Authors Alan M. Butler and Katherine J. Rinehart will present their new book, The Petaluma River: A Sketch Journal and Brief Historical Overview, which is a compilation of sketches, photographs, and maps by Santa Rosa architect and artist Alan Butler, showing the Petaluma River as it reveals itself today. With his collaborator, historian Katherine J. Rinehart, the book intertwines artwork with historical images and research about the river and surrounding businesses. The authors will discuss how the book came to be and read some of their favorite entries. Hear about the river’s history, from its earliest uses to current plans for improved access and preservation.

Alan M. Butler is a longtime resident of Santa Rosa, California. He is the 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 a 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 drawings 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