Week 2: Project 2A

 Fitch Mountain

Sonoma County is one of the most desirable places in the United States to live. I feel proud that I can say I am from Sonoma County whenever anybody asks me where I live, but I am even prouder to tell people that my seventh great grandfather, Henry Delano Fitch, was one of the first white men to lay claim to California, especially San Diego and Healdsburg, California. Around 1825, Captain Henry Delano Fitch played a huge role in commerce, trading, ad settling land in California. His first voyage was to San Diego, California. His journey was not without difficulty, but with his strong personality and persistent character, he amassed an empire, and thus Henry Delano Fitch was called one of the founding fathers of California. Humanities teach us about the study of societies, cultures, and families. I felt it most important to study where my family came from and how we ended up in Northern California; I was amazed to learn my family’s cultural background and learn that I am a descendant of one of the founding fathers of California.

Many may not understand why I choose Fitch Mountain and what the significance of a mountain located in Healdsburg, California has to do with California History until I tell them that my seventh great grandfather, Henry Delano Fitch, was the owner of Fitch Mountain. Henry Delano Fitch owned 48,000 acres of land grants in Sonoma County stretching from Healdsburg, Windsor, Santa Rosa, and Kenwood. Fitch Mountain was at one time my seventh grandfather’s mountain where he planned to build his home and live with his bride, Josefa Carrillo. “The Russians built Fort Ross on the coast, and the Mexican government established the vast 48,000-acre Rancho Sotoyome. This enormous land grant was awarded to sea captain Henry Delano Fitch in 1841. Fitch promptly hired trapper Cyrus Alexander to manage his bountiful rancho (the magnificent Alexander Valley is named for this early tenant)” (www.virtualcities). He also owned land in San Francisco where the Presidio now sits; he owned land in Los Angeles where even a street today is named after him, and he owned most of San Diego. When he arrived in California from back East, he started one of the first shipping lines where he would sail from Chile and Argentina bringing silk, teas, spices, and jewels from these foreign lands and dock his boat in San Diego where he allowed people to board his ship and buy his goods. It was aboard this ship that he met my seventh grandmother, Josefa Carrillo. There love story is said to be one of the greatest love stories of the time. All the research I have done on my family history, validates their great love, and one can read more about this story on Assignment 1C. Fitch Mountain is located about 65 miles north of San Francisco, California, in Healdsburg, California. There is even a street in Healdsburg named after my grandfather called Fitch Street, which runs adjacent to the Healdsburg Square.

When I was younger, I had the unique opportunity to ride in an open-air jeep with my family to the top of Fitch Mountain, so as my guest, buckle your seat belt and take the ride with me….The jeep begins to move up a smoothly paved road that begins to turn into a bumpy dirt road. One can feel the wind in his or her hair and the sun and shadows playing tag within the bushes and large trees that beckon to the visitors by waving their lovely branches in a welcoming fashion. As we spiral our way around the mountain, one can look at the beautiful foliage and tall trees that have lived and thrived peacefully on this mountain. As I ride, I wonder if my grandfather rode horseback to the top of this mountain, cutting his own path. Today, there are homes that sit proudly perched alongside giant trees that seem to hold the mystery of many visitors. I wonder if my grandfather, Henry Delano Fitch, felt as free as I did the day I rode to the top of his mountain.

Atop Fitch Mountain one can see almost a 360 degree view of Sonoma County; one can see Alexander Valley, the Russian River, and most all of Healdsburg’s spectacular wine country. On a clear day, the views are endless. Henry Delano Fitch looked at this same view. He must have felt a great sense of pride, for I knew on this day that I did. When we arrived at the top, my family and I took pictures and ate a picnic lunch. I remember when the lady who owned the mountain was going to sell it; she called my parents and asked them if they wanted to buy the mountain. Unfortunately, my parents did not have that kind of money, so my mom suggested she donate the mountain to the National Parks so it could be preserved forever, and everyone could enjoy it. This reminded me of something Paulo Freire would do. He would allow everyone to enjoy the beauty and freedom that life has to offer. As I ate my lunch, I thought about how historic this mountain was, and I could feel that same sense of pride deep within me. The light breeze and soft sunshine warmed me. I looked off in the distance and thought how much everyone could enjoy such a day. If you ever have the time, take a bike ride, hike, or drive to the top of Fitch Mountain. I wonder if you will feel like the explorer that my grandfather was. Henry Delano Fitch had planned to build a large home and live out the rest of his days with his wife, Josefa Carrillo, and their ten children, atop Fitch Mountain, but he continued to explore and purchase land in Sacramento when Gold Rush fever broke out, and he contracted an illness from all the people fleeing to Sacramento to pan for gold. This illness eventually took his life.

I knew he also had many guests to his mountain; one of those guests was General Vallejo. General Vallejo met and married Josepha’s sister, which made General Vallejo my great uncle. Do you think General Vallejo and Josefa’s sister met atop of this mountain on a warm summer day? If you are ever in Healdsburg or traveling north on Highway 101, look to your left and you will see a beautiful vast mountain and a huge part of my culture and history. I am extremely proud to be such a huge part of Sonoma County History.

http://www.virtualcities.com/ons/ca/r/as/cara8a15.htm

 

The Carrillo Adobe

 I also wanted to mention, since humanities is the study of the human condition, focusing on humans, families and societies, I felt it was just as important to add that Josefa Carrillo’s mother, who would be my eighth great grandmother, started the first trading post in Northern California.” In 1837 Dona Carrillo and nine of her children traveled by pack mule and ox cart to the Rancho Cabeza de Santa Rosa, at the site of the present city of Santa Rosa” (www.ourhealdsburg).  She drove an ox cart filled with her nine children all the way from San Diego, California to what is now known as Montgomery Drive in Santa Rosa, California. You will see the Carrillo Adobe set back a short way from Montgomery Drive and next to St. Eugene’s Cathedral and School on the left hand side of Montgomery Drive. That is where the first trading post in Northern California began. I felt completely honored to attend St. Eugene’s Elementary School and know that my eighth great grandmother worked and my seventh great grandmother played on the same exact soil. If one were to see the Carrillo Adobe today, he or she would only see the remains of a stone foundation. The Carrillo Adobe is fenced off to preserve what remains today as the first trading post in Northern California. When I think of how brave my grandmother must have been to bring all nine of her children in an ox cart and make such a journey from San Diego, California, without a man to accompany her, I feel proud. Could you ever think of making such a journey today?

http://www.ourhealdsburg.com/history/fitch.htm