PETALUMA ADOBE STATE PARK

THIS HISTORIC PARK IS A FAVORITE FOR SCHOOL GROUPS LEARNING ABOUT THE HISTORY OF OUR STATE. PETALUMA ADOBE WAS BUILT BY PEOPLE WHO WORKED FOR GENERAL VALLEJO, A POWERFUL MAN IN THE MEXICAN PROVINCE OF CALIFORNIA FROM 1834 TO 1846. HIS RANCH INCLUDED CATTLE , SHEEP, AND HORSE RAISING. AND HE GREW NUMEROUS CROPS. THEY HAVE DECORATED ADOBE WITH AUTHENTIC FURNITURE AND EXHIBITS DEPICTING EARLY RANCHO LIFE. THE HUGE ADOBE BUILDING AND RANCH WAS THE LARGEST IN CALIFORNIA BETWEEN 1834 TO 1846. HE OWNED ONE OF THE PROSPEROUS ESTATES ESTABLISHED AROUND THE MEXICAN PERIOD.



IN 1996 AN ARCHAEOLOGIST, STEPHEN SILLIMAN, FROM U C BERKELEY RESEARCHED THE HISTORY OF THE PARK. HE LED A FULL SCALE PROJECT TO LOCATE AND STUDY NATIVE AMERICAN EVIDENCE HERE IN THE 1800'S THIS LAND GRANT INCLUDED 66,000 ACRES BETWEEN SONOMA CREEK AND PETALUMA RIVER. EVEN THOUGH IT WAS IT WAS OWNED AND OPERATED BY A MEXICAN CALIFORNIAN, THE KEY FEATURE OF THE RANCHO PETALUMA. WAS THE LARGE NUMBER OF CALIFORNIA INDIANS BROUGHT TO THE RANCH FOR LABOR. THE NATURE OF THEIR WORK AND THE COMPOSITION OF THEIR WORKFORCE HAS NEVER BEEN LOCATED IN WRITTEN HISTORY. THIS PROJECT USED A PEDESTRIAN AND GEOPHYSICAL SURVEY, AS WELL AS SHOVEL TESTED PROBES TO LOCATE EVIDENCE OF NATIVE AMERICAN WORKERS. THEY FOUND HISTORIC PERIOD MIDDEN REMAINS ON THE SURFACE AND NUMEROUS SUBSURFACE FEATURES. IN 1997 MORE WORK WAS DONE AND THEY SURFACE COLLECTED SOME UNITS IN THE MIDDEN AREA AND 2 TEST UNITS WERE DUG IN THE HIGHEST ARTIFACT COLLECTION OF THE MIDDEN. THE REMAINS WERE LARGE AMOUNTS OF ANIMAL BONES, OBSIDIAN FLAKES AND TOOLS, SHELLFISH, GLASS TRADE BEADS, SHELLS, AND GRINDING STONES, GLASS BOTTLE FRAGMENTS, CERAMIC SHERDS, AND AN ARRAY OF METAL ITEMS - BUTTONS, NAILS AND FLATWARE. THEIR EXCAVATIONS NEAR THE MIDDEN REVEALED 1 OF 2 BUILDINGS SHOWN ON A 1800 SURVEY MAP FOR THE RANCHO. ANOTHER FEATURE WAS A LARGE COBBLE COOKING FEATURE; TWO PITS OF BURNED BONE AND WOOD. FINALLY IN 1998 THE EXCAVATIONS WERE CONNECTED TO FORM A TRENCH AND ANOTHER WEALTH OF ARTIFACTS WERE LOCATED IN ORDER TO DEFINE THE NATURE AND ADOBE STRUCTURE. THEIR IS LITTLE HISTORICAL DOCUMENTATION REGARDING THE NATIVE AMERICANS WHO WORKED HERE. BASICALLY THE TEAM DISCOVERED THAT THE NATIVE AMERICANS USED SOME OF THEIR TRADITIONAL HUNTING AND GATHERING TECHNIQUES TO FEED THEMSELVES AND THEY WERE MORE OR LESS CONSIDERED SLAVES TO GENERAL VALLEJO. HE HAS PUBLISHED SOME PAPERS ON THIS EXCAVATION.

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