History of the Town
In the mid 19th-century a new American town, Monticello, came into existence in the Putah Creek Basin. It soon developed into a prosperous agricultural
community during the early years of the 20th century. At this time Berryessa Valley was a flat, fertile valley watered by Putah Creek, and the soil of
the valley was considered among the most fertile in the country. The town of Monticello stood in the center of the valley, surrounded by thousands of
acres of land used to raise livestock and for dry land farming of grain. The subsequent development of a canal system for irrigation contributed to successful crops of pears, grapes,
walnuts, alfalfa, and other grains, and to herds of cattle and horses. In springtime, wildflowers carpeted the valley floor and hillsides, and California poppies spilled into the town cemetery.
Monticello also became a popular venue for rodeos, baseball games, and “cow roasts,” drawing people from miles around. The town enjoyed the
further distinction of being the first community in the state to have a telephone system installed. Photographers Dorothea Lange and Pirkle Jones
described Monticello in the 1950s as “a center with only one store, two gas pumps, a small hotel, and a roadside spot.
Monticello’s residents would find themselves displaced by forces greater than themselves. The U.S. Government had been eyeing
the valley for years as a site for a dam on Putah Creek to prevent flooding downstream and to provide a reservoir of water for
agricultural, urban, industrial, military, and recreational uses. Residents of Monticello tried desperately to reverse the “Solano Project,” but to no avail.
Aftervaliant attempts to thwart the plans of the government dam-builders, Monticello residents at last had to accept the fate of their town:
they abandoned their homes, hiring laborers to move the town cemetery to higher ground at Spanish Flats.
By 1957, construction of Monticello Dam at Devil’s Gate, the narrow point of the Putah Creek Canyon, was completed. By 1963 1.6 million acre-feet of water had flooded the valley, creating the second
largest human-made water body in California (after Shasta Reservoir), with 165 miles of shoreline. Thus, Quail Ridge emerged as a peninsula on the southern shore of this new 26 x 3 mile
reservoir. Water now passes in regulated flows through the dam into what is left of Putah Creek. s
The reservoir and dam generate electricity via the three hydroelectric units of the Monticello Hydroelectric Power Plant,built from 1981-1983 and financed by a local bond. The plant is
owned and operated by the Solano Irrigation District, and the electricity is transmitted to Pacific Gas and Electric Company’s power grid.
Today the reservoir ensures the supply of water for Travis Air Force Base and the major towns of Solano County, and it is a favorite venue for water sports enthusiasts. Seven resorts are run
by concessionaires under contract with the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) and cater to anglers, campers, water skiers, and jet boaters. The
Markley Cove and Pleasure Cove resorts sit at the east and west inlets on either side of the Quail Ridge peninsula, respectively.
 
|
|
