Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Below: old-book passages.
The Calpella post office opened in 1860, the earliest record of the town by name.
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Calpella’s history is told.
From Wikipedia’s history of Calpella.
Col. C.H. Veeder and James Pettus, Veeder's son-in-law, founded the town in 1858. It is named after Kalpela, the chief of the nearby Pomo village of Chomchadila. His name comes from Northern Pomo khál phíila, meaning "carrying mussels down".
The Calpella post office opened in 1860, closed in 1868, reopened in 1872, was discontinued for a time, and moved in 1920.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Passages that mention Calpella, cut from the printed page as they were published.
lowing rumor concerning the division of the county: "It has several times been intimated that certaui parties in the northern portion of the county were operating in bringing about a division of the county, by drawing a line from east to west, passing through somewhere near Calpella, making some point in Long valley the county seat. The proposed new county wiU contain the townships of Calpella, Little Lake, Round Valley, and a portion of Big River."
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Calpella. — Calpella is one of the oldest towns in Mendocino county, having been begun in 1858 by C. H. Veeder, as stated above. When the commissioners were appointed to select two sites to be voted for for the county seat of Mendocino county, upon the organization of the county in 1859, Calpella was one of the places chosen ; and, although we are unable to give the exact vote, yet we are informed that its competitor, Ukiah, did not carry off" the honors with any very great majority. But that was its death knell. It is in too great proximity to Ukiah for the surrounding vicinity
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
2023Old vine carignan in Redwood Valley AVA - September 2…
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2023Old vine carignan in Redwood Valley AVA - September 2…
2023Old vine carignan in Redwood Valley AVA - September 2…
2023Calpella Elementary School - September 2023 - Sarah S…
2021Calpella - March 2021 - Sarah StierchNobody well known was born in Calpella itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
Calpella had its own post office from 1860 to 1971.
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
The Calpella post office opened in 1860, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →
From Wikimedia Commons (6), Wikipedia, the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
