Long Walk To A Sad Bit of History

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Saturday morning...beatiful sunny skies, and I decided on a bit longer walk. Into the park, but then thought, "I haven't taken a look at what's happening at the Sonoma Development Center in a long time. Maybe today's the day?" So I wandered through the park, and on to SDC property and the long-deserted SDC outbuildings on the east side of Arnold. The Center has a long history: originally named the California Home for the Care and Training of Feeble-Minded Children, it opened on November 24, 1891. In the 1960s, it became Sonoma State Hospital. The last patients were transferred to other care facilities in 2018, and since that time, there has been much controversy about what should be done with the sprawling property with all its old buildings. No consensus has been reached and the property is fading away. Funds to maintain the property are scarce. A few years ago I did a post about the old children's carousel, just before it was dismantled. I wanted to see if any of the carousel structure still remains. The circular roof and upright supports are still there, though the painted horses have all been removed and sold off. It's quite melancholy to wander around this huge, 945-acre abandoned property. There are no people to be seen, except occasional walkers like myself. I encountered one security service vehicle parked at the edge of the property with its motor running, but no one in the car. Rather an eerie experience to wander through this place. I made my way back across the bridge and into the Regional Park again, paused on a bench under the huge oak trees to escape the hot sun and think of all the ghosts that remain at SDC, and then wandered home...just under 4 miles of walking. I wonder what the future holds for SDC...a very sad place.

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