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60-720: Designed in 1885 by Thomas J. Welsh , a prominent San Francisco architect, for the amount of $ 28,000. It was the first opera house to serve the Sacramento Valley . The builder for the community theater was Woodland contractor William Henry Curson. Several years later in July 1892 a fire that started in Dead Cat Alley behind the Opera House destroyed much of what is now the Downtown Woodland Historic District , including

120-672: A coast-to-coast tour by train with five other boxers. They were scheduled to hold 195 fights in 136 different cities and towns over 238 days. To help promote the tour, Sullivan announced that he would box anyone at any time during the tour under the Queensberry Rules for $ 250. He knocked out eleven men during the tour. In Sullivan's era, no formal boxing titles existed. He became a champion after defeating Paddy Ryan in Mississippi City , near Gulfport, Mississippi , on February 7, 1882. Modern authorities have retroactively labelled Ryan

180-455: A fictionalized account of their relationship. Ward Bond portrayed Sullivan alternately as a fiery peacock of a heavyweight champion and, after his title loss, as a sweet, sentimental good sport. Sixteen years later, actor Roy Jenson played Sullivan in the 1958 episode, "The Gambler and the Lady", of the syndicated television anthology series , Death Valley Days , hosted by Stanley Andrews . In

240-452: A long life of overindulging in food and alcohol took its toll on the boxer. Like most boxers of the time, he did not live a very long life. Sullivan died at age 59 at his home in Abington, Massachusetts, supposedly from heart disease. At the time of his death, Sullivan had a young boy named Willie Kelly in his custody. The priest of Sullivan's church had brought Kelly, an orphan, to the front of

300-479: A member of the hall's original class. He had a record of 47 wins, 1 loss and 2 draws, with 38 wins by knockout, though many sources disagree on his exact record. The barn where Sullivan trained still stands in the small town of Belfast, New York, and is now the Bare Knuckle Boxing Hall of Fame . Sullivan and Corbett's landmark 1892 fight is depicted in the 1942 Warner Brothers biopic Gentleman Jim ,

360-567: A rain-snow mix every few years, but, on the average, only snows about every 5 years. Farther south in Sacramento, snow rarely occurs. During the autumn and winter months, the entire Central Valley is susceptible to dense tule fog that makes driving hazardous, especially at night and especially south of Corning. The fog can last for weeks depending on how weak the wind is. In more recent years, statewide droughts in California have further strained both

420-556: A significant part of the geography of the Sacramento Valley. Rising in the various mountain ranges (the various Northern Coast Ranges to the west, the southern Siskiyou Mountains to the north, and the northern Sierra Nevada to the east) that define the shape of the valley , they provide water for agricultural, industrial, residential, and recreation uses. Most of the rivers are heavily dammed and diverted. In more recent years, statewide droughts in California have further strained

480-519: A three-rounder against Tom Sharkey and a final two-rounder against Jim McCormick in 1905 in Grand Rapids , Michigan . He continued his various careers outside boxing such as being a stage actor, speaker, celebrity baseball umpire, sports reporter, and bar owner. In his later years, Sullivan also gave up his lifelong addiction to alcohol and became a prohibition lecturer. The effects of prize fighting along with his being overweight and unhealthy after

540-667: Is also the route of Amtrak 's Coast Starlight passenger train. The Union Pacific also has two east–west lines, through Donner Pass (the former Central Pacific Railroad ), and through the Feather River gorge (the former Western Pacific Railroad ). Amtrak's California Zephyr uses the Donner Pass route. The BNSF Railway has a line from Klamath Falls, Oregon , to a junction with the Union Pacific Feather River line at Keddie . The BNSF has trackage rights on both

600-438: Is how I got into the base-ball profession, and I left school for good and all. From the base-ball business I drifted into boxing and pugilism." As a professional fighter Sullivan was nicknamed The Boston Strongboy . As a youth he was arrested several times for participating in bouts where the sport was outlawed. He went on exhibition tours offering people money to fight him. Sullivan won more than 450 fights in his career. There

660-638: Is one major range of foothills between Cottonwood and Red Bluff known as the Cottonwood Hills (a.k.a. 9-mile Hill), and there is the Cottonwood Ridge between Anderson and Cottonwood. There are some hills in Redding, a few more than Red Bluff, and north of Redding it is mainly foothills. One distinctive geographic feature of the Sacramento Valley is the Sutter Buttes . Nicknamed the smallest mountain range in

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720-523: Is recognized as the first heavyweight champion of gloved boxing , de facto reigning from February 7, 1882, to September 7, 1892. He is also generally recognized as the last heavyweight champion of bare-knuckle boxing under the London Prize Ring Rules , being a cultural icon of the late 19th century America , arguably the first boxing superstar and one of the world's highest-paid athletes of his era. Newspapers' coverage of his career, with

780-514: Is some controversy among boxing historians over whether Sullivan had sparred with black boxer James Young at Schieffelin Hall in Tombstone, Arizona , in 1882. It is significant because Sullivan insisted that he never fought a black boxer. If it did occur, Sullivan possibly had a brief sparring session with the resident from Tombstone and did not regard it seriously as a bout. In 1883–84 Sullivan went on

840-643: The Donner Pass ; State Route 49 , named in honor of the California Gold Rush and running through many old mining towns in the foothills of the valley; and State Route 45 , which runs along the course of the Sacramento River roughly ten miles (20 km) east of I-5. The Union Pacific Railroad serves the valley, with its principal north–south line from Oakland , California to Portland, Oregon , via Sacramento , Marysville , Chico , and Redding. This

900-480: The London Prize Ring Rules , and therefore was the last-ever bare-knuckle heavyweight title bout. It was also one of the first sporting events in the United States to receive national press coverage. For the first time, newspapers carried extensive pre-fight coverage which included reporting on the fighters' training and speculating on where the bout would take place. The traditional center of bare-knuckle fighting

960-618: The heat index above 115 °F (46 °C) on the hottest days. At times the Breeze is gusty with wind speeds up to 30 mph (50 km/h) in the valley and 45 mph (75 km/h) in the windy delta region . This Breeze can also bring morning low clouds at times into the region, but the clouds generally burn off quickly and temperatures stay cool. Summer-like conditions continue into early to mid-September but weather starts to change to cooler, wetter, foggier weather during October which gives trees vibrant autumn foliage. Winters, also known as

1020-468: The "Heavyweight Champion of America", but any claim to Ryan's being a "world champion" would have been dubious; he had never contended internationally as Sullivan had. Depending on the modern authority, Sullivan was first considered world heavyweight champion either in 1888 when he fought Charley Mitchell in France, or in 1889 when he knocked out Jake Kilrain in round 75 of a scheduled 80-round bout. Arguably

1080-576: The Delta, and rice , nonviable in the drier San Joaquin Valley, is a major crop. While the region is wetter, soils are somewhat poorer in the Sacramento Valley; this means some crops, particularly vegetables, are less profitable compared to the San Joaquin Valley. The Sacramento Valley is also not as extensively cultivated; there are many more smallholdings and more uncultivated arable land compared to south of

1140-518: The Delta. The town of Corning produces olives for oil extraction and for consumption as fruit. The Sunsweet Growers Incorporated headquarters are in Yuba City . The valley controls more than two-thirds of the worldwide prune market through the over 400 growers in California. Weather patterns in the Sacramento Valley are very similar to those in the San Joaquin Valley to the south, although

1200-509: The Dwight Grammar School and performing well academically. Sullivan's parents aspired for their son to enter the priesthood as a Catholic priest. To this end Sullivan enrolled at Boston College circa 1875 but after only a few months he turned to playing baseball professionally, earning the substantial sum of $ 30 to $ 40 a week for his efforts. As Sullivan recalled in 1883: "I threw my books aside and gave myself up to it. This

1260-516: The Marquess of Queensberry Rules as early as 1880 and he only fought bare-knuckled three times in his entire career (Ryan 1882, Mitchell 1888, and Kilrain 1889). His bare-knuckle image was created because his infrequent fights from 1888 up to the Corbett fight in 1892 had been bare-knucklers. Sullivan retired to Abington , Massachusetts , but appeared in several exhibitions over the next 12 years, including

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1320-654: The Opera House is also used for a variety of music performances, comedians, and in rare cases even weddings. Sacramento Valley The Sacramento Valley ( Spanish : Valle de Sacramento ) is the area of the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California that lies north of the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta and is drained by the Sacramento River . It encompasses all or parts of ten Northern California counties. Although many areas of

1380-453: The Opera House. There was uncertainty whether the House would be rebuilt when a locally renowned businessman, David N. Hershey, purchased the site. Other local businessmen supported the project in addition to Hershey. The Opera House was rebuilt between 1895 and 1896 by local contractor William H. Winne at the cost of $ 8,990. Many of the materials from the original building were used including some of

1440-471: The Sacramento Valley are rural, it contains several urban areas, including the state capital, Sacramento . Comparatively water-rich relative to the other segment of the Central Valley to the south, the San Joaquin Valley , there are slight differences in the crops are typically grown in the Sacramento Valley. Much wetter winters (averaging between 25–60 inches (640–1,520 mm) of annual precipitation in

1500-553: The Sacramento Valley's water security . The terrain of the Sacramento Valley is primarily flat grasslands that become lusher as one moves east from the rain shadow of the Coast Ranges toward the Sierra. Unlike the San Joaquin Valley, which in its pre-irrigation state was a vegetation-hostile desert, the somewhat less arid Sacramento Valley had significant tracts of forest prior to the arrival of settlers of European ancestry. Most of it

1560-501: The Sacramento Valley's and the San Joaquin Valley's water security . Interstate 5 is the primary route through the Sacramento Valley, traveling north–south roughly along the valley's western edge. Interstate 80 cuts a northeast-to-southwest swath through the southern end of the valley, mostly through Sacramento and Yolo Counties, and ends at the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge . Several secondary routes connect

1620-535: The UP east–west routes. In addition, the California Northern Railroad operates the former Southern Pacific Railroad line on the west side of the valley from Davis to Tehama (near Red Bluff). John L. Sullivan John Lawrence Sullivan (October 15, 1858 – February 2, 1918), known simply as John L. among his admirers, and dubbed the " Boston Strong Boy " by the press, was an American boxer . He

1680-659: The United States, with temperatures often matching and even exceeding that of Phoenix, Arizona in its hottest years; the city's annual high temperature averages at 112 °F (44 °C). In the summer, the "Delta Breeze", which comes in from the San Francisco Bay Area , is known for bringing cooler temperatures and higher humidity to the southern parts of the valley. While it brings comparative relief for residents of Sacramento and Roseville, it often results in somewhat muggy conditions, with dew points sometimes reaching above 70 °F (21 °C) and occasionally pushing

1740-465: The WOH stage in the late 19th and early 20th century include Nance O'Neil , James A. Herne , Harry Davenport , Madame Helena Modjeska , John Philip Sousa and his band, comics Weber and Fields , George M. Cohan 's troupe, "Gentleman Jim" Corbett , John L. Sullivan as well as rising motion picture stars Sydney Greenstreet , Walter Huston and Verna Felton . In addition to play and drama productions,

1800-483: The champion got his second wind and was able to turn things around for himself. After a grueling beatdown, Kilrain's manager finally threw in the towel after the 75th round. The Governor of Mississippi offered a $ 1,000 reward for each fighter. Today, a historical marker is located at the site of the fight, just off Interstate 59 , and the fight is immortalized by the Sullivan-Kilrain Road which runs through

1860-745: The common theme in Italian Renaissance -Revival theaters. The Opera House holds mainstage subscriber productions from September to June. The theatre also has a summer youth theatre camp in August of each year and a Young People's Theatre Program that runs throughout the year. Along with many concerts throughout the year. Each production runs from 2 to 5 weekends. The theatre also works with the Yolo County Office of Education to provide very low ticket prices for students for school day performances of plays that are currently running. Some notable performers on

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1920-539: The cry was heard, "John L. is loose again! Send for Muldoon!" Muldoon would snatch the champ away from the bar and take him back to their training camp. On July 4, 1889, one Kentucky newspaper stated: "The Sullivan-Kilrain prize fight which is to take place in Louisiana on next Monday is now the most talked-about event in sporting circles." The stakes were $ 20,000 and a diamond world championship belt. On July 8, 1889, an estimated 3,000 spectators boarded special trains for

1980-401: The end of the bout, both men were unrecognizable and had suffered so much damage that neither could lift his arms up to punch. Both men couldn't continue, and the contest was considered a draw. At this point, the local gendarmerie arrived and arrested Mitchell. He was confined to jail for a few days and later fined by the local magistrate, because bare-knuckled boxing was illegal in France at

2040-408: The first title fight under those rules nor was it the first title fight using boxing gloves. Corbett was younger and faster, and his boxing technique enabled him to dodge Sullivan's crouch and rush style. In the 21st round, Corbett landed a smashing left "audible throughout the house" that put Sullivan down for good. Sullivan was counted out and Corbett was then declared the new champion. When Sullivan

2100-452: The humidity and precipitation tend to be a bit higher. Summers are the dry season, with average daytime temperatures in the low to high 90s °F (low to mid 30s °C) but triple digits (38 °C and above) are a common occurrence, especially in Chico , Redding , Red Bluff , and Sacramento . Redding in particular has been notorious for having extremely hot summers despite its northern latitude within

2160-624: The latest accounts of his championship fights often appearing in the headlines , and as cover stories, gave birth to sports journalism in the United States and set the pattern internationally for covering boxing events in media, and photodocumenting the prizefights. Sullivan was born on October 15, 1858, in the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston , Massachusetts , to Irish immigrant parents, Michael Sullivan from Abbeydorney , County Kerry and Catherine Kelly from Athlone , County Westmeath . He attended public schools in his native Boston, attending

2220-424: The nearby foothills) and an extensive system of irrigation canals allows for the economic viability of water-thirsty crops such as rice and Juglans hindsii -rootstock walnuts. Since 2010, statewide droughts in California (combined with unprecedented summer heat) have strained both the Sacramento Valley's and the Sacramento metropolitan region's water security . The Sacramento River and its tributaries are

2280-449: The north end of the Opera House (destroyed by fire in the 1930s) rose to a height of 60 feet above the street level. The building partially shares a common wall with the building on its western side Its interior is an example of 19th-century American playhouses. The layout of the stage is a typical proscenium arch . It combines the horseshoe balcony with an uninterrupted semi-circular seating arrangement and large orchestra seating area like

2340-660: The northern part of the valley and colder still in the foothills and frost can occur almost anywhere. Farther south near Sacramento, temperatures tend to stay between the low-50s and high-60s °F (10-20 °C), with nighttime temperatures dropping to the mid-30s and 40s °F (1-7 °C). Lower-elevation snowfall (in a relative sense) is more consistent in the foothills immediately above Sacramento and Folsom than anywhere else in California; Pollock Pines at 3,980 feet (1,210 m), gets an average of 65 inches (170 cm) of snow every winter, nearly double that of Yosemite Valley and more than triple that of Lucerne , Switzerland. During

2400-581: The parish and encouraged anyone with the means to care for the boy to do so. Sullivan is buried in the Old Calvary Cemetery in Roslindale , a neighborhood of Boston. He died with 10 dollars in his pocket (equivalent to almost $ 180 in 2018). According to the county where Sullivan died he had an estate worth $ 3,675. Sullivan was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990, as

2460-526: The partially standing walls. By 1913 over 300 touring companies had appeared on its stage, and the Woodland Opera House was becoming an entertainment center for the region. Nevertheless, the venue closed in that year, after ticket sales declined and the theater lost a lawsuit by an attendee who had mistaken a loading door for an exit and fell three feet, breaking an arm. The Opera house remained closed and unused for almost sixty years until 1971 when it

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2520-482: The rainy season, are generally mild to cool, foggy and wet. The valley and lower foothills are completely snowless outside of exceptional years where some flurries may occur. The rainy season runs from November to early-April, with some rainfall in September, October, and May. Up north, the temperature averages in the mid-40s °F (mid-to-high single digits °C) and lows reaching to the low-10s °F (-10 to -12 °C), colder in

2580-490: The rainy season, the Sacramento Valley is prone to strong thunderstorms and tornadoes , mostly of EF0 or EF1 intensity, especially in Colusa County and areas around Corning and Orland. Flooding does occur at times during wetter periods, usually November to March. Snow in the valley is rare, although Redding and Red Bluff , being at the north end of the valley, often experience a light dusting or two per year. Chico may get

2640-478: The real first World Heavyweight champion was Jem Mace , who defeated Tom Allen in 1870 at Kenner, Louisiana , but strong anti-British sentiment within the mostly Irish American boxing community of the time chose to disregard him. When the modern authorities refer to the "heavyweight championship of the world," they are likely referring to the championship belt presented to Sullivan in Boston on August 8, 1887. The belt

2700-419: The secret location, which turned out to be Richburg, a town just south of Hattiesburg, Mississippi . The fight began at 10:30, and at first it looked like Sullivan was going to lose. "The first fall and first blood were awarded to Kilrain, but the first knock-down was accomplished by Sullivan," reported one newspaper. "Kilrain failed to knock Sullivan down at all." Sullivan vomited during the 44th round. However,

2760-460: The site of the event, at the corner of Richburg Road. Sullivan did not defend his title for the next three years. During this period, he was a friend and supporter of Irish boxer Ike Weir , who became America's first Featherweight boxing champion in 1889. Both Weir and Sullivan were Boston natives, and Sullivan occasionally appeared at Weir's bouts. Sullivan agreed to defend his title in 1892, against challenger "Gentleman Jim" Corbett . The match

2820-445: The story line, Sullivan in his tour of local communities across the country fights an exposition match against Buck Jarrico ( Hal Baylor ). When the prize money designated to refurbish the school goes missing, both the teacher, Ruth Stewart ( Kathleen Case ), and the gambler, Brad Forrester (Mark Dana), are falsely accused based on appearances. On their 2017 album Life Is Good , the band Flogging Molly made reference to Sullivan on

2880-512: The time. Swathed in bandages, Sullivan was helped to evade the law and taken across the English Channel to spend the next few weeks convalescing in Liverpool . In March of 1888, Sullivan fought Charley Mitchell, an English prize-fighter, for 39 rounds; it was a draw. The Kilrain fight is considered to be a turning point in boxing history because it was the last world title bout fought under

2940-400: The track 'The Hand of John L. Sullivan'. George Walsh portrayed John L. Sullivan in the 1933 film The Bowery . John Kelly portrayed John L. Sullivan in the 1942 film My Gal Sal . Ward Bond portrayed John L. Sullivan in the 1942 film Gentleman Jim . Greg McClure portrayed John L. Sullivan in the 1945 film The Great John L. . Roy Jenson portrayed John L. Sullivan in

3000-538: The two roads, including Interstate 505 and State Route 113 . The Sacramento area has a web of urban freeways. Other principal routes in the region include State Route 99 , which runs along the valley's eastern edge, roughly parallel to I-5, from Sacramento until its northern terminus in Red Bluff ; State Route 20 , which traverses the valley from west to east on its route from State Route 1 in Mendocino County to

3060-417: The world, it consists of the remnants of an extinct volcano and is located just outside Yuba City , 44 miles north of Sacramento. Citrus and nut orchards and cattle ranches are common to both halves of the Central Valley. The Sacramento Valley's agricultural industry also resembles that of the San Joaquin Valley to the south. Nuts, such as almonds and walnuts , are of greater importance north of

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3120-655: Was New Orleans , but the governor of Louisiana had forbidden the fight in that state. Sullivan had trained for months in Belfast, New York , under trainer William Muldoon , whose biggest problem had been keeping Sullivan from liquor. A report on Sullivan's training regimen in Belfast was written by famed reporter Nellie Bly and published in the New York World . Rochester reporter Arch Merrill commented that occasionally Sullivan would "escape" from his guard. In Belfast village,

3180-473: Was able to get back to his feet, he announced to the crowd the following: "If I had to get licked, I'm glad I was licked by an American". In 1895 Sullivan and Paddy Ryan joined the touring company of the musical The Wicklow Postman , and presented exhibition boxing matches prior to performances of the play. Sullivan is considered the last bare-knuckle champion because no champion after him fought bare-knuckled. However, Sullivan had fought with gloves under

3240-399: Was added to the existing outdoor plaza, named Intermission Garden. The Intermission Garden's brick marquee and entrance sign was designed by Brocchini & Associates and was added the same year. The present Opera House is a simple, two-story, red brick structure. The structure is approximately 104 feet long by 60 feet wide; and its walls are 20 inches thick. A stage house on top of

3300-607: Was constructed for storage of mechanical equipment, as well as for administrative office space, a gift counter, the Mid Level Lounge, and a rooftop exterior deck. The interior restoration effort received an Award of Merit from the California Preservation Foundation and a Citation Award from the League of Historic American Theaters. In 1990 with the help of Woodland Rotary Club , the south side grassy "Rotary Court"

3360-547: Was cut down during the California Gold Rush and the ensuing wave of American settlement, although there are still some heavily tree-populated areas, such as the greater Sacramento area. Foothills become more common from just south of Corning to Shasta Lake City . These are known as the Valley Hills and begin south of the Tehama-Glenn County line near Corning. There are also a few hills in Red Bluff and Corning. There

3420-675: Was inscribed Presented to the Champion of Champions, John L. Sullivan, by the Citizens of the United States . Its centerpiece featured the flags of the US, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. Mitchell came from Birmingham , England and fought Sullivan in 1883, knocking him down in the first round. Their third meeting took place in 1888 on the grounds of a chateau at Chantilly , France, with the fight held in driving rain. It went on for more than two hours, and by

3480-507: Was on September 7 in New Orleans . It began at 9 p.m. in the electrically illuminated Olympic Club in the upper Ninth Ward neighborhood now known as Bywater section . The venue filled to its 10,000-person capacity despite hefty ticket prices ranging from $ 5 to $ 15 (approximately $ 142 to $ 426 in 2020). The heavyweight contest occurred under the Marquess of Queensberry Rules , but it was neither

3540-600: Was purchased by the Yolo County Historical Society, for a sum of $ 12,000. After many local fund drives, donations, and monies from several different government agencies including the City of Woodland, restoration of the building began. Declared a state historic park in 1976, the building was later deeded to the State of California in 1980. The Opera House reopened in 1989 after a $ 2,000,000 restoration project. Extensive work

3600-455: Was still done over the next nine years. Gary Worth, an architect from Woodland, oversaw the work and Brocchini & Associates of Oakland provided most of the materials for the restoration of the theater including antique wallpaper, lighting, and paint colors. In the restoration the building was made structurally safe and "earthquake proofed". Central heat and air-conditioning, a sprinkler and alarm system, and handicap access were added. An annex

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