The History of the Sonoma:

The city of Sonoma is the site of the most northern of the chain of 21 missions that stretched from Mexico north to Sonoma on the El Camino Real, or Royal Road during the Spanish control of California.  The Sonoma mission was founded in 1823 as the Mission San Francisco Solano by Father Joseph Altimira and was the last built in California.  Soon after establishing the outpost, Father Altimira began  planting Mission grapes to use in sacramental wine, so important in the life of the church at the time, and the beginning of the world wine culture that exists in northern California today.

Not long after the mission was founded it was secularized by the  Mexican government and put under the command of Mexican army general Mariano Vallejo.  It was General Vallejo who, in 1836, built the army barracks that still stand in the Sonoma square today next to the Mission.  It was Vallejo who laid out the original town of Sonoma with its great central plaza in the style of the cities of Mexico. And it was Vallejo who replaced some of the vineyards planted by Father Altimira and planted additional vines, keeping winemaking alive in the Sonoma region.

But Mexico was not to hold the city for long, and on June 14, 1846, a group of settlers from the neighboring United States declared California a Republic unto itself and raised the first California Flag; the famous Bear Flag Revolt, establishing Sonoma as its capital.  California was not to be a republic for long and became a part of the United States in 1850. 

Sonoma Today:

The plaza and square exist to this day and the beautiful mission style building that sits at the south side of the park  is the home of the Sonoma City Hall.  Built in 1908 it was  designed with 4 identical facades so none of the merchants located on the 4 sides of the plaza would feel slighted. Continued ...