The Petaluma River

A Sketch Journal and Brief Historical Overview

In 2011, I first sketched one of the feed mill buildings along the Petaluma River. I was amazed to find five active feed mills in the city and remnants of more from the past. Petaluma is unusual among Northern California towns for its mixture of active industrial, commercial, and residential buildings in the heart of the city.

The Petaluma River links many of these uses and was the reason for Petaluma’s early growth as a city. Before the construction of bridges, railroads, and highways, San Francisco Bay and the rivers flowing into it were the vital arteries of travel and commerce during the gold rush and the early growth of Northern California. Petaluma Creek, now called the Petaluma River, evolved in its early years from a narrow twisting tidal creek to a heavily traveled waterway.

During the pandemic of 2020 to 2023 I began to spend more time sketching outdoors along the river. Gradually I became familiar with some of the history of the river and its evolution. The river and wetlands are dramatically different from the rich habitats that the indigenous peoples knew. Thriving agricultural and industrial uses of the 18th and 19th century have evolved into the more residentially oriented river of today. There is growing awareness of the important role of the wetlands in mitigating the effects of more severe weather that we are all experiencing. Several ongoing initiatives seek to preserve some of the upper reaches of the river and the development of the Petaluma River Park as important community resources.

In this expanded and larger format edition of my prior book Of Mills & the River, I am collaborating with Petaluma historian Katherine Rinehart to add background and historic context to my sketches and to archival photographs and graphics of the Petaluma River and its environment.

The River’s function as a commercial artery has diminished but the river remains the heart of the city. Its diversity of uses, park lands, and riverside character are essential to preserving the unique character of Petaluma.

-Alan Butler with Katherine Rinehart
2024