Acknowledgement Page

The research done each particular site for this historical tour began in May of 2022. This has been a labor of love for volunteers Wendi Hendershot, Bill Schroeder, Denise McBride, Ginger Gardner and Don Hendershot, who wanted to acknowledge our town’s past and the pioneers, businesses, and buildings that laid the foundation of what Dixon is today. They each spent countless hours of research to bring this project to fruition. This was not an easy task as there were no addresses in the early days and businesses moved locations frequently.

The historical information compiled would not have been possible without The Dixon Tribune digitized newspapers, archived on the Solano County Library site…https://solanolibrary.com/hours-and-locations/dixon-library/dixon-archives/ , as well as other digitized newspapers. Also instrumental to this project were the photographs donated by the pioneers of this area, passed down through their families and archived on the library site by Librarians Mary Jean Woodman and Shirley Parsons. Valuable pieces of Dixon’s history were put together from historical deeds, family genealogy, wills, maps, books, directories, voter registrations and the various histories published.

We would like to acknowledge the ongoing research done and added by the past and current historians of the Dixon Historical Society to their website https://www.dixonhistoricalsociety.org, as well as the historians of the Dixon Women’s Improvement Club, that worked to publish the “Dixon Images of America” paperback, published in 2005.

A wealth of knowledge of what life was like in the early days, was gathered from the Dixon Tribune “Brevities”, extracted from microfilm by historian, Ardeth Sievers Reidel in the 1970’s. So much of Dixon’s missing history was also researched from microfilm for over 20 years by Alan Schmeiser and the late Hayward Melville, given to the city and compiled on their website, “The Dixon Historical Guild”, for us to access until it expired in 2024. This group of volunteers partnered with Mr. Schmeiser to make a new site to restore this research and to add the walking tour QR codes and on-going research compiled for each site, as well as other sites, under “This Place Has History”, that do not have a plaque.

Please visit www.dixonhistoricalguild.org often. As more information on our early pioneers and the historic sites of downtown is uncovered, it will be preserved there.

This publication is your reference for the self-guided tour of our historic downtown. The map for the tour can be found in the middle pages of the printed magazine as well as on this site.

Legal Disclosure:

This document has been prepared by a group of volunteers. All the information contained herein provides historical information based on the best research and verification efforts of this group of researchers. They have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of the historical research reflected in this document. However, all historical research is subject to inherent uncertainties and limitations. While the group believes the information contained herein is accurate, no warranties express or implied, are made as to this information. Users are always encouraged to independently verify any, and all, information contained in this document. This self-guided tour and document is the collaboration of The Dixon Historical Guild, The Dixon Chamber of Commerce, The Dixon Historical Society, The Downtown Dixon Business Association, and the City of Dixon. The Historical Plaque Committee also reserves the right to update or modify this document at any time without notice.