Potter Valley, California

Infobox Settlement
name=Potter Valley, California
settlement_type=unincorporated town
subdivision_type=Country
subdivision_name=United States
subdivision_type1=State
subdivision_name1=California
subdivision_type2=County
subdivision_name2=Mendocino
elevation_footnotes= [gnis|265005|Potter Valley]
elevation_m=289
elevation_ft=948
timezone=Pacific
utc_offset=-8
timezone_DST= PDT
utc_offset_DST=-7
postal_code_type=ZIP code
postal_code=95469
area_code=707
blank_name=FIPS code
blank_info=06-58506
blank1_name=GNIS feature ID
blank1_info=265005

Potter Valley is an unincorporated town in Mendocino County, California, United States. It is located at the headwaters of the East Fork of the Russian River, approximately convert|10|mi|km|0|abbr=on northeast of Ukiah.

History

In 1852, when William and Thomas Potter and Mose Briggs first entered what would be known as Potter Valley, they were searching for the headwaters of the Russian River from their base in Sonoma County. The Pomo people called it Ba-lo Kai. They found three Pomo villages (each about 500 people strong), the Russian headwaters, and a lush valley with wild oats "stirrup high". Eventually the Potters returned to settle there, and the valley became known by the American ranchers' name. [Mendocino County Historical Society, The Potter Valley Story 1972]

Painter Grace Hudson was born in Potter Valley. [ [http://www.gracehudsonmuseum.org/ Grace Hudson Museum, an art, history, and anthropology museum ] ]

In addition to his famous Ridgewood Ranch, Charles S. Howard, owner of Seabiscuit, owned a ranch in Potter Valley, where he ran cattle and occasionally secluded Seabiscuit when visitors became bothersome. [ [http://www.penofin.com/seabiscuit_barn.shtml Seabiscuit’s Barn ] ]

Politics

In the state legislature Potter Valley is located in the 2nd Senate District, represented by Democrat Pat Wiggins, and in the 1st Assembly District, represented by Democrat Patty Berg. Federally, Potter Valley is located in California's 1st congressional district, which has a Cook PVI of D +10 [cite web | title = Will Gerrymandered Districts Stem the Wave of Voter Unrest? | publisher = Campaign Legal Center Blog | url=http://www.clcblog.org/blog_item-85.html | accessdate = 2007-10-20] and is represented by Democrat Mike Thompson.

Geography

Potter Valley is located just northeast of Ukiah and Lake Mendocino in Mendocino County, with the valley floor at roughly convert|1000|ft|m|-2|abbr=on elevation. The headwaters of the East Fork of the Russian River originate in the valley. Additional water from the Eel River is pumped into the Russian River here via a controversial hydroelectric plant that tunnels through the mountains to take advantage of the relative proximity of these two waterways. This diversion supplies a significant amount of water to inland Mendocino and Sonoma Counties. Potter Valley is a rich agricultural region, with excellent soils, planted mostly in irrigated pasture, wine grapes, and pears, but supporting a wide variety of farms and ranches.

References

External links

* [http://www.pacificsites.com/~chaniot/pvbirdsv2p1.html Potter Valley Bird Sightings]
* [http://www.california-wine-tours-and-accessories.com/potter-valley-wine.html Potter Valley American Viticultural Area]
* [http://www.cognitivity.com/pottervalley.html Potter Valley Websites]
* [http://www.pottervalleyschools.us Potter Valley Community Unified School District]
* [http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/calludt.cgi/WXDESCRIPTION?STN=POTTRVLY.C#001 Historical weather data from the Potter Valley Pumping Station]
*Geolinks-US-hoodscale|39.322222|-123.113056