*** 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 52--- ask. There is a post-office here, and it is near the line dividing Napa and Sonoma counties, in what is known, and marked on the map, as Knight's valley. DONAHUE. This place is located on Petaluma creek, about eight miles below the town of Petaluma. It is the present terminus of the San Francisco and North Pacific Railroad; the cars at this point connect with the swift and elegant steamer James M. Donahue for San Francisco. From Donahue to San Francisco, across the bay, the distance is twenty-five miles,--the steamer makes it in an hour and a-half. The town is called after Colonel James M. Donahue, the enterprising builder and principal owner of the railroad. Here the machine-shops of the company are located. The place has no importance other than is derived from the fact that the transfer of passengers and freight from cars to steamer, or visa versa, is here made. Within this year the railroad will be extended to a point on the west side of the bay, within half an hour's ferriage of San Francisco. In that event it is more than probably the cars will cross Petaluma creek over a draw-bridge, at or near the town of Donahue. There is a hotel, post-office, &c, at this place, and it is surrounded by rich farming and dairy country. The fine farm of J. R. Rose,--for many years president of the Sonoma and Marin Agricultural Society and a pioneer breeder of thorough-bred Devonshire cattle is situa- ted a few miles below Donahue. LAKEVILLE. This place is situated on Petaluma creek, a short distance above Donahue. Prior to the railroad era this was a landing-place, where the passengers for the valley of Sonoma were transferred to a regular stage-line for that point. The stage still runs to Lakeville, connecting with the regular morning and evening trains. From Petaluma creek at Lakeville to Sonoma valley, the distance is about seven miles over rolling hills. The town of Lakeville has no impor- tance except such as is given it as a point of transfer for freight and passen- gers from the San Francisco and North Pacific Railroad trains for Sonoma. The road from Lakeville over the mountain, between Petaluma and Sonoma creeks, passes the former Lake Tolay,--of which Padre Altimira, in his mis- sion-founding expedition in 1823, said: "We found on said hillock, a little further on, the large lake of Tolay,--so-called after the chief of the Indians, who in former times settled there. Its width at some parts is, with little difference, one hundred and fifty varas,*--at others two hundred varas, and at one point one-fourth of a league, which is also its length." This lake, from which Lakeville was named, was drained by its present owner (a utilitarian), and is now a potato patch. CITY OF PETALUMA. We have heard it asserted that the name Petaluma came from the Indian vernacular, meaning "duck ponds," and also that it was a compound word, ______________________________________________________________________ * A vara is thirty-three inches and one-third of an inch. *** end ***