Near Petaluma in Sonoma County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

The Willow Creek Inn

(AKA Willowbrook Ale House)

Photographed By Loren Wilson, March 7, 2016

1. The Willow Creek Inn (AKA Willowbrook Ale House) Marker

Inscription. In 1907, Mr. Herman C. Bartelt purchased what was then known as the Willow Brook Hotel from Mrs. Ellen Hayne, widder of William Harvey Hayne, who had purchased the property sometime prior to 1900. It was located at Corona Corners until the city saw fit to move Corona Road. Hayne listed his profession in the census of 1900 as saloon keeper. Sometime around 1920, the inn was purchased by G. F. Lieder who ran it as a general store, petrol station and motor inn through 1934.

Over the years, it has been operated as a stagecoach stop, a saloon, an inn, a motor inn, a general store/petrol station, and (up to the early 1960’s) a hotel with hourly room rentals, and presently under its current ownership The Willow Brook Ale House. It was an important stop on the “Indian Redwood Marathon” held in 1927 and 1928 that was run from the steps of City Hall in San Francisco to Grant’s Pass, Oregon along the Redwood Highway.

Erected 2015 by Sam Brannan Chapter 1004 and Yerba Buena Lodge #1 of E Clampus Vitus.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Industry & Commerce. In addition, it is included in the E Clampus Vitus series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1900.

Location. 38° 15.654′ N, 122°

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39.739′ W. Marker is near Petaluma, California, in Sonoma County. Marker is on Petaluma Boulevard North, 0.1 miles north of Corona Road, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 3600 Petaluma Boulevard North, Petaluma CA 94952, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Wilmar Union Elementary School District And Wilson Elementary School (approx. 1.7 miles away); Sergeant Richard A. Penry (approx. 2 miles away); Volpi's Grocery (approx. 2.1 miles away); Bill Soberanes (approx. 2.1 miles away); Petaluma Train Depot (approx. 2.2 miles away); The Burdell Building (approx. 2.2 miles away); Petaluma Historical Library and Museum (approx. 2.3 miles away); Cases Horseshoeing (approx. 2.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Petaluma.

Regarding The Willow Creek Inn. A Spanish land grant known as Rancho Roblar de la Miseria, meaning The Oak of Misery, stretched along the Petaluma River, Hessel, Roblar, Liberty and Two Rock south to Petaluma. In 1886, at a location known as Corona Corners, where Corona Road intersected Redwood Highway, the Haynes Roadhouse was built on five acres. It was owned by William Harvey Hayne and his wife Ellen. It was a stagecoach stop for approximately 2 years until Wells Fargo abandoned this
route. Herman C. Bartelt and his wife

Photographed By Loren Wilson, March 7, 2016

2. The Willow Creek Inn (AKA Willowbrook Ale House) Marker

Catherina purchased the property in 1907 and continued to run the business as a roadhouse after renaming it “The Willow Brook Hotel“. It was deeded on August 30, 1922 to F.G. Lieder and his wife Ottilie,from Detroit, Michigan, as joint tenants. They ran the business as a grocery store, egg depot, motor inn, and service station until 1934 when Mr. Lieder retired. Though the history gets a little cloudy at this point, it appears as though the Lieder family kept the business operating until 1943 when they deeded their general merchandise store to Edna Rippe who applied for the first alcoholic beverage license in August that year.
Somewhere in the early 1950’s, the business changed hands and was owned and operated by Art Dias. Petaluma changed the route of Corona Road to accommodate an overpass of Highway 101 and to eliminate two “T” intersections by connecting it more safely with Skillman Lane which also relocated Corona Corners.
The Willow Brook was an important check point for the “Indian Redwood Marathon”. This footrace was held for two years, 1927 & 1928. It began on the steps of City Hall in San Francisco along the Redwood Highway to the finish line in Grants Pass Oregon. The 1927 the race was won by “Mad Bull”, a Caucasian who took the name in order to qualify to run in the race. His time was 7 days, 12 hours, 34 minutes.

The Willow Creek Inn (AKA Willowbrook Ale House) Sign image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Loren Wilson, March 7, 2016

3. The Willow Creek Inn (AKA Willowbrook Ale House) Sign

The 1928 race was won by “Flying Cloud”, another Caucasian running under an “Indian” name, who was the winner by a margin of 17 miles. On February 17, 1911, Fred Wiseman departed Petaluma in a homemade biplane to deliver a few letters to Santa Rosa, his home town, and drop six newspapers along the way. He almost made it out of town, but had to make an emergency landing due to mechanical difficulties at Denmans’s Flat behind the Willow Brook Hotel, breaking a wooden skid in the process. A copy of the newspaper was hand carried to the hotel thus becoming the first newspaper delivered by air in the US. The skid was repaired and the flight resumed the next morning making another unscheduled stop at the south end of Santa Rosa, thus completing the first Air Mail delivery in the United States.

The Willow Creek Inn (AKA Willowbrook Ale House) Building image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Loren Wilson, March 7, 2016

4. The Willow Creek Inn (AKA Willowbrook Ale House) Building

The Willow Creek Inn looking south image. Click for full size.

circa ca 1930's

5. The Willow Creek Inn looking south

Credits. This page was last revised on January 6, 2017. It was originally submitted on March 7, 2016, by Loren Wilson of Sebastopol, California. This page has been viewed 653 times since then and 44 times this year. Last updated on March 9, 2016, by Loren Wilson of Sebastopol, California. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on March 7, 2016, by Loren Wilson of Sebastopol, California. 5. submitted on March 27, 2016, by Loren Wilson of Sebastopol, California. • Syd Whittle was the editor who published this page.