History

Did you celebrate Groundhog Day last week? Me neither. But it’s a major media event back East, especially in Punxsutawney, Penn. where the tradition (based on an early European legend and immortalized in the classic comedy film by the same name) originated in 1887. At...

—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...

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...

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...

There’s no shortage of live entertainment for us to take in this time of year, from Jazz on the Plazz and Music in the Park to Chamber of Commerce street festivals. Los Gatos has a long history of outdoor summer entertainment. On June 21, 1919,...

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...

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...

The iconic La Cañada building on the corner of West Main Street and North Santa Cruz Avenue, with its circular bay window and signature “witches hat” turret, has been a prominent feature of our historic downtown business district almost since the day it was...

Grant awarded to Hakone Estate and Gardens  On June 7, the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a County Historical Heritage Grant to Hakone Estate and Gardens in Saratoga. The grant will support the restoration of the 1932 Mon (Main Gate) roof originally...

For this week's Discover LOST Gatos installment, contributor Alan Feinberg digs into the history of public transit... For as long as I can remember, people have been wondering when (or if) the VTA might extend light rail service to Los Gatos. Imagine how convenient it...