100 years ago
July 24, 1924
‘BIGGEST BASEBALL SERIES OF SEASON TO START SUNDAY’
“We’ll board the ships of Spain in their own bay,” said Dewey before the battle of Manila. ‘‘We’ll beat ’em on their own grounds,” said Bob Weston today. Dewey’s remark (as it appeared in a poem of ’98), was historical. Weston’s statement will probably not go down in history, but it is being passed from mouth to mouth among the Prune Packers’ baseball fans as the local rooters prepare to go to Santa Rosa in a crowd next Sunday for the first game of the year’s most interesting baseball series—the annual clash with the Rosebuds.
In the two past years the local team has crushed the Rosebuds unmercifully, and they believe that they can do it again this season. There is a rumor going the rounds that the county seat team is to be strengthened with special talent for this series. The name of Captain Jim Scott, once the American League’s best right-handed curve pitcher and until a few days ago with the Seals, is mentioned as the probable Rosebud twirler.
75 years ago
July 22, 1949
‘SCATENA WINERY TO AGAIN START PRODUCTION’
The famous Scatena Brothers Winery, a landmark of the Healdsburg area, will open this grape crushing season for the first time in a number of years. It was recently purchased by the Seghesio family, owners of the Seghesio winery of Geyserville. Eugene (Pete) Seghesio said operation of the plant will begin with the crushing season this year.
Although he said the plant is equipped to pasteurize and completely process wine for bottling, this year’s product will be sold on a commercial basis for bottling elsewhere. He hoped next year the plant will be in a position to bottle wine for shipment direct to eastern markets.
At one time the plant was the largest shipper of “California bottled at the winery” dry wines direct to eastern wholesalers. The plant also contains distilling equipment for the production of brandy. Plans call for test runs of the equipment and possible production of brandy.
50 years ago
July 25, 1974
‘GRAVEL DREDGING HALT SOUGHT; FARMERS SAY DRY CREEK PLANT CAUSES EROSION’
The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors ordered Tuesday that the county board of zoning adjustments consider the revocation of a use permit and abatement of operations of Soiland Co. Inc, of Novato, a gravel mining plant on Dry Creek. Soiland is accused by local farmers of severely eroding orchards and vineyards by undermining the Dry Creek streambed.
The basis for the revocation and abatement procedure is expected to be that Soiland’s operation constitutes a public nuisance and exceeds terms of a recently issued county use permit. At the heart of the controversy is whether the company has expanded its operation beyond what was originally stipulated in the permit issued earlier this year by the county planning department.
Soiland bought out the interests of the Reiman and Garrett gravel plant late in 1973. Since then Soiland has expanded mining to the full site and now operates three screens instead of one.
The Healdsburg Museum is currently closed, preparing for its next exhibition on the history of Fitch Mountain. It will reopen in early August. For information, visit healdsburgmuseum.org.
