Healdsburg

CALIFONRIA

       Healdsburg’s journey to becoming the quaint city along the Russian River that it is today began in the mid 1800’s with the California gold rush.  A man named Harmon Heald journeyed west with his brothers in search of gold and opportunities.  After a tough journey which compromised his health, Harmon Heald built a squatter’s cabin in 1850 along the Russian River, which later became the 300 block of Healdsburg Avenue.  The following year, he cleared ten acres of land and planted wheat.  The crop was outstanding, and the following year, he built a small addition to his home where he sold goods to Native Americans and other settlers.  Over the next several years, more settlers came and Heald grew his trading post.  In 1857, Heald purchased a piece of the land where he had been living, and the town named “Healdsburg” was incorporated in March 5, 1857.