Boonville Hotel Highway 128, Boonville, CA
web: www.boonvillehotel.com/

Boonville has a population of 700 and is in the heart of the Anderson Valley wine country. Around 1850 the town was settled by western adventurers, including one by the name of W.W. Boone, a relative of Daniel Boone. For a long time the area was isolated and locals tried to keep it that way by developing a folk language called Boontling. This helped to keep local conversations private. It also kept the youth from settling in the big city down south. When the young people went to San Francisco talking Boontling, they were laughed right out of town, and back to Boonville where they went to work for their parents on the farm.

Boontling is still spoken by old-timers. This is probably the only place in the world where you can call a young girl “apple head” and it might not be a problem. To hear Boontling spoken by a local, Bobby Glover, and learn about the Anderson Valley from other residents, you can go to Voices of the Anderson Valley, an excellent cultural heritage documentary project developed by students at the local high school.

DIRECTIONS

From the San Francisco Bay Area take 101 North to the last Cloverdale exit, which is the Hwy. 128 West (Boonville) exit. Turn left at the end of the exit ramp, drive a short way and turn right to stay on Hwy 128 West. It is a winding road that eventually leads down into the Anderson Valley and to the town of Boonville. The Boonville Hotel is the large red building on the left in the middle of town. The drive from the Bay Area takes between 2 and 2.5 hours in medium traffic.

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