Joseph Hooker Ranch
16060 Sonoma Highway at Serres Lane
Aqua Caliente
From 1851 to 1858

The marker reads:

This was the home of
Fighting Joe Hooker
In 1851 to 1858
Then Lieutenant-Colonel U.S.A.
Later a famous general of the Civil War

Placed by the Historic Landmarks Committee Native Sons of the Golden West
1926

Re-dedicated June 14, 2020 Native Sons of the Golden West

Some other historic sites in Sonoma County are associated with Hooker: Leese-Fitch Adobe, Union Hotel and Blue Wing Inn.

The Joseph Hooker Ranch is also Sonoma County Landmark 94.

It is common knowledge that the term hooker was derived from Hooker's name. So many prostitutes worked around Hooker’s army during the Civil War that they became known as “Hooker’s Division” or “Hooker’s Brigade” or simply “hookers.”

As is often the case, common knowledge is probably wrong. The Oxford English Dictionary cites usage as early as 1567 when it meant petty thief or pickpocket. In America this synonym for prostitute dates back at least as far as 1845.