Stewarts Point, California

Stewarts Point is an unincorporated community in Sonoma County, California, United States. Stewarts Point is located on the Pacific coast and California State Route 1, 20 miles (32 km) west of Healdsburg. Stewarts Point has a post office, which was established in 1888.[2] The community is named after the Stewart family, who moved to the area in 1856.[3]

Stewarts, California
Unincorporated community
General Store
Stewarts, California
Coordinates: 38°39′07″N 123°23′57″W
CountryUnited States
StateCalifornia
CountySonoma
Elevation
108 ft (33 m)
Time zoneUTC-8 (Pacific (PST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-7 (PDT)
ZIP code
95480
Area code(s)707
GNIS feature ID252807[1]

Stewarts Point and the adjacent Fisherman Bay have a long and important history to the indigenous Pomo people,Kashia Band of Pomo Indians of the Stewarts Point Rancheria who have lived in the area for millennia. The large sheltered cove fed by a small creek offered access to the area’s bountiful marine and coastal resources. The topographic advantages of this location were equally recognized by Euro-American settlers who set out from San Francisco to take advantage of the coastal redwood forest. John and Andrew Fisk built the first landing at Stewarts Point in 1867. By 1877, three lumber chutes shipped out products from nearby mills.[4]

The community of Stewarts Point, lies adjacent to Fisherman's Bay, the earliest references to the name Stewart's Point, are found in newspapers dated back to 1860. The community and adjacent, Stewarts Creek is named for squatters Thomas and Samuel Calvin Stewart, who were among the first to live there.

Murder of Lina Davenport (L.D.) Helm

In late 1860, two brothers L. Davenport and Turner Harmon Helm, laid claim on land in Stewarts Point by squatting on a claim that belonged to Michael T. McClellan. The Helm brothers were part of the outlaw Helm Clan and cousins to the infamous Boone Helm aka The Kentucky Cannibal. Boone was an outlaw that caused mayhem throughout the west and after a warrant for his arrest was issued he was sheltered in the mountains behind Stewart's Point by his cousins.[5] L. Davenport and Turner along with their brothers James, Daunt (John), Weid (William Johnson), and Chat (Chatham E.) had arrived in California during the Gold Rush. The other brothers headed to Southern California, and Turner and L. Davenport arrived in Stewarts Point. After an argument with Sarah Stewart, Samuel's wife, Thomas Stewart, her son, killed Davenport. After a five year trial, Thomas was sentenced to life in prison. The Stewart family eventually migrated North and settled first in Point Arena, and then Fort Bragg. Turner Helm migrated to Southern California to join up with his brothers in the Borrego Springs area. Boone Helm migrated up through Oregon and into Montana where he was hung. L. Davenport Helm was the first person to be buried in the Stewart's Point Cemetery, at the base of the lone tree in the cemetery.

Richardson Family

The property was purchased in 1881 by timber baron and shipping Herbert Archer (H.A.) Richardson[6] from the Fisk family. H.A. Richardson arrived in Stewarts Point with his wife Althea Ball, in 1876.[7] They were both natives of Lisbon, New Hampshire.H.A. Richardson amassed over 25,000 acres along the Sonoma Coast that included eight miles of shoreline and the town of Stewarts Point.[8] His descendants grew up working in the Stewarts Point Store.

In 2010, Save the Redwoods League purchased a portion of the ranch formerly owned by Archer Ralph Richardson for 11.25 million dollars.[9]

In 2015, descendants of H.A. Richardson sold a southern portion of the ranch, formerly known as the Anderson Ranch, which was 700 acres, for $6 million to the Trust for Public Land, which transferred the property to the Kashia people.[10]

In 2017, descendants of H.A. Richardson sold the McCappen Ranch, part of H.A. Richardson's 50,000 acre spread, to Save the Redwoods in exchange for the aforementioned parcel that was sold in 2010. The McCappen Ranch is the home to the McCappen Tree, a 1,640 year old Redwood that has a trunk diameter as wide as a two-lane street. It is older than the oldest tree in Muir Woods.[11] The property will be opened as the Harold Richardson Redwood Reserve. Harold was the grandson of H.A. Richardson, and the son of Fontaine Richardson and Lois Comstock.

Notable people

References
  1. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Stewarts Point, California
  2. ZIP Code Lookup
  3. Durham, David L. (1998). California's Geographic Names: A Gazetteer of Historic and Modern Names of the State. Quill Driver Books. p. 707. ISBN 1-884995-14-4.
  4. "Doghole Port: Stewarts Point". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 15 Dec 2020.
  5. "Alleged Conspiracy to Murder" (11 Dec 1860). Marysville, California: Daily National Democrat. Daily National Democrat. 11 Dec 1860. Retrieved 31 Oct 2020.
  6. Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary https://farallones.noaa.gov/heritage/doghole_stewartspoint.html. Retrieved 30 January 2020. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  7. Press Democrat. Press Democrat https://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/6700683-181/sonoma-coasts-stewarts-point-becomes?sba=AAS. Retrieved 30 January 2020. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  8. "Father's Stewarts Point memories preserved in book". Press Democrat. Press Democrat.
  9. Press Democrat. Press Democrat https://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/6700683-181/sonoma-coasts-stewarts-point-becomes?sba=AAS. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  10. "Press Democrat". Press Democrat. Press Democrat. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
  11. "Harold Richardson Redwood Reserve Opening". Outside Online. Outside Online.

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