A Look Back at the History of Sonoma Developmental Center

The Hill property in 1888, which soon afterward was acquired by the State of
California for what is now the Sonoma Developmental Center. The central area
of the modern SDC occupies the vineyard. The road above the vineyard was the
main route in 1888; Arnold Drive did not exist at that time. Courtesy Bancroft
Library, UC Berkeley, via Sonoma Valley Sun.

Sonoma Developmental Center has changed much over the many years of its existence. First established in the late 1800s as a place for the care of so-called "feeble-minded" children, it's role soon expanded to the care and training of feeble-minded people of all ages. The Center's role and the people it serves has continued to change over the last 100 years -- and the knowledge and expertise on how best to care for people with developmental disabilities, and other mental and physical handicaps, has continued to improve and expand.

The Sonoma Valley Sun has just published a fascinating profile of the Center's history. See: Just wondering about... Early days of the Sonoma Developmental Center, by Judy Blum (July 25, 2013).

The Home for the Care and Training of Feeble Minded Children, on the eastern
slopes of Sonoma Mountain, in 1910.