Historical Marker · No. 237

Temelec Hall

Sonoma, Sonoma County · California
Erected by California State Park Commission

The bronze credits the stone to native Indian labor. The money came from that labor too. Granville Swift, a Bear Flagger, took the Native workers from his Colusa ranch to the Feather River when gold was found and came to Sonoma rich in 1854. Local accounts remember him as a brutal master, down to stories of workers chained in the basement. He lost the fortune and sold in 1863. The name may come from Tamuleko, a Coast Miwok headman. The hall is now a retirement community's clubhouse.

What the plaque says

Temelec Hall This structure was erected in 1858 by Captain Granville P. Swift, a member of the Bear Flag Party. The stone in the building was quarried here by native Indian labor. General Persifor F. Smith, U. S. military commander-in-chief in California, lived in the little house nearby in 1849. Historical Landmark No. 237 California State Park Commission Temelec Hall Captain Granville P. Swift, great-grandnephew to Daniel Boone and early pioneer to California, spent his 21st birthday in 1842 building balsa reed rafts to float hides and tallow down the Sacramento River to Benicia to trade for supplies. Swift was a June 1846 Bear Flagger and traveled the length of California as a Captain in the American military for the short war with Mexico. One of the first to the gold fields, he then brought his fortune to Sonoma and laid the cornerstone for his mansion on June 19, 1858. A California Historical Landmark #237 since 1936, Temelec Hall was accepted to the National Register of Historic Places April 19, 2006. Dedicated June 21, 2008 By the Native Sons of the Golden West Duane R. Gavin, Grand President In Memory of James D. Phelan, United States Senator 2008-3

Where it stands

38.26567, -122.49988 · Directions

More markers nearby

← All historical markers