Cloverdale Union High School - Spectator Yearbook (Cloverdale, CA)

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lias sheltered many a camper who, after a night spent under its wide spreading boughs, woke with the determination to roam no farther. And so, little by little, the valley was populated; soon fields of grain covered the land, fine stock was raised for the market and later vine¬ yards and orchards were planted. All this land was originally a Spanish grant called the Muscalon. It was bought by Mr. Markel and then the name Markelville was given to the community. In 1858 Mr. Kleiser bought from Mr. Markel eight hundred acres, stretching from the Russian River on the east to the foothills on the west and from Heald’s Hill on the north to the present city limits on the south. This became the site of the town. The first farm house was located where now stands the beautiful home of Dr. Elwood Mead. Later Markel’s Inn was built on Main Street. This house is now known as the Field place. The first store was a little harness shop. Where Dineen’s Pharmacy now is, was lo¬ cated the first grocery store. It soon became evident that a new town was to grow up here, so Mr. Kleiser had the land surveyed. Lots were sold at a nominal price and settlers came rapidly. Near the north end of the town was a beautiful little grove. This was given for a school site. It is those same trees which now make our grounds one of the most beautiful in the state. Here a little one room building was put up. Soon another room was added, but the town grew so fast it was not long until it was necessary to have several rooms. The patriotic cititens made cash contributions to a fund which was sufficiently large to erect the building which served us for school pur¬ poses until within the last few years. During all this time the mail had to come from Healdsburg. This was very inconvenient, so the citizens decided to petition the govern¬ ment for a postoffice. Then came the question of a name. Several pio- neerss claim the credit for having suggested the one that was chosen, and really, we can easily understand how it may originally have occur¬ red to many of them at the same time, when we remember that the lux¬ uriant growth of clover reached in many cases to the flanks of the horses, as the farmers drove them back and forth to work. No wonder that Cloverdale seem to them a most appropriate name for the little valley town. Then in 1872 came the railroad. Cloverdale was its terminus for years. This made it also the starting point for several stage lines. Traf-

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■ We have decided this year to.devote our Literary Department to one phase of our English work which we have found very interest¬ ing—stories of the early times in Cloverdale. It has been a delightful task to gather these anecdotes and this history. The only regret is that the few pages allotted to us can contain so small a part of what we would like to tell you. We have in most cases selected those events which are not purely local but which have some bearing upon the his¬ tory of the surrounding country. We feel that the doing of this work has helped us to arouse in us the spirit of Patriotism which begins at home but which deepens and expands until it embraces the State, the Nation and the World. THE EARLY DAYS Sometime in the late fifties of the past century an adventurous young man from Missouri was making his way up the Russian River. He reached a little valley bordered on the east and on the west by hills which met and closed in on the north. He was much attracted to it as we saw it nestled there so peacefully under the rays of the setting sun, which touched it with a fond caress. ' On the hills, and scattered about in graceful little groves in the valley, were oaks, madrones and pepperwood trees. Bears and other wild animals were roaming about enjoying their evening meal of clover burrs. Only a few small spots had been cleared for farms. As he spread his bed for the night, he sincerely wished that this beautiful spot might have been his destina¬ tion. • That was not his good fortune, and yet kind fate so arranged it that his grandchildren and his great grandchildren should have the privilege of living there. Other travelers came and many of them were so impressed by the charm of this little place that they returned very soon to make it their home. The large pepperwood tree still standing on West street,

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fic brought prosperity. New stores of all kinds were started to sup¬ ply the wants of the people. And so the town grew to the size that we now see, always retaining the nature of a community of friends—the characteristic which was so marked in its early days. In the following pages you will find a few anecdotes and some of the events of Cloverdale’s early history. These must of necessity be brief and few. We can say nothing of the barn dances and the corn huskinffs. and sinking schools and the quilting bees, where old and young found amusement and recreation. At these and other social Catherines was nurtured the feeling of good fellowship and friendli¬ ness which makes Cloverdale a name loved by all who have ever made it their home. —Z. B. THE BEST THING IN CLOVERDALE Somewhere in California there is a pretty little village surrounded by forest covered mountains, where small streams of water flow in the deep canvons, and go seeking the sunny valley below. There they ioin the Russian River and linger along as though loath to leave this wonderful spot where all is peaceful and harmonious. Green fields cover each side of the river. In the very center of the valley is a busi¬ ness-like little town with its small white cottages covered with roses. T] ie o an e blossoms near by send their sweet perfume to mingle with that of the roses. It is very hard to determine what is the best thing in such a per¬ fect spot, for everything combined seems to me the best of all. Take awav the river and it is no longer perfect; take away the mountains and it is not complete, but I have pondered carefully and have come to the conclusion that it is the school that is the best of all. What would a perfect spot be without the little boys and girls playing around their homes, their baby voices pealing forth the glee that fills their hearts! The older people would become narrow minded and selfish without their influence, and they would have no one to work for, and no on ' 1 to love. Realizing the importance of education for their children, the citi¬ zens of Cloverdale built a school house where they might send them to learn many necessary tilings. As time went on Cloverdale became more thickly populated so a larger buliding was erected, but after many more years a still larger and more modern school was built. Many new conveniences were put into it, and new equipment made it possible