C. 1875 SONOMA COUNTY GEYSERVILLE HOTEL SKAGGS' HOT SPRINGS MOCK MENU CALIFORNIA

Description

Offered is a c.1875, one sheet mock dinner menu of the Geyserville Hotel, operated by the Skaggs family, in Sonoma County, California. The “Bill of Fare” features thirteen gastronomic categories such as fish, game, roasts, and pastry. However, even though the Skagg’s operated a restaurant, the menu dishes offered are meant to amuse, not to eat. For example, Hedgehog a la Polonaise is a choice within the Roast category. Perhaps you’d prefer Black Jack under the Game category or Kidney Jelly for dessert. Both the menu side and the reverse have the printed word “over”, providing assurance that this item is complete. On the reverse of the menu, the satire continues but it is now focused on Skaggs’ Hot Springs. Of note is the non-satirical comment: “This famous summer resort has been open for the season for the past fifteen years, under the management of the present Proprietor, Alex” (Skaggs). “By 1860 the Skaggs family had established a resort that may have seen as many as 20 guests a day.  With visitors on the increase they built a redwood hotel in 1864, and an addition the next year.  By 1877, with the help of the new railroad to Healdsburg, that hotel played host to 300 invalids, tourists, and vacationers on a good day.  Most of them were from San Francisco, or cities in Marin and Sonoma Counties.  They christened the rooms and cottages with names like Oakland, Magnolia (also known as Murderer's Row), Knob Hill, San Rafael, San Francisco, and Santa Rosa.  Giving evidence of their points of origin, these names were meant to make the guests feel at home.[5] Source: ourhealdsburg.com
Since the Skaggs’ resort began in 1860 and this document states it had seen fifteen season, it is not unreasonable to conclude that this mock menu was issued in 1875. The printer identified on the menu is “Women’s Print 424 Montgomery St., S.F.” We believe the fuller name of the printer is Women’s Print Union, located at the address above. That printing co-operative (also known as the Women’s Co-operative Printing Union) was performing job printing in the mid-1870s.
Size: 11.5” x  5.75”
Condition: Browning, with small holes at the top center and middle bottom. E
vidence of old horizontal and vertical folds, with one .25" tear in the top right corner fold.
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Returns accepted within 7 days of delivery if item does not match description or expectations.