*** 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 7--- Sulphur creek, on which the Geyser springs are located, rises to the Mayacmas mountains, and flow northerly into Russian river above the town of Cloverdale. Mark West creek rises in a lofty spur of the Mayacmas range between Napa and Sonoma valleys, flowing west across the plains into Russian river. Santa Rosa creek rises in the same mountain, and flow across the Santa Rosa valley, parallel with and four miles south of Mark West creek, and empties into a series of lakes, which, in high water, overflow into Russian river. Sonoma creek rises in the same range, and flow southerly through Sonoma valley into San Pablo bay. The Valhalla, awkwardly spelled Gualala, is a stream on the western border of the county, flowing due north, and parallel with the coast, just inside a range of hills which rise up from the shore of the ocean. After a straight north course for almost twenty-five miles, it turns and empties into the ocean. There was never a stream so well named; great red-wood trees shade its limpid waters, the favorite haunt of the salmon and the trout; the hills are full of game, deer, elk and bear--and if ever there was a place where the "bear roasted every morning became whole at night," it was true, figuratively speaking, of our Sonoma Valhalla,--for the camp on its margin was never without its haunch of venison or creel of trout. May the fellow who tortured the name by trying to Peruvianize it, never taste the joy of the real Valhalla. The course of these streams can be marked by referring to the map. We will say, in passing, that the land along the water courses described, and for some distance from them, is a rich alluvial of unsurpassed fertility. MEANS OF ACCESS. Sonoma county being, as we said elsewhere, off the great line of travel, some special reference to if means of access may not be out of place. The San Francisco and North Pacific Railroad runs through the great Central valley, starting from Cloverdale, its northern terminus, pairing the principal towns, and terminating at a point on Petaluma creek, where it connects with a fast steamer for San Francisco. The whole time occupied from the northern limit of Sonoma to San Francisco is about four hours. An extension of the road is now building through Marin county to a point on the bay not more than six miles from San Francisco, which will shorten the time of travel nearly one-half, to about two hour from Santa Rosa, and one hour and a half from Petaluma. Another railroad enters the western section of the county from Marin, the San Francisco and North Pacific Coast Railroad. This a narrow-gauge road running into the coast lumber region, to which we have referred. Daily trips are made by this route to and from San Francisco. A steamer runs direct from San Francisco to Sonoma valley, where it connects with a prismoidal or one-rail railway for the town of Sonoma. In addition to the facilities of travel given, there are a number of small sailing vessels which ply back and forth between San Francisco and Petaluma. *** end ***