Vallejo monument dedicated

On Saturday, June 24, Gen. Mariano Vallejo finally sat down. One-hundred and eighty-two years after establishing Pueblo de Sonoma, our city’s founder deserved a little rest.

The new monument on the Plaza’s northern edge depicting a seated Vallejo was dedicated June 24, which fittingly is also Pueblo Day, a date marking the official anniversary of the establishment of Sonoma in 1835. The ceremony included trumpet fanfare, the Hometown Band, greetings, proclamations, and an appearance by Vallejo descendants Martha Vallejo McGettigan and Earl Douglass, Jr.

Jim Callahan, the local artist who created the sculpture, described the event as “marvelous.”

“There were at least a hundred chairs, and they were all filled, and probably another hundred people standing around. It was amazing to see so many people there,” Callahan said.

Dedicated to the memory of the late Sheila Cole, whose idea for the monument led to the formation of the General Vallejo Monument Committee – which spearheaded the effort to erect the monument – the statue represents culmination of more than two years of work. Cole’s memory was the guiding light that led the all-volunteer committee through the arduous process, a journey that required Vallejo-like fortitude. Robert Demler, Sean Bellach, Gina Cuclis, Martin Laney, Martha Vallejo McGettigan (great-great-grandaughter of M.G. Vallejo), George McKale, and Peter Meyerhof collectively navigated City requirements, fundraising challenges, and the Cultural and Fine Arts Commission to bring Vallejo’s likeness in bronze to the Plaza for posterity.

The monument – based on the General’s appearance in later middle age, and featuring architecture by Michael Ross – has Vallejo seated with a slim book on one knee. Gazing into the middle distance with a pleased look, the General seems to recognize what his life’s efforts wrought.

Vallejo was born on July 4, 1807, in Monterey; he died in 1890, at age 83, in Sonoma. In 1835, when Vallejo was just 28 and still a lieutenant, he founded the town on instructions from Alta California Gov. Jose Figueroa, building the Sonoma Barracks - reportedly from personal funds - to shelter his troops. He was Commissioner of the Sonoma Mission, Commandant General of California, Director of Colonization for the Northern Frontier, a California state Senator, and among the region’s very first winemakers.

Married to Francisca Benicia Vallejo, with whom he fathered 16 children, Vallejo was tasked with creating a town. He sectioned off the eight acres still used today as the Plaza, though it was little more than a dirt tract at the time. He divided the surrounding lands into “manzanas,” or quarters, and carved out the wide avenue that would become Broadway. He forged a deep friendship with Chief Solano of the Suisun Indian tribe, a relationship he parlayed to good diplomatic effect.

On a June morning in 1846, Vallejo was roused from sleep by a rowdy band of visitors – American settlers looking to seize Sonoma ostensibly under the command of U.S. Capt. John Fremont (a point debated by historians). Though they came unannounced, Vallejo welcomed the raiders peacefully. The Bear Flag rebels – as they came to be known – repaid Vallejo’s hospitality by arresting and jailing him, during which time he suffered serious health consequences. Sickened by malaria and down to 100 pounds, Vallejo was eventually released, and - though diminished for a time - continued his legacy.

For George McKale, member of the Vallejo Monument Committee and former Sonoma City Historian, the project had personal significance.

“I teach Sonoma history to fourth graders,” he said, “and it’s sad how many of the children, especially the Hispanics, don’t know that their town was once part of Mexico. It was an important endeavor for me.”

Thanks to the enduring fascination and perseverance of a small band of admirers, Gen. Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo will sit in perpetuity on the Plaza’s north edge, gazing placidly toward Battery Hill. The keeper of a city’s secrets and dreams, he will watch time unfold, his bronze mouth upturned by a small smile.

Like other visionaries who came before and will follow, the sum of Vallejo’s life has proved far greater than its parts.

Contact Kate at kate.williams@sonomanews.com.