the lot to the exhibits. The path of travel is paved but presents occasional tread obstacles (roots) up to two inches high.
Be the first to add a trip in this destination!The lower exhibit areas of this historic adobe may be usable but will present some challenges for wheelchair users or others with mobility difficulties. Exhibits are housed in various adobe rooms with dirt floors that may be uneven and/or soft. Paths of travel within the site are also over dirt. Entry thresholds to various rooms may be up to two inches high. Security barriers are up to 41" high and may interfere with lines of sight for seated persons or those of short stature. Equipment displays in courtyard are generally surrounded by dirt that is firm in dry weather. An audio program and script are available.
Restroom: A generally accessible chemical toilet is located at the nearby picnic area.
Parking: Designated accessible parking is available, but it is about 750 feet from the lot to the exhibits. The path of travel is paved but presents occasional tread obstacles (roots) up to two inches high.
Nearby Community Trips
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Petaluma, California, United States
22.6 miles
22.6 miles
