By Michael Acker | Springs History
In 1914, the Sonoma Vista Land Company, Harvey Toy, President, advertised in the San Francisco Examiner for a free train excursion to Boyes Hot Springs: “Home sites $195 and up… and… Boyes Springs mineral water served free on the grounds.”
The bottling plant is shown on the County Recorder’s map of the Boyes Springs Hotel Grounds subdivision, 1916, adjacent to the Bath House on Pine Street between Locust and Boyes Boulevard.
In January of 1918 the Index-Tribune stated, “The bottling works of the now famed Boyes Springs Mineral Water has been put in the charge of Fred J. Hansen, popular musician and poultry man.” (A talented guy, apparently!) And “The management of the mineral water concern is no small matter as $25,000 worth of water was bottled and marketed last season.”
By 1925, the concern was managed by one H. Peterson, according to the I-T. “Physicians recommend the use of this water as a corrective for stomach and related troubles…Try a case and enthuse more and more over Boyes Springs,” the reporter stated, severely blurring the line between news and advertising.
In 1941, it was reported that “Terry O’Flaherty, of Beverly Hills, employee of the research department of Goldwyn Mayer and a friend of young Bill Burkhardt of United Press, Los Angeles, called on their mutual friends, the Murphys, here Wednesday. Terry is traveling on a bike with his movie camera and took a number of shots in this vicinity. When last seen he was headed for the Sebastiani Winery declaring cellars of real wine were a novelty in Los Angeles, good wine hard to find. He also paid a compliment to Boyes Springs mineral water; ‘it sparkles longer than any I have tried and has the tang that makes you wany to tango.’ Thanks Terry!”
Boyes Springs water was available at stores and by delivery at least until 1963.
The bottling plant building survived and has gone through a number of incarnations. Ad copy from 1979 stated “J&D Bottling Works, Sonoma County’s newest ‘fun spot’ is now open for business on a full scale basis to serve tourist and traveler alike…just relax at our copper bar with hosts Malorie Krul, Teresa Zamlich, and Lounge Manager Larry Estep.” The card room was open 24 hours on weekends.
From 1995 to 1999 the building housed the Breakaway Café. In 1999 the Breakaway moved to Maxwell Center and the space was taken over by Mike Monahan’s Creekside Café, which still serves us today.
Photos from the author’s collection.
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