Sonoma Wineries:
Cyrus Alexander: Alexander Valley’s First Pioneer
An adventurous Pennsylvanian who had tried his hand at fur trapping in the Rockies and gold mining in California, thirty-five-year-old Cyrus Alexander rode horseback from San Diego to the Alexander Valley in 1840. He had been hired by a Captain Fitch to find several thousand acres suitable for ranching. Acquiring the land from the Mexican government, Fitch asked Alexander to establish and run the ranch and to manage the care and breeding of a thousand horses and huge herds of cattle and sheep.
The reward for his labors was a large parcel of land on the eastern side of the Russian River where he built a home for his large family on a knoll alongside a creek. That house is now the home of the Wetzel family, owners of Alexander Valley Vineyards, Among their award-winning wines, the “Cyrus” Cabernet blend is a spicy, oaky concoction, intensely redolent of black cherry and cassis–-a fitting tribute to the audacious pioneer. Another wine label, Sin Zin, is adorned with a replica of a 17th century German etching depicting a nearly naked character enjoying a bacchanal!
Cyrus Alexander built the valley’s first schoolhouse, which is now a charming guest house for the Wetzells. Under a huge oak tree behind the winery, Cyrus and Rufina Alexander are buried, along with five of their ten children. In Healdsburg, a vividly ornamented bed and breakfast inn, the George Alexander House, is the Queen Anne Victorian built in 1905 by Cyrus’ tenth child, George, and his wife, Nellie.
Continue the Alexander Valley Winery Tour with a Visit to Geyserville »
The article on this page is adapted from the book, Backroads of the California Wine Country by Karen Misuraca (www.karenmisuraca.com), published by Voyageur Press.
Photo Credit: The pictures on this page are by Lisa Moore. www.studioponderosa.com