Wingo, California

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, California
Ghost town
Wingo, California 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	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 (299 ha) was included in the Napa-Sonoma Marshes Wildlife Area overseen by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.^[6]

The Northwestern Pacific right of way runs through the town. Just before it enters Wingo, it crosses a manual, chain-operated drawbridge that is planked for both cars and trains to cross.^{[citation needed]}

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 rabbits, Waders, Ducks, Kingfishers, Herons, Egrets, Mourning doves, Woodpeckers, Swallows, Songbirds and others.^[6][7]

In Popular Culture

Wingo has been referenced in at least two songs. Norton Buffalo mentioned the town in his song "High Tide in Wingo",^[8] and later collaborated with Roy Rogers in "Ain't no Bread in the Breadbox", with a music video filmed in the ghost town.^[9]