Caption: "Wreck on the Vallejo Napa Line." Photograph showing some of the train cars involved in a June 19, 1913 accident in which two trains of the San Francisco, Napa Valley and Calistoga Railroad collided head-on approximately 2.4 miles north of Vallejo. Ten passengers and three railroad employees were killed, and twenty-eight others injured.
Caption: "Wreck on the Vallejo Napa Line." Photograph showing some of the train cars involved in a June 19, 1913 accident in which two trains of the San Francisco, Napa Valley and Calistoga Railroad collided
Caption: "Scenery Near Camp Meeker," c. 1906. Train crossing trestle at left side of photograph, with trees and other vegetation occupying most of the photograph's area. Camp Meeker, in Sonoma County north of San Francisco, is in the California Coast Ranges. Established by lumber baron Melvin Cyrus Meeker in 1866, by the turn of the twentieth century the area primarily served as a vacation and resort destination.
Caption: "Scenery Near Camp Meeker," c. 1906. Train crossing trestle at left side of photograph, with trees and other vegetation occupying most of the photograph's area. Camp Meeker, in Sonoma County north of
Caption: "In The Asti Vineyards - In Days Gone By," c. 1915, shows William and Grace McCarthy posing in front of a giant sculpture of a wine bottle at the Italian Swiss Colony winery, Asti Vineyards, in the Alexander Valley in Sonoma County.
Caption: "In The Asti Vineyards - In Days Gone By," c. 1915, shows William and Grace McCarthy posing in front of a giant sculpture of a wine bottle at the Italian Swiss Colony winery, Asti Vineyards, in the
Caption: "On Top of an Immense Wine Cistern," c. 1915, shows William and Grace McCarthy (on right) with three unidentified people, posing before an immense wine cistern at Asti Vineyards.
Caption: "On Top of an Immense Wine Cistern," c. 1915, shows William and Grace McCarthy (on right) with three unidentified people, posing before an immense wine cistern at Asti Vineyards.
Caption: "Highway - Cloverdale to Ukiah," c. 1915, shows a view of foothills and valley from an unidentified highway (likely U.S. 101) in Sonoma County.
Caption: "Highway - Cloverdale to Ukiah," c. 1915, shows a view of foothills and valley from an unidentified highway (likely U.S. 101) in Sonoma County.
Caption: "Bathers at Monte Rio," c. 1910-1913. Crowd of people on the Monte Rio beach along the Russian River, many wearing bathing suits while others are in suits and dresses. Monte Rio, north of San Francisco in Sonoma County, became a resort area in the early twentieth century, after the sawmills providing the area's primary industry closed down.
Caption: "Bathers at Monte Rio," c. 1910-1913. Crowd of people on the Monte Rio beach along the Russian River, many wearing bathing suits while others are in suits and dresses. Monte Rio, north of San Francisco
Caption: "Toll Gate -- St Helena Mountain.," c. 1920. Toll gate consists of a long wooden spar across the road, with a small building to the right. Grace McCarthy is standing next to an automobile at the gate. The St. Helena Toll Road, now part of California State Route 29, connected the Napa Valley with Lake County. It was built in 1868, and purchased by the State of California in 1925.
Caption: "Toll Gate -- St Helena Mountain.," c. 1920. Toll gate consists of a long wooden spar across the road, with a small building to the right. Grace McCarthy is standing next to an automobile at the gate.
Caption: "Joy Ride -- Skaggs Springs," c. 1914. William (standing in front to the right) and Grace (third from the left in the wagon) McCarthy and a group of unidentified people all holding bunches of grapes, either getting ready for or coming back from a ride in a horse-drawn wagon. Skaggs Springs was a resort area along the Russian River in Sonoma County, known for its hot springs. The area now lies beneath the waters of Lake Sonoma, flooded after construction of the Warm Springs Dam, completed in 1982.
Caption: "Joy Ride -- Skaggs Springs," c. 1914. William (standing in front to the right) and Grace (third from the left in the wagon) McCarthy and a group of unidentified people all holding bunches of grapes,
Caption: "Santa Rosa Court House.," c. 1914. Built in 1910, this building replaced the original Sonoma County courthouse that was destroyed by the great earthquake and fire that ravaged the San Francisco Bay Area in 1906. This second courthouse served the county for more than fifty years before being declared seismically unsafe in the 1960s. It was subsequently torn down, but the area still retains the name "Old Courthouse Square."
Caption: "Santa Rosa Court House.," c. 1914. Built in 1910, this building replaced the original Sonoma County courthouse that was destroyed by the great earthquake and fire that ravaged the San Francisco Bay
Unusual 20th century photos capture the woods and vines of Sonoma, Napa counties
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Long before today's urban dwellers spent Sundays sampling wines and weaving through redwood trees, there was William and Grace McCarthy.
The McCarthys, who were amateur but prolific photographers, spent the early 20th century exploring the California coastline, the state's natural landmarks, and the city of San Francisco, where they lived.
And like today's city residents, they took trips to Sonoma, Guerneville, Santa Rosa, Napa and Cloverdale, to sip wine, swim and visit friends.
A collection of photos given to the California Secretary of State Alex Padilla and digitized in late 2017 suggests that as much as the couple liked taking road trips to Yosemite and Lake Tahoe, they also liked paddling rowboats, posing with friends in front of large wine jugs, and snapping photos of picturesque Russian River overlooks.
The above photos were taken between 1910-20, though many appear to have been taken on the same trip in 1915.
See the above gallery for a look at the North Bay in the early 20th century.
