History of The Creek
Up until about 1850 Sonoma Creek operated in a virtual prehistoric fashion. Adverse erosion and bank cutting were at sustainable levels and did not add enough turbidity to the creek system to discourage aquatic species. Flooding in the downstream reaches did not realize the modern frequencies since all the creek reaches could absorb more excess water from peak rainfall events. The Kenwood area existed in the form of a large marsh effectively blocked by a natural earthen dam from penetrating the course of the creek as it flows west out of Kenwood toward Glen Ellen.
With the advent of more intensive farming of Sonoma Valley in the latter half of the nineteenth century, the Kenwood Marsh was drained in favor of grazing, vineyards and other agricultural uses. This action removed the largest upstream buffer that assisted flood control in the lower reaches of Sonoma Creek. Consequently the frequency and severity of modern floods (1960s onward) has been exacerbated by these interventions of humans.
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