Springs History Will Come to Life in Dramatic Interview at Community Center
In May, Sonoma historian and actor George Webber and his history side-kick CW Bayer started their Agua Rica Tour at the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn and Spa in the Springs. It is a one-hour walking tour of the grounds, with historic photos. During the tour, guests meet Reverend Thaddeus Minor Leavenworth, Captain Henry Earnest Boyes, and the man who became Boyes Hot Springs’ de-facto Mayor: Rudy Lichtenberg.
George Webber has portrayed many different characters over the last 25 years: General Vallejo, Count Haraszthy, Charles Krug, and Sam Brannan. All of them knew each other; several were very good friends, and two of them became brothers-in-law. This period of Sonoma history is fascinating — but Mr. Webber confessed that he was tired of it all. “The stories are pretty depressing; General Vallejo didn’t deserve his treatment by Captain Fremont and the Bear Flaggers, but we have to be honest — the General is a difficult person to like.”
But Webber takes heart in the development of mineral springs in the Valley. “Meanwhile, just up the road from Vallejo’s home, there was a place where hot water came bubbling out of the ground, and people congregated to have fun. Boyes Hot Springs! And the people who built the various hot-water resorts on this spot are fascinating, archetypal, and liberating to portray!”…