| rdfs:comment | - Image:Http://www.ci.cotati.ca.us/sections/about/bigphotos/tompage 01.jpg Thomas Stokes Page was born in 1815 in New Jersey, and graduated at 21 from the University of Pennsylvania medical school. Anxious to see the world and seek his fortune, Page wasted no time in boarding a cruise ship bound for Europe and then South America. For reasons that are not clear, he wound up settling in Valparaiso, Chile, establishing himself as a family man and physician. In Valparaiso he became friendly with the Atherton family, who convinced him to find an estate for himself in Northern California. To this end they introduced him to a Mr. Grogan, who acted as agent.
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| abstract | - Image:Http://www.ci.cotati.ca.us/sections/about/bigphotos/tompage 01.jpg Thomas Stokes Page was born in 1815 in New Jersey, and graduated at 21 from the University of Pennsylvania medical school. Anxious to see the world and seek his fortune, Page wasted no time in boarding a cruise ship bound for Europe and then South America. For reasons that are not clear, he wound up settling in Valparaiso, Chile, establishing himself as a family man and physician. In Valparaiso he became friendly with the Atherton family, who convinced him to find an estate for himself in Northern California. To this end they introduced him to a Mr. Grogan, who acted as agent. Although Page purchased Rancho Cotate in 1849, it would be another seven years until he received clear title to the land since the original deed had been lost. For nearly 80 years after that, the Page family controlled most of what was called Cotati Valley, the area covering the southern end of the Santa Rosa plain. Dr. Page and most of the family members actually spent very little time living on the ranch. Two of the seven Page sons developed the land into a cattle and sheep concern, and until the early 1890's it remained largely unchanged. During the period from 1849 to 1892, the most significant development for Cotati was the building of the railroad, which was completed in 1870. Not until 1892 would a town begin to gather around the wood and water stop known only as Page's Station, because when Dr. Page died in 1872, he provided in his will that the ranch would not be subdivided and sold until the youngest Page son reached the age of 25. In this way, Cotati became the last of the Sonoma County Ranchos to remain intact. Source:
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