POMO TERRITORY AND GEOGRAPHY

THE POMO LIVE THROUGHOUT A LARGE TERRITORY OF 40 MILES NORTH TO SOUTH AND ABOUT 30 MILES EAST TO WEST, WITH THE CENTER NEAR LAKE SONOMA. THERE ARE SEVEN RANCHERIAS WITHIN THE COUNTIES OF MENDOCINO, SONOMA, AND LAKE. THESE WERE ESTABLISHED AFTER THE EARLY SETTLERS DECIDED TO ACQUIRE LANDS THAT HAD BEEN IN MEXICAN LAND GRANTS AND WERE ORIGINALLY OWNED BY THE POMO AND OTHER TRIBES.

STEWARTS POINT RANCHERIA WAS ONE OF THE OLDEST STARTING IN 1909. THERE ARE ABOUT 5000 POMOS STILL LIVING IN THESE COUNTIES AND THEY HAVE INTERMARRIED WITH OTHER ETHNIC PEOPLE AS WELL AS OTHER NATIVE PEOPLE.

THIS AREA IS TYPICALLY A LAND OF MIXED WOODLANDS, INCLUDING REDWOODS, AND GRASSLANDS FILLED WITH LAKES AND MANY SMALL DRAINAGES AS WELL AS THE PERRENIAL RUSSIAN RIVER. THE HIGHEST PEAKS ARE ABOUYT 6500' AND THEIR TERRITORY IN MENDOCINO COUNTY IS ON THE OCEAN. MANY OF THESE TRIBES TRADED WITH EACH OTHER FOR RESOURCES AND FOR SEEDS AS WELL AS OBSIDIANS, SHELLS, ANIMALS, AND SKINS,ETC. THE AREA RECEIVES ABOUT 40 TO 50 INCHES OF RAIN PRIMARILY BETWEEN THE MONTHS OF OCTOBER AND MARCH. ON THE COAST THE DAYS ARE TYPICALLY FOGGY AND THE DAYS INLAND ARE USUALLY SUNNY WITH SUMMER TEMPERATURES AS HIGH AS 100 DEGREES. POMOS LIVING AWAY FROM THE COAST FACED FEWER CHALLENGES THAN THOSE WHO LIVED BY THE SEA.

THIS TERRITORY WAS VERY RICH WITH NOT ONLY VEGETATION BUT ALSO WITH MANY DIVERSE FAUNA AND BIRD SPECIES. THE REDWOOD AREA NEAR GUERNEVILLE HAD ONE OF THE DESEST BIOMASSES PER SQUARE YARD IN THE ENTIRE WORLD.

THE SOILS VARY THROUGHOUT THIS ARE HOWEVER THE SOILS NEARBY THE RUSSIAN RIVER ARE VERY RICH CONTAINING CLAY, SERPENTINE, AND MAGNESIUM. IT IS EASY TO GROW ALMOST ANY CROP HERE. AND THE NATIVES KNEW MULTIPLE USES OF EACH NATIVE PLANT.