Discover the Petaluma River: Author talk by Alan M. Butler and Katherine J. Rinehart

Authors Alan M. Butler and Katherine J. Rinehart, present their new book, The Petaluma River. A sketch book of the buildings and landmarks in Petaluma, combined with a brief historical overview. View the art and historical collections in person and hear from the authors.

Alan M. Butler is a longtime resident of Santa Rosa, California. He is architect of record for the initial phase of the Santa Rosa Junior College Petaluma Campus and the Doyle Library on the main campus in Santa Rosa. Alan retired from TLCD Architecture in 2018 after a 33-year career. For a dozen years, particularly during the pandemic lockdowns, Alan began to visit the Petaluma River. He found the Petaluma River to be rich sketching environment with feed mills, housing, commercial and industrial lining the river. In 2023, he compiled a book of sketches and historical information in a limited-edition book: Journey Down the River. His sketches and watercolors of Petaluma and Japan can be found at www.sonoma-sketcher.com.  

Katherine J. Rinehart, author of Petaluma: A History in Architecture, is a consulting historian who holds an MA in History from Sonoma State University. She is the former manager of the Sonoma County History & Genealogy Library and Sonoma County Archives and co-chair of the Advocates for the Sonoma County Archives. Katherine is proud to be an official Petaluma Good Egg — an honor bestowed annually to individuals who have advanced the story of Petaluma’s unique and fascinating past and contributed to the positive promotion of Petaluma. You can learn more about her work at Kjrinehart.com