Decide the future of Maxwell Park

For thousands of years travelers going east or west across the center of Sonoma Valley have crossed Sonoma creek where it merges with Agua Caliente Creek in El Verano. And for just as many years the land leading to this popular creek crossing has been contested territory. The first story we are publishing in the archives of this website is about a cultural and political fight over this land in 1949 between Ruth Maxwell Denny and Sonoma County. What makes this particular fight historically significant is the political decision made then triggered sixty years of angry political fights, lawsuits, annexation elections, and other conflicts which today still haunt the cultural politics of Sonoma Valley.

What makes this story relevant today is this spring Supervisor Susan Gorin and the Sonoma County Parks Department are asking local citizens to once again get involved in determining the future use and care of this land, now called Maxwell Farms Regional Park. By publishing this story the Friends of Maxwell Park, (a local ad hoc citizens group, not a county agency), hopes to stimulate your interest in getting involved.

We want you, your family and friends to get involved by sending us photos and stories about you, your family and friend’s experiences with Maxwell’s Farm and Maxwell Park when you were a child, as you matured, and in recent times. We intend to post your photos and stories on our website as part of an historical memory and archive. Also, if you would like to stay informed and play a part in shaping the future use and care of Maxwell Park, please go to our website at friendsofmaxwellpark.org.

You can also connect with us on Facebook at Friends of Maxwell Park. You can send your letters or photos to: Friends of Maxwell Park, P.O.Box 592, El Verano, CA 95433. We welcome you to participate in our walking historical tour at Maxwell Park, starting at 10 AM on Saturday, April 11.