*** 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 76--- Santa Rosa grew quite rapidly from 1854 up to 1859,--having that year, by actual count, two churches, and two resident preachers, nine lawyers, five doctors, one academy for two hundred and fifty pupils, two notaries, one news- paper, nine dry goods and grocery stores, one drug store, two hotels, two restaurants, two saloons, one saddler shop, one butcher shop, one shoemaker, one jeweler, one paint shop, one carriage shop, and three carpenter shops, one pump factory, two livery stables, one bakery, seventy-four residences, and a population of four hundred. In 1859 the firm of Wise and Goldfish commenced business, and have con- tinued together without a change of name, or any change in their firm, for nineteen years, a very unusual circumstance in business connections in this State. They moved out of the building, on the east side of the plaza, to Main street early in 1860, and on the 17th of March, Hendley & Farmer moved into the vacated store, and opened business. The business then commenced has continued, and is now represented by Riley, Hardin & Farmer,--C. C. Farmer being the junior member of the firm. Mr. George Hood has been continuously in the jewelry business for a very long time, and still has his store on Main Street. From 1859 to 1870 the town grew slowly. In the latter year it was credited with but nine hundred inhabitants, it had doubled its population in a decade. In 1872 the railroad was completed, the scene changed as if by magic, and in the short space of five years the town has increased from population of one thousand to six thousand. There are now twelve hundred houses--many of them substantial brick structures--the city limits include an area of a mile and a half square, and there is a rapid growth in wealth as well as in popula- tion. BRICK BUILDINGS. The most notable brick buildings, named in the order in which they were built, are: The Santa Rosa Bank building, on Exchange street, built in 1871-2; the recorder's office, on the corner of Exchange and Fourth streets, completed the same year; the I.O.O.F. hall, on the corner of Exchange and Third streets, built the same year; the Ridgeway block came next, and that was followed by the Grand Hotel building, on the corner of Third and Main streets. This fine structure was built by Neece & West, and is kept as a first-class hotel by Neece & Pooler. The block owned by Judge Overton, Morrow Brothers, and others, on Fourth street, was built about the same time. In 1874 Mrs. Spencer put up a block on Fourth street, Jerry Ridgeway a block on Third street, the Santa Rosa Savings bank their elegant building on Exchange street. The same year T. L. Thompson erected Sonoma Democratic building, on Exchange street, and General Parks the block on the corner of Fourth and B street. The Occidental hotel, on Fourth street, the largest and most costly building in the city, was completed in 1876. It is kept in first-class style by G. A. Tupper, and is one of the finest houses north of San Francisco. For want of space we must bring this branch of our subject to a close, without mentioning other buildings equally worthy of special notice. *** end ***