History Tour Goes Retro

A photo essay

History Tour Goes Retro
(CRISSY PASCUAL/PETALUMA VOICE ©2026)

The Petalumans of Yesteryear offer regular guided tours of downtown Petaluma. New this year, they are rewinding to the first half of the 20th century and using an old-school toy to lead a walking tour of historic buildings. On Sunday, May 2, 2026, the group's inaugural "View Master Tour: Petaluma Rewind," led by Sherri and Leif Ortegren, guided guests to specific locations where they stopped to learn about history, then looked through a View-Master loaded with custom slides featuring images from the 1900s through the 1940s to see what the site used to look like.

The View-Master tours begin at the Balshaw Bridge in downtown Petaluma. (CRISSY PASCUAL/PETALUMA VOICE ©2026)
Sherri Ortegren, sporting her husband's high school sweater, talks about what used to exist next to the current Ace Hardware store on the corner of B and 4th streets in downtown Petaluma. (CRISSY PASCUAL/PETALUMA VOICE ©2026)
Doug Zita listens as Sherri Ortegren tells the group about what used to exist on Petaluma Boulevard and prompts them to look through their View-Masters. (CRISSY PASCUAL/PETALUMA VOICE ©2026)
Seen through the View-Master is a photo of what used to be the Union Hall and then the Hospitality House, where soldiers could go to dance and enjoy the alcohol-free specialties of a "dairy bar." It is now the location of Alphabet Soup Thrift Store. This is the photo that inspired Sherri Ortegren to start the new guided tour using View-Masters. (CRISSY PASCUAL/PETALUMA VOICE ©2026)
Sherri Ortegren (far left) and her husband, Leif (far right), lead a group on the inaugural View Master Tour, pointing out historic buildings. (CRISSY PASCUAL/PETALUMA VOICE ©2026)
Anya Brown looks through a View-Master to see what a specific location across the turning basin used to look like. (CRISSY PASCUAL/PETALUMA VOICE ©2026)((CC
(CRISSY PASCUAL/PETALUMA VOICE ©2026)