Yolo County
Yolo County covers a land area of 1,014 square miles in southwestern part of the Sacramento Valley. The eastern three-fourths of the County is a relatively level area, the terrain gradually rising through the foot hills from the Sacramento River to the Coast Range and reaching an elevation of 3,046 feet at Berryessa Peak on the western border with Napa County. Solano County bounds it on the south, Lake and Colusa Counties on the north and Sutter and Sacramento Counties on the east.
SETTLEMENTS
The location of Yolo County’s towns and settlements were principally influenced by the access to water and routes of transportation, so essential to agriculture and commercial enterprises. Riverboats provided year-round access to early settlements on Merritt Island in the Delta and northward along the Sacramento River to the towns of Washington (Broderick), Fremont and Knights Landing, all established in 1850.
Inland, along a time-worn trail near the Coast Range, the communities of Cottonwood, Buckeye, Cacheville, Antelope and Yolo City (Woodland in 1861) served as centers for rich agriculture areas that flourished in the Gold Rush era. Between 1868 and 1888 railroad development gave rise to the new towns of Davisville, Zamora, Dunnigan, Winters, Madison, Esparto, Capay, Guinda and Rumsey, while causing the demise of Buckeye, Cottonwood and Antelope. Elsewhere, school-houses, churches and community halls served as gathering population in many of the Count’s scattered rural areas.
Agriculture
Pioneering projects in irrigation were started on Cache Creek as early as 1865, and emphasis began shifting from livestock to grains and orchard crops. Large scale diversified farming was introduced as new lands were brought into production and as shipment of local products to domestic and international markets increased.
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