History in a Nutshell
Katherine - this would be a good project for you!
The existence and forms of Petaluma's earliest parks are rooted in national ideas about shared public spaces, but their appearance was tempered by local conditions and, just as importantly, by the practical constraints of a modest and thrifty community.
Early parks
As in other new California towns, Petaluma grew up in a rather happenstance manner. The earliest layout of Petaluma included a plaza, but no public parks.
At an early date a very effective volunteer group, the Ladies' Improvement Club, was formed to create our first parks; to this day many individual volunteers and many service groups and clubs continue to play unusually strong role in park development, improvement, and park care in Petaluma.
POST WWII PARKS, 1945 - CURRENT
Petaluma burst into the post WWII world with the continuing development of homes. Highway 101 through Petaluma was opened in 1956, with the earliest subdivisions popping up, east of the highway, a couple of years later.
Two large parks occupy two main thoroughfares; Lucchesi Park, the main community park, on North McDowell Boulevard, and Leghorn Park on Sonoma Mountain Parkway. Several neighborhood parks are scattered throughout, sometimes joined by linear parkways that provide many walking and biking opportunities.
In early days of subdivision development, the design and installation of neighborhood parks was often left to the developers. Later parks received more input from Parks staff and citizens.
Additional park histories are on their way. Throughout Petaluma’s history the town has benefited from some unusually generous gifts of funds, land, and other donations by private citizens. The generosity of the town's occupants is one of the aspects of Petaluma we treasure. We believe that the town would also benefit from some comprehensive and professional park planning.