James C Cooper and Tom Spriggs at first ran the "Sonoma House" as a joint venture. Tom Spriggs evidently died, as Robert Parmalee refers to James Cooper as "Spriggs' surviving partner". Later James Cooper, had a tavern and hotel in the same building but known as the Blue Wing Inn. This would have been sometime in the period 1849/1851.

Here is James Cooper in 1850

1850 Sonoma Co, California
Cooper Jas. 35 M Hotel Keeper 40,000 Scotland
Cooper Sarah 27 F Nova Scotia
Cooper Thos. 2 M California
Cooper John 1 M California

"Cooper and his wife Sarah catered to the miners' demands for gambling and liquor, and with the handsome profits were able to buy a large range south of town, in the vicinity of what is known as Cooper's Bridge on Leveroni Road." (Robert Parmalee, "Pioneer Sonoma")

From an anonymous article in Alta California 4 Oct 1859 (as reported by Robert Parmalee "Pioneer Sonoma") "[Of the pioneers were came to Sonoma in 1846] Cooper was killed by a teacher whom he threatened to 'whip' for striking his child in school."