*** Source: Thompson, Robert A., Historical and descriptive sketch of Sonoma County, California. Philadelphia: L.H. Everts & Co., 1877, 122 pgs. Notice: This data is donated to the Public Domain by TAG, 2004, and may be copied freely by anyone to anywhere. *** ---page 46--- Ocean township--miles of road, 30; bridges, 14; cost, $4,050; culverts, 60; cost, $600. Salt Point township--miles of road, 44; bridges, 43; cost, $5,700; culverts, 72; cost, $575. Vallejo township--miles of road, 55; bridges, 10; cost, $3,000; culverts, 30; cost, $200. Washington township--miles of road, 11; bridges, 8; cost, $540; culverts, 14; cost, $104. Santa Rosa township--miles of road, 146; bridges, 115; cost, $32,850; cul- verts, 224; cost, $4,500. Recapitulation: Total number of miles of road, 832; number of bridges, 629; cost of bridges, $130,940; culverts, 1,524; cost, $18,422. Total cost of all bridges and culverts in the county, $149,783. Many of these bridges have been repeatedly washed away, and were repaired at a cost as great, or greater, than their present value; add to that the expense of grading, filling up, and making the road-bed for nearly two hundred miles, and some idea of the outlay on our highways may be formed. The roads each year improve; road-building goes constantly on, and will not be discontinued until every portion of the country is easily accessible. There are but two toll-roads in the county, and both are through its moun- tainous sections, and lead to the Geysers. These roads are not traveled to any extent except by those whose object is recreation, curiosity, or pleasure, and, as they are generally persons who can afford to pay, the burden of keeping the road to the Geysers in repair is very properly shifted to their shoulders. THE COURTS OF SONOMA COUNTY, FROM ITS ORGANIZATION TO 1877. The seventh judicial district, which included the county of Sonoma, was organized in 1850. The first district judge was Robert Hopkins; he was elected at the first session of the legislature, which convened in San Jose in 1850. Judge Hopkins held the first term of the court in the town of Sonoma, on the second day of September, 1850. He held the office of district judge until 1853, when he was succeeded by E.W. McKinstry, now one of the supreme judges of the State. Judge McKinstry served until 1862. After the November term of that year he resigned, and James B. Southard was appointed in his stead by Governor Stanford, for the unexpired term. Judge Southard served until the February term, 1870, when he was superceded by Judge W. C. Wallace, who had been elected the previous year. Judge Wallace served one full term and was re- elected in 1875, but the legislature of the winter of 1875-6 created the twenty- second district out of the counties of Sonoma, Marin and Mendocino. Judge Wallace still presides in the seventh district, and Judge Jackson Temple was appointed by Governor Irwin the first judge in the new district, and held the first term of his court in Sonoma county on the 2d day of May, 1876. *** end ***