The Coast Miwok people/
culture? have thrived or
lived? in the Cotati area
since at least 2000 BCE.
Documented villages in
the area included Lumentakala, Payinecha, and
Kotati.
Dr. Thomas Stokes Page
purchased the Rancho Cotate
property in 1849 and began
farming in the 1860s. His
family raised cattle, sheep,
wheat, hay, hops, berries, and,
later, race horses. A century
later it was still not unusual
to ride to school or visit La
Plaza on horseback as Phyllis
Donahue, above, illustrates.
In October 1870, the first
railroad from Petaluma to
Santa Rosa was completed.
However, it wasn’t until
1892, when the Page
family subdivided their
ranch, that a town started
to form about one mile
west of the wood and water
stop called Page’s Station.
The year 1968 saw the
birth of the counterculture’s
influence on Cotati. The
Inn of the Beginning came
alive and brought nationally
and internationally
recognized musicians to
Sonoma County.
In the 1990s, La Plaza
Park was refurbished with
a new bandstand and a new
playground. Currently, the
city is home to the annual
Kids Day Parade and the
internationally renowned
Cotati Accordion Festival.
Early History Agrarian History City of Cotati Modern History Current Day
A BRIEF HISTORY
In 1920, a builder named Jack Price created
excitement when he convinced racing enthusiasts all
over the North Bay that he could build a world-class
auto speedway. He succeeded, on 135 acres on East
Cotati Avenue near the railroad track, and dubbed
it the Cotati Speedway. The all-wood, bowl-shaped
track was 1.25 miles around and required more than 3
million feet of lumber and gave drivers a place to run
record-breaking races. Wildly popular, its first race
was Aug. 14, 1921, with all 10,000 seats filled. Sadly, cold, rainy weather and traffic congestion getting to
the track caused its failure after only two years. The
speedway was dismantled and wood from it went to
build homes and businesses in the area.
Speedway
Above: Eddie Miller, driving a Duesenberg, was one of the stars of the first Cotati Speedway race, August 14, 1921. Even with a flat tire, he came in fourth place with a time of 1 hour, 29 minutes, 58 1/5 seconds.
The winner of the race was Eddie Hearne, who set a new world record, driving 150 miles in 1 hour, 21 minutes and 16 1/5 seconds. He won $5,000.
Sponsored by::
Photo: April 1973 Inn of the
Beginning Calendar, courtesy
of Mark Braunstein.
Special thanks to Cotati Historical Society and the
Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria for sign content
and images.
Visit cotaticity.org for more information
Text courtesy of Prue Draper.
through the years
Sponsored by::
Modern History
Current Day
Early History
Agrarian History
City of Cotati
In 1844, the Mexican government established the Rancho Cotate, which stretched from Petaluma to Santa Rosa. Dr. Thomas Stokes Page, an American living in Chile, purchased the property in 1849 and began farming in the 1860s. His family raised cattle, sheep, wheat, hay, hops, berries, and, later, race horses. In 1892, the Pages subdivided the ranch, which became a patchwork of orchards, poultry farms, egg hatcheries, and small businesses.
A century later it was still not unusual to ride to school or visit La Plaza on horseback as Phyllis Donahue, at right, illustrates.
The Coast Miwok culture or people? have thrived
or lived? in the Cotati area since at least 2000 BCE,
with principal villages built near major streams.
Documented villages in the area included Lumentakala, Payinecha, and Kotati.
In October 1870, the first railroad from Petaluma to Santa Rosa was completed. However, it wasn’t until 1892, when the Page family subdivided their ranch, that a small town started to form about one mile west of the wood and water stop called Page’s Station. Cotati’s hexagonal plaza and radial street plan were designed by Newton Smyth during the 1890s, as alternatives to the traditional grid. The City of Cotati was officially incorporated in 1963.
Although it is the county’s smallest incorporated city, Cotati has played an influential role in Sonoma County’s identity. Starting with construction of the Cotati Speedway in 1921, through the Bay Area’s music and hippie scenes of the 1960s and 1970s, and into its modern agricultural and cultural reputation of today, Cotati has truly earned the nickname “The Hub of Sonoma County.”
2000 BCE
1844
1870
1920s-1970s
1980s - now
Extensive improvements to the downtown have been
made over the years. In the 1990s, La Plaza Park
was refurbished with a new bandstand and a new
playground. Currently, the city is home to the annual
Kids Day Parade and the internationally renowned
Cotati Accordion Festival.
April 1973 Inn of the Beginning Calendar,
courtesy of Mark Braunstein.
Special thanks to Cotati Historical Society and
the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria for
sign content and images.
Visit cotaticity.org for more information