At the time of its incorporation as a city on July 16, 1963, Cotati already had a rich historical heritage.
Since
before the birth of Christ, the fertile valley had been home of Coastal
Miwoks, a clan of Native Americans who lived well on the nuts, grains
and tubers, berries, fish and game that abounded in this temperate
climate. The Indian name of their village, Kota'ti, produced the legend
of Chief Cotati, whose visage is featured in the city's logo.
In
1827 the Kota'ti got an unwelcome look at their future when John Thomas
Reed, a young Irish immigrant, came into their valley, built a cabin
near Crane Creek and planted wheat. The native villagers, usually a
peaceful group, resented this intrusion into their territory, swooped
down from the hills and burnt the cabin and fields. John Reed retreated
to Marin County and subsequently became a prosperous mill owner. But the
Kota'ti were not to enjoy their placid lifestyle much longer.
In
1837 the Mexican government established a system of land grants,
including the 17,234-acre Rancho Cotate, which encompassed what is now
Cotati, Rohnert Park and Penngrove. At that time the Sonoma County
region marked the northernmost frontier of Mexican territory. The
Mexican government was anxious to establish its hold on the area, since
it was being eyed for takeover by several nations. Rancho Cotate was
first awarded to Capt. Juan Castenada, but he was unable to hold onto
the land grant, and within a few years it was purchased by the
California land-baron Thomas Larkin. In 1846 the Bear Flag Rebellion
succeeded in displacing the Mexican domination of the region. The Bear
Flaggers were primarily Anglo-Americans who did not want to sit by and
wait for the British, French or Russian to wrest the lands from Mexican
control. The original papers deeding the Rancho Cotate were lost in the
takeover of the Sonoma fort.
Larkin subsequently sold the Rancho to Joseph Ruckle, who sold it to Dr. Thomas Page
in 1849. It is Dr. Page and his family who must occupy center stage in
any treatment of Cotati's past because of the length of time that they
controlled the lands (1849-1929), and because of the indelible imprint
they left upon the very shape of the town.
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Thomas
Stokes Page was born in 1815 in New Jersey, and graduated at 21 from
the University of Pennsylvania medical school. Anxious to see the world
and seek his fortune, Page wasted no time in boarding a cruise ship
bound for Europe and then South America. For reasons that are not clear,
he wound up settling in Valparaiso, Chile, establishing himself as a
family man and physician. In Valparaiso he became friendly with the
Atherton family, who convinced him to find an estate for himself in
Northern California. To this end they introduced him to a Mr. Grogan,
who acted as agent.
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Dr. Thomas Stokes Page |
Although Page purchased Rancho Cotate in 1849,
it would be another seven years until he received clear title to the
land since the original deed had been lost. For nearly 80 years after
that, the Page family controlled most of what was called Cotati Valley, the area covering the southern end of the Santa Rosa plain.
Dr.
Page and most of the family members actually spent very little time
living on the ranch. Two of the seven Page sons developed the land into a
cattle and sheep concern, and until the early 1890's it remained
largely unchanged. During these years, the two roads that connected
Santa Rosa and Petaluma traversed the east and west boundaries of the
ranch. The area was subject to annual flooding and much of the land
remained marshlike the year round. This is why the two roads that were
built avoided the most direct route, which is where today's Old Redwood Highway runs. What is now called Petaluma Hill Road
was called simply The Hill Road, attesting to the fact that it was the
high road to and from Santa Rosa. The road into and out of the Page
ranch came off the "West Road," past the Washoe House (built in 1839).
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