Origin of The Name
The phrase Valley of the Moon was first recorded in an 1850 report by General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo to the California Legislature.
According to Jack London, who had a ranch there, the Native American word Sonoma means Valley of the Moon. He used it for his book of the same name. But there are several other possible translations for Sonoma (see Sonoma County, California). According to the Miwok tribes that lived in the valley, and the Pomo, it meant "valley of the moon" or "many moons". White settlers may have accidentally translated the words "many moons" into "valley of moons". Miwok legends say that the moon seemingly rose from this valley, or was "nestled" in the valley, or may have even sprung up multiple times in one night.
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