Petaluma Adobe State Historic Park

Q: How old is the building? How much of the building is original?
A: It was started in 1836. About 80% of the bricks are original and 20% of the wood.
Q: What was this place?
A: The building served as the headquarters for General Vallejo's vast cattle rancho. It was about 66,000 acres (100 square miles) with 600-2,000 workers, 25,000 head of cattle, 3,000 sheep, and many crops.
Q: How much does it cost to visit the park?
A: The admission fee to visit the park is $2.00 for adults 17 and older, children 16 and under are free. The paid admission is also good, on the same day, at Sonoma State Historic Park (which includes the Barracks, Mission San Francisco Solano, and the General Vallejo Home) in Sonoma.
Q:What is the name of the tree at the end of the bridge?
A: California Buckeye, it is a native tree to this area
Q: What are the trees with dark pink flowers on them?
A: Redbud, another native tree to this area. Native Americans used the bark in basketry.
Q: What is the donkeys name? The horses name? The names of the sheep?
A: The donkey is Sophie and Sally is the horse. The sheep are: Luma, Mop-Top, Sol, Luna, and Matt.
Q: What is the roped off section by the trees?
A: The building formed a complete rectangle at one time. This is the last corner of the second half that disappeared with the rain.
Q: What kind of cactus is around the building?
A: Prickly Pear Cactus, used in hispanic culture for the fruits (tunas) and the pads (nopalitos). Also it was used in the rancho days as a living fence, before barbwire came to be.
Q: Why are the veranda walkways slanted?
A: To prevent the rain water from standing next to the walls, this would eventually "melt" the walls.
Q: What kinds of animals did they have here when it was a rancho?
A: Merino Sheep, Long horn Cattle, horses, chickens, pigs, cats, and dogs.
Q: What happened to this place?
A: There is a lot of information on this website and in the self-guided brochure that provide answers. However, the main causes were: The Bear Flag Revolt, the Gold Rush, and the American annexation of California all led to the demise of the rancho.
Q: Where did they get their water?
A: Adobe Creek, which was much wider and deeper and ran year round.
Q: Is there a graveyard here?
A: We do not know of any locations of a large burial ground in the park
Q: Why did General Vallejo pick this spot to build the headquarters?
A: Access to the water source of Adobe Creek, access to the Petaluma River (which is a slough) for ships coming up from San Francisco Bay to San Pablo Bay and then up the River, the high ground made it easy to see people approaching, and abundant grasses for grazing cattle.
Q: Where there slaves here?
A: NO. The definition of a slave is "property". The Native Americans, Hawaiians, Spanish, and Mexican people that worked here were not considered "property."
Q: How do I make a school tour reservation?
A: Click on the link to "Educational Programs" and you'll find out more information.

Petaluma Adobe State Historic Park

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