Mankas Corner is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...

in the

Suisun Valley AVA The Suisun Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area in Solano County, California, located just east of the Napa Valley wine region in the Coast Range. It was established as a wine appellation on 27 December 1982. Geography Suisun Valley i ...

, is an

American Viticulture Area An American Viticultural Area (AVA) is a designated wine grape-growing region in the United States, providing an official appellation for the mutual benefit of wineries and consumers. Winemakers frequently want their consumers to know about the g ...

Solano County, California Solano County () is a county (United States), county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 453,491. The county seat is Fairfield, California, Fairfield. Solano County comp ...

Description

The area around Mankas Corner is primarily agricultural, with the main crops being wine grapes and olives. However, row crops such as wheat, sorghum, sunflowers and soy beans are important also. The area has a semi-coastal

Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate ( ), also called a dry summer climate, described by Köppen and Trewartha as ''Cs'', is a temperate climate type that occurs in the lower mid-latitudes (normally 30 to 44 north and south latitude). Such climates typic ...

, and sits at a relatively low elevation of . The

terrain Terrain (), alternatively relief or topographical relief, is the dimension and shape of a given surface of land. In physical geography, terrain is the lay of the land. This is usually expressed in terms of the elevation, slope, and orientati ...

is flat, but there are mountains on three sides. Prominent landmarks visible from Mankas Corner are Mt. Diablo, which is visible to the south across the

Suisun Bay Suisun Bay ( ; Wintun for "where the west wind blows") is a shallow tidal estuary (a northeastern extension of the San Francisco Bay) in Northern California. It lies at the confluence of the Sacramento River and San Joaquin River, forming the e ...

estuary An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime enviro ...

, the

twin summit Twins are two offspring produced by the same pregnancy.MedicineNet > Definition of Twin Last Editorial Review: 19 June 2000 Twins can be either ''monozygotic'' ('identical'), meaning that they develop from one zygote, which splits and forms two e ...

of Twin Sisters, which is the high point in the Howell Mountains to the west, and the Blue Ridge of the

Vaca Mountains The Vaca Mountains are a mountain range in Napa County, California, Napa and Solano County, California, Solano Counties, California that is one of the California Coast Ranges. They represent the easternmost of the Inner Coast Ranges in north−ce ...

, a prominent escarpment visible to the east.

History

Mankas Corner is named after Christley Manka (1814–1888), who in 1855 bought from John Barton an interest in a store and tavern at that location. It was then the intersection of the

Benicia Benicia ( , ) is a city in Solano County, California, located on the north bank of the Carquinez Strait in the North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. It served as the capital of California for nearly thirteen months from 1853 to 1854. ...

-to-

Suisun City Suisun City ( ; Wintun for "where the west wind blows") is a city in Solano County, California, United States. The population was 29,518 at the 2020 census. Etymology The city takes its name from the adjacent Suisun Bay, which in turn is named ...

stagecoach A stagecoach (also: stage coach, stage, road coach, ) is a four-wheeled public transport coach used to carry paying passengers and light packages on journeys long enough to need a change of horses. It is strongly sprung and generally drawn by ...

route and the main road running between Suisun and the Berryessa Valley. Wheat from Berryessa Valley farms supplied grain to much of the state, and each harvest massive wagons drawn by multi-horse teams used the Suisun-Berryessa road to haul this wheat to the Suisun City port. The Suisun-Berryessa road was also part of the main route from San Francisco to the Sulphur Bank quicksilver mine in Knoxville, which meant that Barton and Manka's store sat at a major crossroads. Manka by 1859 had bought out Barton's interest in the store, and over the next forty years his store became a popular community center with an adjacent post office,

blacksmith A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from #Other metals, other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such ...

shop and

Masonic Hall A Masonic Temple or Masonic Hall is, within Freemasonry, the room or edifice where a Masonic Lodge meets. Masonic Temple may also refer to an abstract spiritual goal and the conceptual ritualistic space of a meeting. Development and history I ...

. Today a restaurant occupies the original site of the old store, with other establishments and a few residences nearby.

Notes and references

{{authority control Unincorporated communities in California Unincorporated communities in Solano County, California

Description

History

See also

Notes and references