Wingo is a ghost town[2] located in Sonoma County, California in the United States. It can be found on older maps as a dot along the sloughs of Sonoma Creek, south of Sonoma and Schellville, and west of Buchli.

Wingo
Ghost town
Wingo Location in California
Coordinates: 38°12′33″N 122°25′36″W[1]
Country	United States
State	California
County	Sonoma
Elevation [1]	7 ft (2 m)
Time zone	UTC-8 (Pacific (PST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-7 (PDT)
Area code(s)	707

History

Wingo was a steamship station known as Norfolk until 1879 when it was given the name Wingo by the Railroad.[3][4] Now a ghost town of a few barns, cabins, and a train trestle, it was once a bustling town that served as a stop for steamer passengers from San Francisco.[5]

Wingo and its surrounding area of 738 acres has become a part of the Napa-Sonoma Marshes Wildlife Area overseen by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.[6]

Land use

Formerly open to tidal action, the area was diked to create agricultural lands. During winter rains natural seasonal ponds are created.[6] Since this area is on a major migration route for many species of birds,[7] efforts are being made to create more seasonal and permanent freshwater ponds and to plant crops and grasses for wildlife.[6]

Wildlife

Wildlife that can be seen in and around Wingo include golden eagles, American kestrels, red-tailed hawks, Northern harriers, owls, California quail, ring-necked pheasant, bitterns, turkey vultures, coyotes, cottontail rabbit, shorebirds, ducks, kingfishers, herons, egrets, mourning doves, woodpeckers, swallows, songbirds and others.[6][7]

References