Due to an errand, we found ourselves in the quaint town of Cotati. The city’s unusual name, pronounced ko-ta-tee, derives from the Kota’ti, a peaceful tribe of Coast Miwok Indians who populated this valley for generations until they eventually disappeared.
A Mexican land grant, Lomas de Kotate, was established in 1844, encompassing 18,000 acres. This property passed through a number of hands, including those of Thomas O. Larkin, the first and only U.S. Consul to California. He arranged for its purchase in 1849, by Dr. Thomas Stokes Page, a friend and expatriate American physician then practicing in Valparaiso, Chile (more about that later).It was Atlas Obscura's post about a statue called The Accordion Man that brought us here. It depicts accordionist Jim Boggio, who in 1991, became cofounder and a crucial organizer of the Cotati Accordion Festival.Ever since, the one-of-a-kind festival has taken place at La Plaza Park every year. The aim has been “to promote the love of the accordion” while raising funds for local youth and community organizations. Boggio participated in the festival until he died of heart failure at age 56 in 1996. After his passing, members of the community quickly raised funds for his memorial statue.
Decades later, the Cotati Accordion Festival is still a success, drawing in thousands of attendees and raising thousands of dollars to support community organizations for children and performing arts education. During the event, the statue of Boggio, who was known as the “King of the Stomach Steinway,” is crowned and caped, appearing to play along with the music of the festival he founded.
Back to Dr. Page. The City founder died in 1872, leaving his émigré sons to run the sprawling dairy and stock farm. Described in an 1875 newspaper article as the largest farm in Sonoma County and one of the finest pieces of agricultural land in California, the property became known as “Rancho Cotate.” Because of a clause in Dr. Page’s will that the ranch should remain intact until his youngest child reached 25 years of age, the Rancho was the last of the great Sonoma County land grants to be subdivided (1892). Consequently most of the other towns and cities in Sonoma County are older than Cotati.
The building is now home to darling shops and delicious looking restaurants.
I'm a sucker for vintage signage. Rexall Drugs is always a favorite. This one's history is rather interesting. When one of the first doctor's offices opened here in the late 1940s, Dr. John Roberts and colleagues felt it would be very handy for their patients to pick up their prescriptions nearby. Unfortunately the location gave Rexall an unfair advantage and the store had to close (weird, right?). The building became a series of businesses but the sign has remained unchanged.The 8 Ball has been a drinking establishment in Cotati since the 1940s.I'm not certain when Tip Top Cleaners began but based on its sign, it was decades ago. Groovy indeed!Public art is eclectic in Cotati. Chief Kotate, designed and sculpted by local legend, Vito Paulekas, was created in 1980 as a tribute to the legendary chief of the Coast Miwok Indians. The Chief was said to be "dancing on the nipple of the breast of Mother Earth which gives life to all of us."Athena is the daughter of Zeus from ancient Greek mythology, virgin goddess of wisdom, warfare, and various other virtues. The concrete mask was sculpted by Santa Rosa artist Peter Crompton, unveiled in 2011, and intended as a temporary installation. Due to its popularity, a former city manager paid the artist for the sculpture to assure it would remain in Cotati. Pretty cool.Research introduced me to another famous resident... The Sandalady. Fran Fleet, a young artisan, came to Cotati and started a business in the Inn of the Beginning building in the 1960s. A wood carver, candlemaker and sandal maker, she carved many of the artistic signs that identified Cotati businesses. As the years went by, she began to specialize in repairing and reconditioning baseball gloves and now the Sandalady has a national reputation for her specialized work. Sadly, Fran's shop was closed when I walked by. I would have loved to have met her.
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