Page 76 - autobluebook1920vol8

Route 4 Page 70 San Francisco Section
33.2 0.6 Benicia,* bank on right. Keep ahead.
33.5 0.3 End of road; turn right with travel. Avoid prominent left-
hand road 33.6.
33.9 0.4 4-corners; turn left with pavement and at end of road just
beyond, turn right.
34.1 0.2 4-corners, store on right; turn left.
34.9 0.8 End of road; turn left with pavement. Pass Goodyear Sta.
on right 38.2.
46.7 11.8 End of road, just beyond RR; turn right along same.
Left at this turn is Route 147 at mileage 0.4 to Santa Rosa.
47.1 0.4 Cordelia, sta. on right. Keep ahead across spur.
47.3 0.2 Left-hand diagonal road; turn left with travel.
49.6 2.3 Rockville Corner, 4-corners. Turn right with pavement.
Cross RR 52.4.
54.0 4.4 Fairfield, court house on left. Straight thru.
Right leads to Suisun,* 0.7 mile.
Cross spur 55.5. Avoid left-hand road 60.7.
Left at 60.7 is Route 82 at mileage 64.5 to Blacks.
63.4 9.4 Vacaville,* end of road at brick building. Turn right.
63.5 0.1 Irregular 4-corners; bear left with pavement across stone
bridge.
63.7 0.2 End of road; turn left, avoiding right-hand road just beyond.
63.8 0.1 End of road turn right. Cross RR at sta. 63.9. Avoid promi-
;
nent left-hand road 64.2. Bear right with pavement 70.7.
72.5 8.7 Left-hand diagonal road, just before RR; bear left along
same.
'Benicia, Cal. (pop. 2,375, alt. 55 ft.), situated gave the town its first impetus as a trading
on the swift-running Strait of Carquinez, point. A few miles from Suisun is the great
which connects Suisun and San Pablo bays, orchard of A. T. Hatch. It contains 800 acres
and is one of the largest in the state.
is 24 miles in a direct line north of San Fran- In the
Suisun hills is a marble quarry where very
cisco. It has a good harbor for vessels not
beautiful onyx is produced.
drawing over 23 feet of water. There are
The Suisun valley enjoys a national repu-
extensive wharves and ship yards, and a
tation as a great fruit growing district. Along
United States arsenal and barracks. The town
the river, about fifteen miles to the south,
was founded in 1847 and named in honor of are the S'uisun marshes, which up to a very
the wife of the Mexican general, Vallejo. For few years ago were only used for grazing pur-
two years it was the rival of San Francisco. poses. These same marshes are now being
In 1853 it was made the “permanent seat of rapidly put under cultivation and becoming
immensely valuable for farming and truck
government,” but in March, 1854, the capital
gardening.
was transferred to Sacramento.
•Vacaville, Cal. (pop. 1,200, alt. 175 ft.), is
Over the Strait of Carquinez pass the high
situated at the entrance to the beautiful and
voltage wires of the Pacific Gas & Electric
fertile Vaca valley, about 29 miles south-
Company, which bring all the electric power west of Sacramento. It has fruit growing in-
for the electric light plants and the manufac-
dustries, and has attained great fame for
tories in the city of San Francisco from the
early fruits and vegetables, it being usually
hydro-electric power plants in the High Sier-
the first to supply the city markets and to
ras, over 200 miles distant. Jack London’s
ship deciduous fruits to the east. It was
“Tales of a Fish Patrol” and “John Barley-
founded in 1852 by William McDaniel for
corn” tell of adventuies which happened in Manuel Baca, anglacised to Vaca, from whom
these straits and in San Pablo bay. At Be- the town and valley took its name. John R.
nicia two great transfer boats carry the long-
Wolfskill was the pioneer settler of the town-
est trains across the straits on the way to ship and planted the first trees and vines
on the bank of Potah creek, about fourteen
and from the bay cities.
•Suisun, Cal. (pop. 1,000, alt. 8 ft.), is built on miles north of Vacaville.
an island in a navigable tule slough, 9 miles The town is situated on the state highway
north of Suisun bay and 50 miles northeast of connecting Sacramento and points around or
San Francisco. Just 5 miles north of the town on the bay, this unit of the highway being
stood the little Black schoolhouse where Ed- the most direct route and being served by
win Markham, poet and seer, and author of ferry at Benicia and Vallejo with Martinez
"The Man with the Hoe,” went to school. In- and Pinole, points in Contra Costa county.
A concrete highway connects at Cordelia,
cidents of his school days here are described
by one of his teachers, Mr. S. O. Woods, in about 15 miles southwest of Vacaville, with
“Lights and Shadows of the Pacific Coast.” Napa, and opens the most direct route to the
Suisun was settled by Captain Joseph Wing northern coast counties, being practically
in 1858. He ran boats on the slough and without grades.