John De Vilbiss crossed the plains in 1865 and by 1869 had settled in Yolo County. He began construction of this hotel in the fall of 1889, and when it was completed at a cost of $51,000 including furnishings, it was the showplace of the west side of Sacramento Valley. The hotel had a large ornate lobby, banquet room, guest rooms, and sample room. Countless salesmen who rode the passenger trains to Winters stopped here before calling on accounts in the Capay Valley. The hotel withstood the Earthquake of 1892, which leveled much of Winters and Vacaville.