Woodland Book

Valley Jewel:

Woodland richly deserves its designation as a “museum of styles.” Its impressive array of public and commercial buildings, as well as restored vintage homes, includes major California styles from mid-19th century Gothic Revival to upscale, modern Ranch and is unsurpassed by any California city of comparable size.

This book tells the story of adventuresome owners, imaginative designers, and skillful builders — unified by a sustained vision of a community as a place both for business growth and aesthetic values. Founded in 1861, affluent Woodland, with the highest per capita income in the United States in 1888, became a booming agricultural center. With a vibrant economy and civic pride, Woodlanders developed a tradition of building beautiful homes and public buildings, often in the latest styles, by bringing together resourceful local craftsman, builders, and top architectural talent from Sacramento and the Bay Area.

The author tells this unusual story with special attention to the lives of the artisans who crafted a gracious California town. The 63 illustrated profiles detail the careers and works of architects, builders, and preservationists whose contributions shaped Woodland and propelled its successful neighborhood preservation movement. The text is illustrated with numerous photographs, etchings, and sketches.

Gertrude's Oaks:

David L. Wilkinson’s book Gertrude’s Oaks traces Woodland’s relationship with trees from the 1850s to the present. Gertrude’s Oaks brings to life this dynamic history by introducing readers to several notable historical figures in the California Central Valley town’s formative years, whose pens forced the community to examine its destructive tendencies towards its oak tree heritage. Gertrude’s Oaks also delves into the lives of local women leaders committed to Woodland’s civic and cultural development, including the advent of Arbor Day and the development of the city’s first public park. Wilkinson examinesthe progression of Woodland’s public policies to plant and protect its public trees and expand its urban forest and park system.

In the modern era, Gertrude’s Oaks explains how local citizens created an active nonprofit, Woodland Tree Foundation, in the wake of a lawsuit to save historical trees from a road-widening project. Citizen activism to preserve Woodland’s heritage trees led to efforts to develop a modern tree ordinance, in cooperation with progressive city leaders, to protect native oaks and other large trees while informing the public about their value. The relevance of Woodland’s “Climate Action Plan” to its urban forest and the recent adoption and implementation of an “Urban Forest Master Plan” are explained by Wilkinson. To align tree planting with public policy and efforts to reduce Woodland’s carbon footprint, Gertrude’s Oaks also makes the case for regenerating the city’s future landscape with the planting of long-lived native oaks in appropriate locations and new developments. The book contains over 200 archival and contemporary photographs spanning Woodland’s history.