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John Bean and the Valley of Heart’s Delight
Spring has finally arrived! As beautiful as it is today, imagine what spring was like when thousands of acres of fruit and nut trees were in full bloom in the “Valley of Heart's Delight.” Did you know that many of those orchards might not...
Gridlock and Ghosts: Tales from the serpentine route to the sea
—This is the second in a two part series.
Last month, I explored what traveling “over the hill” was like in the second half of the 19th century, when stagecoach passengers faced long, bone-rattling, and often dangerous trips along dusty or muddy dirt roads.
Change came...
New Almaden offers insights into 19th century life
Early spring is an ideal time to visit Almaden Quicksilver County Park and the adjacent village of New Almaden, for the wildflowers and a reminder of the region's 19th century history. The 4,000-acre park is set against the mountains that mark San Jose’s southern...
Standing Tall: The town has seen many phases
*The following article first appeared in print as part of this feature on housing development in Los Gatos.
From sporting the name of “Forbes Mill,” to earning the distinction of top destination for retirees in California a few years ago, to serving as a hotbed...
Lyndon Heights: A lost landmark (Discover LOST Gatos)
After five years of meetings, proposals, compromises, and design revisions, the Town Council has unanimously approved the new Los Gatos Meadows development.
It’ll be situated on an 11 acre property that was the home of one of our earliest and most prominent citizens, John Weldon...
Town’s efforts to acknowledge earliest residents fraught with challenges
Earlier this year while tweaking the history section of the Draft General Plan, Los Gatos planning commissioners suggested zooming-out from the previous version, which only told the story of settler expansion, to also share the history of the original inhabitants.
What may have seemed, to...
What a shoebox full of old papers taught me about my grandparents
When I was a child in the 70s, Los Gatos was filled with Italians. I remember seeing the older women walking in town, dragging behind them their wire utility carts filled with groceries down Santa Cruz Avenue. My grandparents, Adam and Albina Contardo, were...
Eclectic electronic event incoming at home of the historic Cats Saloon
*Updated Sept. 6, 2022
Daniel Reyes, the founder of Project Gasmask Entertainment (PGM), says he’s excited to be part of a Los Gatos rebirth.
Though he lives in Oakland, and grew up in the Fairfield-Suisun area, the promoter says he’s pretty familiar with the community from...
The long and winding road (Discover LOST Gatos)
—This is the first in a two-part series.
Summer is here, accompanied by the usual traffic gridlock, so let’s all take a deep breath while I share the mostly forgotten history of our much maligned Highway 17.
If you think traveling over the hill is an...
The historic First National bank building
The arrival of Breaking Dawn, the newest restaurant on the Los Gatos dining scene, is the perfect occasion for a story about its historic home.
The Renaissance Revival building that Breaking Dawn now occupies on W. Main St. was designed and built for The First...

















