History

While some believe that Cinco de Mayo is Mexican Independence Day, it’s actually just a minor Mexican holiday which commemorates their victory over an invading French army in 1862. In the U.S., the fifth of May is a popular occasion for celebrations of Mexican heritage...

Happy New Year, Los Gatos!  After overindulging during the holidays, many people begin the new year by observing a “Dry January.” The practice of abstaining from alcohol for a month started in the U.K. in 2012 as part of a campaign by Alcohol Concern, a...

Heavy rains are a rarity in Los Gatos, but last week saw the community get quite the natural wash. And it put a serious damper on holiday shopping. But by Friday evening, no more droplets were falling—though it was still wet and cool—and hundreds turned...

The long-awaited arrival of the Parkside restaurant on the downtown dining scene is the perfect time for a story about the landmark building they’ll be calling home.  The Rankin Block was built in 1902 as income property by Clara and William Rankin who arrived in...

Amid the minutiae of General Plan deliberations on Monday, the Los Gatos Town Council voted to move forward with a plan to consider a tax break for owners of historic properties. Mayor Rob Rennie—who said the Mills Act provision “seems like a subsidy for rich...

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...

—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...

The historic Forbes Mill Annex is the oldest remaining commercial structure in Los Gatos. Before the town got its current name, it was actually called Forbes Mill, then Forbestown. The initial mill was erected in 1854 and lasted until 1916. Its storage unit has...

Strolling through the Almond Grove neighborhood is a real treat this time of year, when you can see carefully restored Victorian homes adorned with elaborate Halloween decorations. Yet these charming tree-lined streets once faced something even more menacing than ghosts and goblins. Progress. During the...

As a new school year begins, let’s take a look at what a typical school day was like in our community years ago. You’ll be astonished by how much has changed!  In 1863, a one-room schoolhouse was built to accommodate 25 or more students from...