Legend states that the town of Windsor in Sonoma County was named for its similarity to the beautiful parklands surrounding England's Windsor Castle. Once open grasslands covered with majestic oaks, this breathtaking pastoral landscape bordering the Russian River captivated settlers, who came to start businesses or grow grain, grapes, hops, and prunes on the rich river bottomland. For decades Windsor kept the quiet rhythm of a small, independent farm community, hardly broken by the addition of an army air base and a camp for German POWs during World War II.
Author Barbara F. Ray is a founder of the Windsor Historical Society and editor of its newsletter, as well as the author of several other books. Many members of the community, as well as the Windsor Historical Society, the Healdsburg Museum, the Sonoma County Library, and the Sonoma County Museum, contributed fine images and information.