Stone House Historical Society has
republished a local history classic:
 
Genevieve Magoon's "The Story
of Guenoc Ranch: Lake and Napa Counties,
California"
A modest 500 copies of this little book, so frequently referenced by other authors,
were originally published in 1976. Few copies remain available
today; an internet search showed sixteen copies held by libraries
worldwide, but not a single copy for sale.
Magoon has carefully documented her research into the history of Lake County, California,
particularly the south county/ Middletown area, and gathered unique historical photos, most of them now essentially irretrievable. Her own interest in history and her fascination with the world of theater came together when she found that famed Lillie
Langtry, British songstress and probably the first superstar in America, once owned the Lake County property and had vineyards planted there as early as 1888.
Northern California's wine industry was yet in its infancy when the Magoons planted their first test crops in 1973. Lake County grapes were widely used by wineries in Napa and Sonoma counties and elsewhere, but
the Magoons were among the first to develop a local winery. Guenoc Winery, with strong promotional efforts incorporating the legend of Lillie Langtry,
was among the prime movers in bringing California wines to international acclaim.
Guenoc Winery and vineyards were sold in 2003 and are now known as Langtry Estate & Vineyards.
This is the story of important players in the development of the wine industry and the growth of Lake County. We are pleased to make it readily available again to new generations, even with reproduction of photos that reflect the printing technology of 30-some years ago. We present the introductory materials as photographs of the original pages, but have reconstructed the text
pages, correcting a few typographical errors noted in the book's errata, for easy readability.
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Individual copies $12.99
plus $3 shipping |
Write to Stone House Historical Society, 18174 Hidden Valley Road, Suite
2, Hidden Valley Lake, CA 95461; or send email to
stonehouse@mchsi.com.
Or call 987-7370 or 987-2349. |
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