| "And, they called it Green Hollow..." |
Originally the area was home to the Plains Patwin Indians of the Wintun tribe of Central California. This area was a happy hunting ground with grizzly bear, deer, Wapiti elk, possum and, in the Spring, the creek was filled with trout and steelhead.
In 1841, across today's golf course, ran the original "Firemen Trail" between Sutter's Fort and Solano Mission in Sonoma. 2,200 head of horses, cattle and sheep kicked up dust, en route from Fort Ross to Sutter's Fort. On June 14th, 1846, Granville Perry Swift, helped raise the flag in the Bear Flag Revolt. Swift's sister married into the Jones family, the original owners of what is today's Club. In 1864, Mr. Swift took up residence in the Mansion.
It was early in the 1850's when the first settlers arrived in the Valley. The Gold Rush was on! The area became an agricultural center with crops being transported from Cordelia to San Francisco by boat. From Cordelia, the slough was navigable to Suisun Bay which led to San Francisco.
In 1858, grapes were first introduced to the region by the John Votypka and the Shultz family. The Jones quickly added their own vineyard.
The Mansion...
Imagine "Country Club Drive" was once a private drive leading up to the circular drive which was lined with palm trees and beautiful gardens. The grand centerpiece of this stunning property was the stone Mansion. The 7,000 square foot beauty with six bedrooms, five baths, six fireplaces and spacious stone porches sat amongst a 500 acre cherry orchard. At one point, the Jones' even added an elevator! The rear of the Mansion housed a large bbq pavilion and stone fireplace.
It was in 1860, when Jones added grapes to the property. He also built a wine and brandy cellar with a 50,000 gallon capacity. The cherry packing shed sat at the site of today's tennis courts.
Four generations of F. Sydney Jones' called GVCC's beautiful Mansion their home.