History of St. Helena
The site that is now the city of St. Helena was once part of
the range of a Native American people who called themselves the Onastis, the
“outspoken ones.” When Spanish (and later, Mexican) soldiers claimed the region
as part of their northernmost outpost, they dubbed these warlike folk the “Wappo,”
from a word meaning “brave,” or “handsome.”
The Mexican administrator of the territory granted most
of the upper part of the Napa Valley to an English doctor with a penchant
for drink, Edward T. Bale, in 1841. Dr. Bale bartered off portions of his
huge land grant to American pioneers, who began arriving in 1844. Others
followed, and in 1846, the area’s hearty emigrees participated in the Bear
Flag Revolt, an attack on the Mexican headquarters in Sonoma that resulted
in California being claimed for the United States, as part of the
Mexican-American War. After successful adventures in the Gold Rush, two of
these “Bear Flaggers,” David Hudson and John York, discovered hot mineral
springs in a secluded glade in the foothills just west of the present town.
They sold the property to two developers who established California’s first
resort there, White Sulphur Springs, in 1852. On May 16, 1854, an
Englishman, J. Henry Still, in partnership with a Mr. Walters, purchased
from the Bale family 126 acres not far from the resort. Still built a small
wooden home, added a general store to it, and offered to donate lots to
anyone willing to help him start a town. There were takers, and soon homes
and small businesses sprouted up around what is now the intersection of
Pope, Main, and Spring Streets. Ironically, 1854 also saw the organization
of the local chapter of the Sons of Temperance, an organization wary of the
effects of drink. They called themselves the “St. Helena Chapter” of the
Sons of Temperance, after the mountain at the head of the Valley, which is
how St. Helena got its name.
Most of the first settlers were farmers. By 1860, a few
of these early St. Helenans had discovered that the soil was spectacularly
suited to growing grapes. Dr. George Beldon Crane and Charles Krug pioneered
the Napa Valley wine industry, which quickly made a major contribution to
the town’s coffers.
Battling an infestation of vine-destroying bugs and sharp
economic downturns in the nation at large, the wine industry and St. Helena
developed together. Wealthy lovers of good food and drink discovered the spa
White Sulphur Springs and the pleasant little town nearby. Some built
elaborate homes and stole away to their Napa Valley retreats on weekends.
German, Swiss and French families also came in relatively large numbers.
Some of these newcomers had winemaking and viticultural expertise; others
were master stonemasons and quarried the nearby lava deposits to build
structures reminiscent of the architecture of their homeland. By 1915, St.
Helena was a popular tourist attraction: Europe, the easy way.
St. Helena still drew tourists after January 17, 1920,
the day the 18th Amendment became law in the United States, ushering in 13
years of Prohibition. So many people came to St. Helena to purchase
bootlegged brandy and wine that Highway 29 became known as the state’s
second-most traveled route.
The wine industry slowly rebuilt itself, but the demand
for premium wine receded during the Great Depression, and St. Helena dropped
into the quiet, comfortable repose of a rural community, where everyone
knows or is related to everyone else, and no heavy industry pollutes the
environment.
St. Helena awakened from its slumber in the early 1970’s,
when Americans rediscovered the merits of good wine, clean air and
untrammeled landscape. Thanks to rigorous efforts by its civic leadership,
it preserves its historic blend: landscape a Wappo would still recognize,
simplicity to warm the heart of a pioneer, elegant architecture to delight
the European in anyone, and a small-town coziness so American it should be
bottled and sold.
Lin Weber is the author of:Old Napa Valley, and Roots of
the Present. Her new book is available locally at: Main Street books,
Silverado Museum, Louis M. Martini Winery, Raymond Vineyards, Robert Mondavi
Winery, St. Supery Winery, or get it online at
Amazon.com
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