Hopland

History

The Hopland Band of Pomo Indians, or Sho-Ka-Wah, are Central Pomo people who have lived in Hopland since "the beginning of time". The Sho-Ka-Wah lived their lives hunting, gathering, making, practicing spirituality and generally living their lives. Their main village, population 1,500, was called "Shanel". After the settlers came, they were forced to move, and then to move again. Today most of the Sho-Ka-Wah people live in the Hopland reservation east of Hopland. They have a gambling facility and other businesses to support their community. The community also engages in spirituality, dance traditions, and caring for the land. The settlement that became Hopland was originally called "Sanel". This began in 1868 when L.F. Long established the first hop farm some north, where the railroad station called Largo (Spanish for "long", after Samuel F. Long ) was later located. Downy mildew pushed hops out of the area completely by the late 1950s.

Geography

Hopland is in southeastern Mendocino County, along U.S. Route 101, which leads north-northwest to Ukiah, the county seat, and southeast to Santa Rosa, the Sonoma County seat. According to the United States Census Bureau, the Hopland CDP covers an area of , 98.65% of it land and 1.35% of it water. The Russian River flows southward through the eastern side of the community, separating the main village of Hopland from Old Hopland, also part of the CDP, on the eastern side of the river.

Race & ethnicity