The area of the Victor Piezzi ranch in Western Sonoma County was referred to by many names over the years, including Sebastopol, Graton, Freestone, Forestville, Bloomfield and Occidental.

Long ago, Spain claimed land ownership. They were perturbed about Russian fur trappers who were reportedly becoming "squatters" on the coastal and interior lands of present-day Sonoma County. Spanish platoons ventured inland to investigate. They named the area "Terra Incognito", meaning "The Unnamed Place", on an exploration and land mapping venture in 1812. Incidentally, place names of familiar nearby cities Terra Linda and Petaluma also were assigned on the same trip.

When it was governed by the Land Grant system of Mexico, the same area was dubbed "Rancho El Molino", meaning "The Mill Ranch" due to a bustling lumber mill situated on Atascadero Creek (Atascadero means "bog" or "swamp" in Spanish). This large tract of land covered 17,892 acres.

The moniker "Analy Township" was awarded in 1856 to this same area upon California's new statehood in 1850. Analy Township (pronounced ANNA-lee) was among the first four townships ever to be noted in Sonoma County.

By 1890, the entire region from Occidental Road to Green Valley Road had become one unbroken peach orchard. It was such a dominant crop that when the Post Office opened a local postal branch it was dubbed "Peachland Post Office." After the demise of the peach industry, other crops replaced the peaches, especially apples and grapes.

Analy Township flourished and local area ranches developed into thriving excellence throughout the areas of present-day Sebastopol, Graton, Freestone, Forestville, Bloomfield and Occidental. The umbrella term "Green Valley" was coined and became a popular name for the region. It would have become permanent were it not for another California town already with that name.

With thanks to the "From Peachland to Squirtsville" column by Greg Dabel from Graton Grapevine column in the Sonoma West Times & News newspaper, excerpted.