Please Help Locating Smith's Ranch In California

Hi all.
I am mounting my worldwide cover collection and would need help identifying the town from where this cover originate.
It says smith's ranch CA, but when I google it, I found different places in California with that name, but not a real town.
Anyone able to give me any info about smith's ranch?

Yep! It was in Sonoma County. north of San Francisco, the name was later changed to Bodega. Not to be confused with Bodega Bay, formerly Fishermans Bay, just north of Tomales Bay, Bolinas and Point Reyes.

Nice cover.

Thanks for the fast answer littleriverphil.
It is exactly the info I need it.

A little more info you you. The scene in Alfred Hitchcock's movie "The Birds" where the grammar school kids are running down the hill away from the attacking crows was filmed at the Bodega grammar school. Two of the kids on my high school bus lived right across the street. We had to sit and wait while they finished shooting, for about a week. Alfred wanted the afternoon light!

LOL, always loved that movie, but who doesn't.
Just read a small history about that town, very interesting.
Thanks again

According to Jim Forte's Postal History website, the Smith's Ranch, CA name was used from 1854-1901. The Postal Bulletin dated January 31, 1902 advises tha the Smith's Ranch name was officially changed to Bodega on December 17, 1901, as documented below:

Great info, more than I expected. Thanks

That why I love this forum, all kinds of knowledge. wt1 used the web to give you an answer, I rode a high school bus through Bodega twice a day for four years, with Bodega kids, and learned it through them.

Which prompts me to relate a funny story. You can see by my profile that I live in Franklin, MA. I am quite interested in my State's postal history so I came upon this postmark and wondered where in the world "City Mills" Massachusetts may have been:



It wasn't until I did a bit of research that I came up with this:



I couldn't believe it. The postmark I was looking at was right from my own town -- a section of which I drive through everyday to go to work and I had absolutely no idea there used to be a post office called "City Mills" located there. Today it's only a road with residential housing and a few older factories; back in the last century it was probably a bustling manufacturing center. Who knew?

Speak of the devil... I have a cover TO Smith's Ranch.

Nice cover Bill and it's under 10 years from the beginning of the office. It's was a small town, kind of amazing to see a survivor from there.