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1986 Russian River Flood
A wet El Nino swept in a series of tropical storms, beginning February 13, 1986 leading into a three-day weekend capped by Valentine’s Day and Presidents’ Day. Two years earlier, workers had completed...
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Monte Rio, 1986 Flood
In Monte Rio, the flood of February 18, 1986 reached 48.56 feet, inundating much of the town. The upper photo depicts the old Highland Dell resort alongside private residences, taking on as much as...
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New Year’s Eve Flood, 2005
The New Year’s Eve flood of 2005 crested at 41.8′ at the pedestrian bridge in Guerneville (upper photo). The abandoned amusement park (across highway 116 from the peewee golf course) renders new...
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2019 Russian River Flood
Major flooding along the Russian River in Sonoma County on Wednesday, February 27, 2019 prompted mandatory evacuations and left two towns accessible only by boat (see aerial photo of Guerneville). The...
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Businesses Flooded
The February 27th flood injured several businesses along the Russian River, including over four hundred commercial or industrial buildings countywide. The Rio theater in Monte Rio (upper left photo)...
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Flood Hits Hard
The flood last week was Jeff Bridges’ fourth rodeo. He is the owner of the R3 Hotel in Guerneville. Over eight feet invaded his lodge, bar and restaurant (upper photo). But Bridges was not...
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Villa Grande Summers
Most of the activity in Villa Grande (upper photo) centered around the General Store and the old hotel. It was a real treat for kids to gather some spare change after a barbecue dinner and head down...
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Octagon House
Well-to-do San Francisco architect McLachlan built the Octagon House that presently sits at 22292 Moscow Rd. near Villa Grande. Horticulturist John McClaren, a crony of McLachlan’s and best known as...
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Sailing on the Russian River
John King built a small stern-wheel steamboat in 1869 and sailed it along the Russian River. Named the Enterprise, there are no known photos of the vessel but it probably resembled the Montrio (upper...
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Villa Grande
Villa Grande is an unincorporated community in Monte Rio along the Russian River. How the name Villa Grande was born is a story unto itself. In the very beginning, there was “Big Flat”, a patch of...
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