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The First Map of the Town of Kenwood, Sonoma County, California.
Rare separately published map of Kenwood, California, published in 1887 based upon surveys by Preston Davis, County Surveyor of Sonoma County in July 1887.
The map was a promotional item for the North Pacific Land and Improvement Co. and the Sonoma County Land and Improvement Co., and includes a lengthy description of Kenwood, in Los Guilicos Valley.
The map locates lots sold, blocks laid out for hotels, a church, a school house, a blacksmith, a store and Post Office, and railroad depot.
At the intersection of Warm Springs Road and Sonoma Creek is the residence of N.W. Griswold, founder of the town of Kenwood.
Norman W. Griswold
The following is excerpted from The Kenwood Press, December 1, 2012:
A San Francisco native, Norman W. Griswold was a man of ideas and great ambition, with business interests from New Orleans to Honolulu, mostly involving electricity generation and electric railroad companies, none of which seem to have been successful.
Griswold came to Sonoma Valley in 1887. His interest in railroading would suggest he kept abreast of new developments, particularly those of monolithic Central Pacific. Also unclear is where the Los Guilicos development concept originated. Its strong similarity to the San Carlos project and identical timing favors Los Guilicos being conceived by N. T. Smith, Treasurer of the Central Pacific and advocate for San Carlos, possibly working with Sonoma Valley rail advocate, Mark McDonald of Santa Rosa, a close associate of the Big Four.
Whatever circumstances put N.W. Griswold at the helm of Los Guilicos, he moved quickly to secure development land from the extensive Decker & Jewett Ranch. Here, the newly incorporated Sonoma County Land & Improvement Company, in partnership with the North Pacific Land & Improvement Company (Central Pacific Railroad), surveyed, subdivided and prepared to market their wine country "boom town."
Apparently unnoticed by Griswold was the fact that California was in the grip of a slumping real estate economy. The boom towns of San Carlos and Los Guilicos were instead a bust, leaving N.W. Griswold still in search of greatness. Adding to the loss, his stone "castle" perched above town at the end of Griswold Avenue, was later completely destroyed by fire.
![[Nevada and parts of California, Utah and Arizona] Explorations and Surveys South of Central Pacific R.R. . . . Preliminary Topographical Map Map Embracing in Skeleton a Portion Only of the Notes from Surveys . . . 1871 (with original text)](https://storage.googleapis.com/raremaps/img/small/82964.jpg)
