Untouched for millennia, the hills above Los Gatos underwent a rapid transformation in the mid-19th century. Timber had become the new gold for fortune seekers, and loggers were attracted to the area by the seemingly endless groves of massive redwoods.
Sawmills popped up along the creeks to process the logs for shipment.
One of the most powerful was owned by James Howe, who built a small dam to control the flow of water on the creek adjacent to what is now Bear Creek Road.
As depletion of the forests in the 1880s led to the declining need for sawmills, wealthy miner Stillman Knowles acquired the land around Howe’s mill, which he removed to build a 15-room rural retreat and trout farm in the lake created by Howes’ dam. James L. Flood, heir to his father’s massive silver fortune, purchased the property in 1894 and built a 40-room mansion which he called Alma Dale after the nearby town.
Described as “wild and reckless,” Flood and his wife, Rose, a teenage runaway and burlesque star, reportedly held lavish, days-long parties to entertain their wealthy friends.
In 1905, the Floods sold their property to Dr. Harry Tevis, a wealthy bachelor from San Francisco. Less than a year later, the main house was damaged beyond repair in the great San Francisco earthquake. Undaunted, Tevis built a new redwood home in the style of a Swiss chalet, and surrounded his estate with lavish gardens, fountains, stables, a Roman Plunge swimming pool and a large combination library/clubhouse which he used for entertaining.
He expanded the estate to 1,100 acres, installed an extensive irrigation system, and hired 43 full-time gardeners to tend to his large experimental farm and flower gardens. When his permanent staff reached nearly 100 workers, Tevis built a small village with servants quarters and stables for his herd of prized horses.
After Tevis passed away in 1931, the property was purchased by the Jesuit Order and adapted for use as Alma College. It was the first Jesuit school of theology on the West Coast, and was intended to supplement the nearby Sacred Heart Novitiate seminary. The Jesuits built a dormitory, classrooms, shrines and covered walkways, converted the former Tevis clubhouse into their chapel, and used the main house as a faculty residence. Over the years, the Jesuits expanded the college with three additional dormitories and used buildings in the village to house their rare book collection.
In 1969, they relocated Alma College to be near the Graduate Theological Union at UC Berkeley and rented the property to a series of private boarding schools.
When the Jesuit Order finally decided to sell Alma College in 1989, they unwittingly launched a lengthy and complex saga involving a diverse cast of characters, including Hong Kong Metro Realty, local developer Pete Denevi, Arlie Land and Cattle Company of Cottage Grove Oregon, Big Creek Lumber, various environmental groups, numerous lawyers, and the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors.
When the dust finally settled 10 years later, ambitious development proposals for a golf course, country club and 50 luxury homes were all rejected and Peninsula Open Space Trust and Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District emerged as the property owners.
Christened Bear Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve, the 1,400-acre expanse of forests, meadows and woodlands that might have been lost to development will be maintained in its natural state for generations to come.
Alan Feinberg is a local historian and founder of the LOST Gatos Project www.lostgatos.com. His mission is to generate enthusiasm among Los Gatos residents for remembering and preserving our town’s unique character and historic treasures before they’re lost forever. For more Los Gatos history, download the free mobile app Discover LOST Gatos and take a self-guided walking tour through our historic downtown.
