Napa Valley History

Napa History

At one time, the entire Napa Valley was home to Wappo Indians that shared the valley with panthers, elk, grizzly bears, and dear. This valley was their home and where the name Napa is derived. The word napa is of Native American derivation and has been translated as "grizzly bear," "house," "motherland" or "fish" according to the person you ask. They lived here undisturbed until 1823 when the first exploration of the valley was recorded. Padre Jose Altamira led the group of explorations into this lush and beautiful valley. He estimated that around 3,000 to 6,000 Wappo Indians called this area home at this time.

Farmers began to settle Napa Valley in the 1830’s, with the enchantment of the rich volcanic soil and the perfect growing season. In 1850, California was granted statehood. Napa Valley was in the Territory of California in the district of Sonoma. Counties were organized in California in 1850 and Napa became one of the original 27 counties of California. Napa City became the county seat for Napa Valley. "In 1848, Napa City was laid out by Nathan Coombs on property he acquired from Nicholas Higurerra's Rancho Entre-Napa, and 1836 Mexican Land Grant.”

The valley soon became the home of the white man. The white man brought diseases especially small pox into Napa Valley, which wiped out the Wappo Indians by 1870.

Napa became a prosperous county during the late 1850’s into the 1860’s. Quicksilver mines were found throughout the Napa Valley especially on Mt. St. Helena. There was transportation by boat on the Napa River where steamers could make the trip to San Francisco in around three hours. Silver and gold that was mined in the area could be taken to San Francisco and profit made in a much faster time than using trails that could take days with mules or horses loaded down with treasures of silver.

A railroad and stagecoach ran between Vallejo to the south and Calistoga at the northern end of the Valley. Cold weather and severe blizzards brought the miners down from the mountains seeking a warmer climate. There were many jobs available during this time for anyone that wished to work on ranches or in the lumber industry. Sawmills dotted the countryside where the lumber would be hauled by horse teams into Napa City where it would be loaded on boats and sent to Benicia and San Francisco.

Catholic missions in Sonoma and San Rafael gave many of the original farmer’s cuttings from their vineyards in order to grow wine grapes. Most of these cuttings were not the best for the better wines; however, they learned that the soils and the climate were great from viticulture. Riesling cuttings were planted in 1861. Today, Napa is known world wide for its premier wines.

Robert Louis Stevenson rode a train from Vallejo to Calistoga during his honeymoon in 1880 and he wrote in “The Silverado Squatters” this passage "A great variety of oaks stood now severally, now in a becoming grove, among the fields and vineyards. The towns were compact, in about equal proportions of bright, new wooden houses ad great and rowing forest trees; and the chapel bell on the engine sounded most festally that sunny Sunday, with the townsfolk trooping in their Sunday's best to see the strangers, with the sun sparkling on the clean houses, and great domes of foliage humming overhead in the breeze."

Other interesting facts and the history of Napa Valley include

*There are over 250 wineries in Napa Valley

* In the Napa Valley area there are million year old geysers, spas, and of course beautiful scenery to accompany these health advantages.

* The first white settler to stay in Napa Valley permanently was George C. Yount who was a farmer, a teamster and a trapper.

*Many explorers, trappers, miners have a history linked to Napa Valley including James Fremont that visited the area in 1844 but decided to move on.

*Yountville in Napa Valley was founded by Yount in 1855. He settled the area and lived here until his death. Yountville is home to The California Veterans Home and many unique and exquisite vineyards.

*The county of Napa is located north of the San Francisco Bay Area.

*The population of Napa County in 2000 was 124,279.

*Napa County rose in the first rank of wine regions along with France and Italy in the 1960’s.

*Napa’s wine country was the inspiration for the Tuscany Valley on the nighttime soap opera Falcon Crest.

Visiting Napa Valley you can learn more about its rich history in the wine industry by taking a tour of the many wine vineyards, historical societies, and tour companies throughout the entire area.