Yesteryear is a word that has been used in a variety of ways. The Walking Tour Guides of our Historic Downtown District, who have adopted the personas of some of Petaluma’s prominent citizens from the late 19th or early 20th Century, have created a unique team of historical enthusiasts who are known as the Petalumans of Yesteryear. Through special presentations, Adult School history classes, and cemetery tours, they help preserve knowledge about our town’s past.
Several years ago, a website was created that included, in addition to a historical time line of Petaluma; a write-up about the contributions each of the Petalumans of Yesteryear made as our river town grew and developed over the years was created. Since then, some of the original Petalumans of Yesteryear have died or moved away. New volunteers have stepped up to the plate to replace them and to add new historic personalities. Over the past few weeks, a new website has been designed and is now available for the public:
http://www.petalumansofyesteryear.org/
Stay tuned as we continue to preserve and to share many of the interesting stories about the people and events that made Petaluma what it is today. Look for future “Lest We Forget” posts about prominent citizens, past and present, on this site and my blog “Our River Town” on Argus-Courier’s Petaluma360.