Walk through history

<p>From railroads to chicken ranches, the Petaluma area has remnants of a rich history that people walk or drive past every day without knowing anything about.</p><!-- Nothing to do. The paragraph has already been output --><p>Retired teacher Jeff Tobes has been striving to change that by sharing his love for local history with his students by taking them on historical walks through parts of the west county. He instituted his classroom history walk program 12 years ago while working for the Wright Elementary School District in Santa Rosa.</p><p>“I like to say that the world is their classroom” said Tobes. “Every year, we'd walk more than 100 miles. We'd walk to Scandia, Windsor or to the ocean. It was something we did three times a year. The walks were great and they learned a lot.”</p><p>Tobes' history walk program for the classroom led to the creation of a history walk program for the Sonoma County Historical Society. Now in its sixth year, SCHS is sponsoring a 25-mile Petaluma to Tomales history walk on June 5.</p><p>“It's a walk for adults and kids,” said Tobes, treasurer for the SCHS. “People enjoy the walk for all kinds of reasons. Some like it just because it's walking, others like it because it's a nature walk and a farm walk and others like it because they are camera people or artists.”</p><p>The Petaluma to Tomales walk begins at 5:30 a.m. at the Petaluma Train Depot, on the corner of Washington and Lakeville streets. Petaluma Museum docent Susan Coolidge will lead the morning part of the walk with a tour of historic downtown.</p><p>“The history aspect of the walk is wonderful,” said Coolidge. “And for people into trains and the railroad, this will be a particularly interesting walk. That's one reason we're taking D Street and following the railroad tracks a little in town before heading out toward Tomales.”</p><p>After strolling through downtown, Tobes said the plan is to be at Wilson School on Bodega Avenue by 8 a.m. for breakfast, then head from there to Skillman Lane and out to the Liberty area.</p><p>“We'll head from there to Two Rock, where the electric railway was,” said Tobes. “From Liberty, we'll go to Pepper Road, roughly following the railway. We'll be going on to Graham's Country Crafts' property to walk along the railway all the way to Two Rock. For railroad people, this walk is the bee's knees.”</p><p>The walk will continue out to the historical rocks from which the town of Two Rock gets its name. After lunch, walk participants will head down Fallon Road to Twin Bridge Road and make their way over to Tomales Elementary School and the Tomales Regional History Center for a 6 p.m. dinner. A bus will then take participants back to the Petaluma Depot.</p><p>“As far as preparing for the walk, participants should wear proper socks and shoes with a good shock-absorbing heel,” said Tobes. “We also say that no crybabies or whiners are allowed. Nobody wants to walk with someone who hasn't walked before. This also is not a race. We walk at a pace of about 2.5 miles per hour and there are no hills except for one small incline. We'll also be taking breaks every hour.”</p><p>Tobes added that there will be a support vehicle following the tour with water, along with portable bathrooms.</p><p>Registration for the Petaluma to Tomales history walk is $50 adults and $20 for youth under 18. The cost includes all meals and transportation back to the depot at the end of the walk.</p><p>For more information and to register, visit www.sonoma countyhistory.org or contact Tobes at 888-1670.</p><p>(Contact Yovanna Bieberich at yovanna.bieberich@argus courier.com)</p>