1887 photos of Monte Rosso and Bedrock Vineyard

You may ask why I was looking through the historical photograph archives at Bancroft Library. I may not be able to give you a good answer that does not make me look like a nerd. Nonetheless, I found this AMAZING photo from 1887 showing Monte Rosso and Bedrock, along with a few others, in their infancy. Taken by Carleton Watkins during a tour of the estates of Sonoma Valley, this picture, from the deck of Hooper’s Sobre Vista Estate, shows in incredible detail the heights of Mt. Pisgah and Mt. Veeder along with the heart of the valley.

To find Monte Rosso. Find the top-point of the mountain (this is Mt. Veeder), then follow the shoulder down to the right. There is another little peak (Mt. Pisgah) there. Slightly down and to the right you will see the cleared sloped of Monte Rosso (then referred to as Mt. Pisgah winery vineyards). You can see how large it is.

To find Bedrock Vineyards (then known as Madrone), follow the canyon down to the valley floor that starts to the immediate left of Monte Rosso. The vineyard pretty much takes up the whole valley floor, as it measured 450 acres(!) at that time. Our current property is right beyond the creek, which can be delineated by the line of oak trees cutting through the center of the valley, its current 154 acres being quite small compared to the original tract.

The second photo is another in the same series but shot from higher up on Sonoma Mountain. I have marked where the two vineyards are.