Tag Archives: modern

Today’s Wehner Mansion

5985327859_3f314741f2_bP1310186 (2)This introduction to the subject matter at hand isn’t purposefully an alliteration.  It just happens to be one anyway.

Heritage Room azules.pdfWonderful William Wenher was renowned for his winning white wines.  William Wehner was a Chicago-based panoramic painter and winemaker, born in Germany.  The Historic Manor was built by famous skyscaper architect, David Burnham, who would design and build only the one home in his career, friend of Wehner’s from Chicago.  His 1884 built Evergreen Estate still stands behind private gates and ropes, but that’s about all the care it’s had in a while.  These photos are courtesy of Colleen Cortese and the EVC Heritage Room.

P1320410lomasazulesUntil recently, I had only seen Colleen’s pictures and sketches of Evergreen’s Queen Anne Victorian.  Wehner, Albert Haentz, Cribaris and Mirassous have all made wine from the winery also on-site, Lomas Azules Winery.  Ebe Frasse, from the Cribari Family, has the fondest memories of growing up in the Blue Mansion.  This perspective had always seemed odd to me until I dropped in on the historic Evergreen jewel.  It is a literal drop into the seat of this Evergreen relic to its arched carriage entrance.

 

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The Wehner Mansion today is boarded up and breaking down.  It clearly hasn’t had a new paint job since the 70’s.  It was deemed unfit for residence in 2014 by City Inspectors.  I like the colors, but an owner should be maintaining this important piece of San Jose History.  It has historic designation.

When I dropped by the property to lay my own eyes on it, I got lost.  Nothing new.  Actually, getting lost has helped me throughout this project.  Upon coming up to a Community stable and garden, the caretakers inquired if I was a real estate agent looking for the Wehner Mansion.  I wish.  But they wished too that something could be done about the beautiful piece of architecture that lay dormant and decaying in their backyard.

IMG_0216I found these windows to be stunning.  The glass remaining is a sight to behold.  If a replacement for this fifth window could be found, it would be incredible from inside.  I’m hoping this is a staircase on the other side.  The rounded feature is generally photographed and admired, but not much is said about its antique glass.  Mrs. Louise Lamantia remembers it well.  In fact, somewhere, some of this glass was donated to a historical society.

IMG_0220This second building here isn’t the attached Winery that’s been so well used by Evergreen vintners.  Wehner’s no dumby.  You’d never invite that nonsense into your backyard nearest your children.  I’d also expect more storage for barrels.

This is a tiny, one room building obscured by trees from Colleen’s sketch and initial sighting of the Wehner Mansion.  This is an old fashion frig or pantry.  This is a kitchen house designed to keep food for as long as it would naturally keep.  This was necessary in the 1800’s.  The Summer ones are built differently than Winter ones. It’s a science of keeping things fresh.  You can see why farming would be big business back then especially.

IMG_0219IMG_0217It is super quiet in these hills and this roped of manor is as well.  Wehner Mansion, also known as the Blue Hill Estate, isn’t without its tenants or residence today, though.  They just aren’t people.  The historic estate hosts a very territorial buck and a family of turkeys.  It’s so silent, you can hear them gobble from all the way over here.  I found that indigenous wildlife and a near by run-off creek trickle through Wehner Mansion while its title is questionable at best.  Its faith rests with the Title.  I’m making inquiries.

IMG_0232If I can fire enough people up and raise some awareness for this San Jose Gem, I’d like to do so and make something happen here.  I see a private venue for weddings or a Community Garden for a non-profit.  I see a Community Center for the Villages or an Evergreen History Museum.  Access is difficult, so the tenant would need to be perfect for the situation.  Let’s start talking about how to fill Wehner Mansion’s halls with laughter again.  It’s a piece of our History still standing.  There’s only a couple left.

 

 

Fowler Road and Creek

P1330025I work a lot at Chaboya Middle School, in fact its the first school I ever painted at.  People often ask, “Chaboya On Fowler Road?”  And I always say yes, but I know its address is on a different street.  Fowler Road is indeed very close by, but Chaboya is on Cortona Drive.  What’s the confusion?  It’s been redundant for me throughout my career, so I checked it out on behalf of the Evergreen Mural Walk.

1876 MapFowler Creek was named after Andrew Fowler, whom I’m enjoying getting to know.  The street was one of the first in Evergreen, as was the man.  We’ll discuss him in further detail later.  This road was built before Chew Lane/Aborn Road’s eastward section.  This 1876 map hasn’t put a name to the street, but you can see A. J. Fowler’s property along the south side of the road.  This was William Matthew’s portion of the attorneys fees paid out by Chaboya in his lengthy court battle.

In 1899, Fowler’s name finally appears on the road.  This Fowler Road runs all the way through.  It did when I was a kid.  What happened?  This is Fowler Road’s modern path below.

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By 1956 however, Fowler is the straight thing I remembered it being as a child.  It ran east of Ruby Avenue.  This map cuts off the windy portion but it was a solid straight line.

Below, Fowler Road is broken up into two parts and straightened out in portions.  There are switchbacks indicated on Fowler Road in 1899 on the Eastern zig zag which appear true on the modern map, but the road also ends sooner in the modern map.  It ends even sooner if you’re driving.  It ends at the straight spot.  This road kept going in 1899.  What gives?

fowler road san jose - Google Search

fowler road 2Here’s what gives.  New homes plans were put in place back in 1991 to get this area built out.  Before that point, in was rolling Mirassou vineyards and orchards.  Chaboya was built on Fowler Road in 1991, but the road’s path would change names as homes were built.  The new bend in the western part of the road came with the build out of the  the Classico neighborhood.  Historic homes still line the straight entrance, but then Fowler Road takes a turn towards the development and later becomes Cortona Drive.  Fowler Road would be built straight during the before 1956 but between proposal in 1991 and build out, something changed.  A portion of the existing Fowler roadway, which clung to Fowler Creek, would become Cortona Drive.  That’s the portion of Fowler which ran through P. Kelliher’s ranch in 1899.  Fowler Road then picks up on the other side of a small park on Chaboya Middle School’s East corner, where the road turns in the Western most part of H. W. Pierce’s acreage.  That’s where the arrow lands.  Today, Fowler Road straightens out, drops again and is private roadway after that.  You can see the windy road, but it appears to be shorter today.

CAM11655 Gemellos, why did you think about that?  Cobble Stone.  Now that I’ve investigated Cottle’s Cobble Stone and now Cadwallader Avenue’s fallen cobble stone bridge, I know there’s something up in areas where I find it in volume.  It’s too heavy to clear and it was clearly a favorite of late 1800’s farmers marking their homesteads.  I was in between appointments around Evergreen and I stopped when I saw it in volumes all over this area.  In fact, I traced Fowler Road’s old path following the stone.  I started at the most eastern section I could legally get to.  I soaked up some rustic Evergreen treasures then saw this row of cobble stone.

CAM11651It feels like trail markers hikers make to let you know you’re headed in the right direction.  When I found this kind of cobble stone along Keaton Loop, I knew it was roadway markers.  This was something.  I wasn’t sure this was Fowler’s original roadway, though.  It’s not lining up with my understanding of the historic maps I’ve found.

CAM11670I found it again on Yerba Buena Road.  Nothing creates perpendicular intersections up here in old Evergreen.  What am I seeing?   Every time I see this kind of rock, I know something is going on.  Just before I turned right and westward looking for Fowler Road again, I looked left and bang.

P1320018This water station was built out prior to 1956, and improved in 2000.  It controls flooding in Fowler Creek.  Fowler Creek now trickles in the winter but the homes are safe and the groundwater is saved for less than rainy days.  This is at the intersection of Altia Avenue and Yerba Buena Road.  This road looks like old Silver Creek Road, and would’ve been paved around the same time, being the same age.  This is a little better maintained and a little less traveled as a City of San Jose Water Station.   I think the stones were rolled over when the ranches turned into farms before they turned into home development.  This undeveloped area shows us what it used to look like.  That straight section of marker and present day Fowler Road is possibly the boundary of M. P. Ramus and Kellihore’s ranches in 1899.

CAM11678CAM11690So, I met up with Fowler Road at Chaboya Middle School and the marker continued.  Heading West, the Cobble Stone reoccurred at Fowler Creek Park.  Makes sense.  Evergreen used Cobble Stone to protect from flooding.  Fowler Creek would be dammed up by cobble stone in several sections.  Today, Fowler Creek only trickles in the rainy season.  That makes sense, too, because the Creek is captured by a water tower at its most eastern and uphill point.

CAM11692And then I started feeling silly because I’m excited about rocks.  I followed it all the way to Ruby Avenue and Cortona Drive, once Fowler Road.  So, what part of Cortona is old Fowler Road?

Let me get nerdy for a second, find north on each map and scale them.  There.  So, what happened?

fowler road san jose - Google Search

Maybe a little clearer still, with the paths traced on one map….

scan0167-1Fowler Road’s path was straightened through the early 1900’s then altered by the schools built to service this growing Community.  Evergreen School would have a horse tie up instead of a parking lot for a long time.  The District Office was originally located there along with the school but as time went on, a larger school was needed and the office moved.  Many District services still operate out of this office, though.  Matsumoto Elementary School was also built on the Fowler Road path.  When people ask me about Chaboya on Fowler Road, they mean built on top of Fowler Road itself.  They were more correct than I ever realized.  The cobble stone I observed was in the Yerba Buena Road portion of one time Fowler Road.  The changes that occurred over time were fairly straight forward and made the road more useable.  It’s cobble stone roots are still showing on both Cortona Drive and Fowler Road today.

 

 

Evergreen’s Own Mayor Quimby

mayor quimbyWould you believe me if I told you that Evergreen and the City of San Jose had a Mayor Quimby over 125 years before the Simpsons?  Matt Groening’s portrait of the Mayor couldn’t contrast our factual character more.  I’m going to try to provide you with an accurate portrait of our fair-minded Mayor, John Alonzo Quimby.  I was lucky enough to find a contemporary family source in a Genealogical History for the Quimby Family from 1915, though newspapers and political publications didn’t say much..

quimby-coat-of-armsQuimby as a name is fairly popular in England, where its origins are traced back to the 11th century.  Though probably Germanic in origin and possibly Hebrew in its roots, the Quimby name, its variations (Quinby, Quinbee, Quenby, possibly Quincy, etc.) and its coat of arms are found all over England.  It dates back to an ancient Welsh King,  The Quimby Family came from a long line of Colonialists and Quakers.  The ancient family would come to Salem, then Massachussetts colony as early as 1640, seeking freedom from the religious persecution that brought so many people to America at the time.  They were not rumored in Salem Witch Hunts, but one relative died in heated fights with the Native Americans there.  His ancestors would’ve fought to create this country.

thumb200John A. Quimby would be born in Parsippany, New Jersey in 1818 to affluent, well respected parents.  His father would be a politician in New England.  Quimby’s father originally ran the lucrative family shoe making business before running for judge and serving the County court system 25-30 years in New Jersey.  His brother, Isaac, would be a General for the Union Army during the Civil War.  This is his famous brother from Back East to the right who eventually became a US Marshall.  My historian’s note here would be that photographs through the 1800’s would only be taken by the rich and famous or very large groups.  It was an infant of an art and a science as well as expensive to do.  Strangely enough, the politically minded family were Democrats for the most part, with the exception of our Mayor.  This may be the reason the Republican pioneer came to California in 1846.  Regardless, this photograph from the mid 1800’s should prove how well respected John Alonzo Quimby was.

Mayor Quimby first studied law and practiced with a Judge in New Jersey.  John Alonzo Quimby would come to California as early as 1846 with his father, but definitely arrived in Santa Clara County by 1849 with his first wife, Minerva Moody of New York.  It was said before leaving New Jersey that J. A. Quimby was one of Morristown, New Jersey’s best orators and they had a few.

drinksJohn Alonzo Quimby would become entangled with California’s State Affairs early on, even running for US Senator at one point.  Quimby was present, along with delegate Charles White, at the “Legislature of A Thousand Drinks”, held in San Jose in 1849.  This Assembly would create California’s State Constitution and the creation of its Capitol, in San Jose.  In 1850, Quimby would see the need and build the first roadway from Santa Cruz to San Jose, laying the groundwork for Highway 17 today.  John would engage in the lumber business there as a City developed in the Valley.  The Captiol would move to Vallejo in 1851, and to Sacramento.  Even still, the site of the Capitol would become a second epicenter for the City of San Jose.  Quimby would be in the California legislature from 1855 to 1858 and be San Jose’s Mayor for two terms from 1863-1869.  J. A. Quimby would later be on the Board of County Supervisors for two terms.

hb8r29p1tf-FID4scuThe well-respected lawmaker would become the creator of the Downtown San Jose we know nowadays.  For the sake of contract, the map to the right is San Jose in 1847.  It has a single road, the El Camino Real, today’s Alameda turning into Santa Clara beyond this point.  It’s layout is logical, like the numbered street we know, and it has well known San Jose founders sprinkled in.  The Guadalupe River creates a border for the small city.  At this point a lot of today’s Downtown isn’t even a thought.   In 1847, an acre of land downtown like these would cost $50.00.  Through his initiatives, crucial issues that arose in San Jose at California’s birth were solved through Mayor Quimby’s terms in office.

san_jose_2The Market Square was always a meeting place for the Pueblo of San Jose and so it only seemed fitting to hold California’s first meeting in California’s first civic meeting place.  In 1797, the Spanish would raise a Town Hall at the site for parades and City meetings.  There would be reports of ill maintained hotels and flooding at Market Square, which encouraged the Capitol’s relocation to Vallejo.  A dam would need to be built for the Guadalupe River to keep the Capitol dry.  This building still used in 1851 for San Jose’s administration, John A. Quimby would inherit San Jose with its run down buildings and infrastructure.  The Fire Department had no firehouse and broken down engines.  City Hall’s walls were crumbing.  After all, it was over 65 years old by the time he got to City Hall.  Furthermore, in 1863, the disputes created by settlement were still creating tensions.

1876 MapRancho Yerba Buena wasn’t up for dispute anymore.  John Alonzo Quimby himself legally purchased a large ranch 3 miles from Downtown Evergreen, next door to the Pellier Family, near where the Middle School stands today but up the road a little ways.  Victoria Chaboya’s property is more likely where the Quimby Oak Middle School stands today.  Oak trees are a main feature of Evergreen, not pine trees.  Quimby Oak rather rathers to the bed of Oak trees gathering along the Quimby Creek, running though Quimby and Pellier’s properties.  Quimby Road would always run past his Evergreen hills property.  J. A. Quimby was able to purchase a Creekside property near where the Chaboyas themselves called home.  The California Government didn’t uphold all of the Mexican land grants like the Chaboyas.  In fact, Rancho Yerba Buena was the exception to the rule in Santa Clara County.

83f041e62c3569668922074fec6eb474Many were stripped of their holdings and left tiny portions of their former farms, including Antonio Chaboya’s brothers, by US Surveyors.  The railroad into San Jose was completed in 1863, when Quimby first became Mayor.  The land grab created room for new immigrants and U.S. citizens in early San Jose, which there were plenty arriving and on their way.  The first secular development in California, established in 1777, had been growing from the epicenter of Mission de Santa Clara de Asis, today’s Santa Clara University.  These homes, though close, were large and had adequate yards.  If these people were also farmers, though, their farms or vacation homes would be elsewhere, in modern day suburban communities surrounding San Jose’s Downtown.  To the right is Downtown San Jose looking towards the Mission in 1866, when J. A. Quimby was Mayor.

old_state_capitol_plaque_thumbMission Santa Clara feels like the outskirts of Downtown today.  You’re totally right.  What we feel like is Downtown today, First and Santa Clara Streets, would be John Alonzo Quimby’s impact on San Jose.    The one time Capitol, brought by delegates White and Reed and witnessed by Quimby no doubt, would be today’s Cesar Chavez Square on Market Street.  This would become a second burst of growth in San Jose’s adolescence.  Downtown is something different because of this second epicenter.  The bustling City would then center around Market and Santa Clara Streets, adding to the numbered streets and narrowing their lots.

SVHO2004-0812Then, during his Mayoral office, Quimby would bring together both parties to handle the disputes, fill San Jose’s Treasury by selling small “pueblo” lots Downtown and create services for the growing population.  Contemporaries would explain that the Cities of San Jose and Santa Clara were already touching and growing denser down the Alameda.  Plots were being sold for $50.00 an acre or city block around the Alameda and St. James Park.  Once Quimby took office, an acre cost $200.00.  US Surveyors would bring into question some of the $50.00 acres, allowing farms downtown to be broken up into subdivisions.  $50.00 plots were still being developed, however.  The City of San Jose would be considered as far east as Coyote Creek, as far south as Bird Avenue, as far west as Meridian Avenue and as far north as Hedding Street.  Quimby would improve the roadway system and rejuvenate San Jose’s infrastructure with the raising of funds, replacing rundown equipment and buildings.  Many of San Jose’s oldest standing buildings come from the Quimby era.  With a focus shifted away from the Mission and towards developing outward from the City Plaza, Cesar Chavez Park, Downtown San Jose’s small lots still exist today.  The numbered streets are a result of many of Quimby’s decisions.  He killed two very big birds with one very awesome stone that still can be felt today.  To the left is a map of San Jose shortly after he left City Hall.

San Jose 2nd ward. - David Rumsey Historical Map CollectioncaThis is a map of San Jose while John Alonzo Quimby was on the Board of County Supervisors.  The rapid growth was prolific.  In 4 years, San Jose would need to be broken up into huge portions.  This is our modern downtown.  The First Ward is the old downtown.  Also notice that our Norths between the previous 2 maps are different.  That was just to make this one look pretty.  It’s ok.  Our 1847 Map had Guadalupe through then San Jose’s west on the bottom of the map.  Only a couple of those original rectangle bought for $50.00 still existed.  Most were these tiny boxes in 1876.  The colored portiosn are additions onto San Jose made during Quimby’s term.

Courthouse1895Courthouse2007In 1860, San Jose would have 1000 residents.  By 1868, that had been multiplied to 7000 residents.  Having great leadership at the helm of a storm like that allows the transition to go smoothly.  John A. Quimby found a way to make room, make jobs, and revive an aging city.  He was also there at igniting of the Santa Clara County’s Fruit Industry.  Quimby would create the foundation for the large city with a dense downtown we enjoy today.   The San Jose Water Company was incorporated in 1866.  Gas services was introduced to San Jose in 1861, but the need for expanding those pipe systems were crucial.  The Normal School, today’s San Jose State University, would become State run in 1862.  The courthouse was built in 1867, now the St. James Post Office though its down was burned down some time ago.  The first public transit systems were in place in 1868, running down First Street to the domed courthouse.  The lightrail stops there today.  Does that make is a nearly 150 year old tradition to ride the modern trolley through Downtown?  The Canning Industry would be underway in San Jose in 1871.  Though Quimby gets the bulk of credit for the way he settled Downtown land disputes, he’s often overlooked during this crucial time in San Jose’s development.  Why he’s overlooked in unknown, because he seems to be well-respected by his contemporaries and loved ones.

CAM11091John and Minerva would have four kids, while maintaining his political life.  Minerva Moody would pass away in 1866, while he was Mayor, and John Alonzo Quimby would remarry the following year.  Irene Kamp, the new Mrs. Quimby, and John would have another two children who were also raised in Evergreen.  After serving the County for a number of years, John Quimby would become sick for a number of years starting in 1886.  Following the illness, Quimby retired from public life to his Evergreen farm.  It was said that he too raised vineyards in the Evergreen hills and Quimby Creek runs along the back side of Millbrook Elementary School today.  Quimby Road would be one of the third or fourth roads built in Evergreen, after San Felipe Road and Evergreen Road.  In fact, Quimby once ran Tully Road’s modern course into town after the turn at Eastridge Mall.  The Mall’s creation there was formed by Quimby’s 150 year old route.

P1310216 (2)The large Evergreen estate passed to Irene and his family when John Alonzo Quimby passed in 1891.  This 1903 map shows a portion of the Quimby Ranch, 55 acres, still held by his daughter, Mrs. R. M. Wright.  One of his sons, Fred Alonzo Quimby, carried on the tradition of civic service into the 20th century, though sadly not in Santa Clara County.

vinfiz_harriet58643d6960f486d90ad75b3a2f41f657Oh, and the awesome Harriet Quimby, first woman to have a pilot’s license, wouldn’t be from Evergreen or San Jose.  Instead, she probably heard about the road’s name on a flight to San Jose then lie ruthlessly about it, creating fairytales and misinformation about her early life.  Harriet was born in Michigan.  She was quite a character, but none of John Alonzo’s sons would marry a woman having a daughter Harriet.  She also freely lied about her age.  Don’t worry.  The Quimby’s are a huge family.  She probably wasn’t lying about the name, but could so easily weave misinformation into interviews because of the name’s popularity around the United States.

I think the obituaries for John A. Quimby about the most eloquent summarizations and indications of how he was received by his contemporaries, Democrat or Republican.  His was admired for both his political achievements and undertakings, as well as for his kindness and hospitality.

“Death of a Pioneer of San Jose – A Public Spirited Citizen – One who has served faithfully in various Public Offices and did much as a Private Citizen” said one local newspaper.  Another states “His life here since pioneer days was an active one until a few years ago… made him prominent amount residents of the county.”  It goes on, “The pioneer residents of this county will bear willing testimony to the deep regard entertained for the departed [Quimby] by all who had the pleasure and profit of an intimate acquaintance…”

1833The Artwork which features J. A. Quimby also features possible inspiration Charles White.  After writing this, I’m wondering if we’ve given John Alonzo enough credit either.  His leadership created the City we enjoy today, which modern people from Evergreen continue to develop it and serve the same offices.  The Simpson’s bumbling Mayor couldn’t be further away from our Mayor Quimby.

After doing this article, here’s the updated White and Quimby Piece.

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John J. Montgomery – Aviating Pioneer

The town of montgomery newsmontgomeryEvergreen, still not apart of San Jose, was known for many things at the turn of the 20th century.  One of the things, besides its plentiful fruit and famed wines, that put the Village of Evergreen and City of San Jose on the national map was the invention of modern flight.  The inventor, engineer, and dare-devil John J. Montgomery would flight Man’s first controlled flight in 1883 and take flights from the Evergreen hillsides and in downtown San Jose in the early 1900’s.  Montgomery and fellow aviator, Daniel Maloney, would give their lives for their passion and invention of flight.

John J. Montgomery, the son of a prominent lawyer brought out West by the Gold Rush, was born in 1858 in Yuba City/Marysville.  As a boy, John Montgomery would observe flight through birds in the sky and use that as inspiration throughout his work.  Montgomery would also be inspired by another early aviator’s demonstration during his boyhood.  The Montgomery family would move into Oakland in 1864, where his father held a successful law practice.  In Millbrae in 1869, a young John Montgomery would witness the flight of an airship, closer to a zeppelin or blimp, called the Avitor Hermes, Jr.  Young Montgomery would go home to Oakland and build a model for himself.  Only a hand full of people had ever been in flight.  Back then, ships would be lifted by balloons of helium or hydrogen, and were only in air for a very limited amount of flight time, a matter of seconds, before descent.

images1GCFWI19102897People have been fascinated with flight but baffled by its execution.  In a Greek Myth, Icarus would try to fly with wings of feathers and wax that melted as he approached the Sun.  This creates the message that flight is beyond our grasp.  There were totally kites going back in history.  Leonardo Da Vinci would dream of inventing planes and helicopters in the 15th-16th century.  Hot air balloons and the like would be used in the later half of the 18th century.  Before John Montgomery’s time, balloons would be the only way to make flight possible, pioneered by Jacques Charles and the Robert brothers.  The obstacle with preceding inventions for flight would fall short because they were too heavy to launch from the ground.  The planes would simply fall.

P1320674John Montgomery attended St. Ignatius College in San Francisco, graduating in 1879 and obtaining his Masters in 1880.   James Lick Observatory would begin construction  in 1879 and John would’ve become aware of Santa Clara County’s elevations.  Montgomery would start designing his flying machines in San Diego County in 1881 when his family moved there after college.  After his hours working on the farm, he would pour the left over energy into his theories.  John Montgomery would build models in the barn’s attic.  These first designs, Montgomery would work with a flapping wing like Leonardo Da Vinci’s sketch.  The flapping wing wouldn’t be as effective as a fixed one.

P1320689In 1882-84, Montgomery would experiment with flight outside of San Diego along the Mexican border with “gliders”, a monoplane closer to a hang-glider than Leonardo’s flapping flying machine.  Gliders would require perfect conditions to get and keep in flight or the aforementioned balloon would raise the machine hundreds of feet.  This is a scene from Montgomery’s San Diego area workshop.  This machine was inspired on the wings of seagulls.  John J. Montgomery’s flights in the 1880’s would be the first heavier-than-air flight, the event observed by friends and family members but not widely publicized.  This glider would’ve been a gull shaped, single winged flying machine, or a monoplane.  The glider would ignore the “Yaw” or center of mass, the gravitational force towards that would swing from the heaviest point, the pilot.  During this time, Octave Chanute, a contemporary critic, would have harsh words for Montgomery, but Montgomery’s pursuit of flight would continue.

1884_Montgomery_GliderJohn J. Montgomery would continue experimenting and flying throughout California, in San Diego, San Francisco, Santa Cruz and Santa Clara Counties.  To fund his inventions, John Montgomery would pursue other endeavors within physics and engineering.  In 1884, Montgomery would be granted a patent for the process of vulcanizing and devulcanizing rubber.

camberedIn 1885, Montgomery would start also experimenting with how air flowed over different shaped surfaces, adding considerably to the field of aerodynamics.  Montgomery, still in San Diego County, would be so secretive about his experiments, no one knew what he was up to at the time but close family members.  The fruit of this labor would later be written in trade publications and heard during groundbreaking Aviation Navigation discussions in the early 20th century.  Inspired by the articulating wings of turkey vultures and eagles, he would being to tie the fixed wing to a guiding mechanism to keep the plane even or balanced.  Montgomery’s research would prove a slightly curved surface best for his gliders.  Montgomery would also start programming direction and counter-controls for gusts of wind and easy turning through a series of spring loaded mechanisms.

P1320697John J. Montgomery was finally hearing through the newspapers and his brother, in New York, about other early aviators.  This news and competition would inspire Montgomery to act upon his research, and be a part of the conversation in the new field of science.

In 1893, Montgomery attended the Chicago Columbian Exhibition to listen to Nikola Tesla speak about electricity.  Once there, John would introduce himself to the aviation and physics professors, inventors and theorists.  His networking paid off, and Montgomery would be invited to speak at the conference himself and gain through his experiments.  Montgomery, gaining fame for his accomplishments, would begin lecturing at colleges across the country, demonstrating flights and investigating the physics behind flight.  The flow of air over the wing would affect the next design of flying machines.

scuIn 1895, John J. Montgomery would own a patent for a better petroleum burning furnace.  John Montgomery would be invited to take a teaching position with Santa Clara University in 1897.  He would teach physics and other sciences.  At the University in 1901, Montgomery would begin experimenting with Father Richard Bell on wireless telecommunications or radio, transmitting messages as far as San Francisco.  In later years, he would demonstrate flight for hundreds of spectators at Santa Clara.

P1320694In 1903, John J. Montgomery would begin to develop this gliders again while teaching at Santa Clara University.  He would also coin the word “aeroplane”, which later became “airplane”, and gain the patent in 1905 for the improvements of the technology.  Inspired by the collaboration of a colleague, Montgomery would design a tandem winged glider with a propeller.  The collaborator would take Montgomery’s propeller design and win first place at the World Fair in St. Louis, Missouri.

P1320692Sometimes, competition is the healthiest thing for invention and innovation.  John J. Montgomery wouldn’t be discouraged by the professional betrayal.  Montgomery would lead several successful high elevation flights launched from balloons and maintaining flight for several minutes until gliding to a gradual stop.  The Wright Brothers would also be taking flight around this time.  What separated Montgomery’s work from other early aviators, besides beating them to flight by 20 years, was the duration of flight and the controlled figure eight patterns demonstrated.  Montgomery’s machines wouldn’t have a motor at this point, but that wasn’t Montgomery’s priority.  Safety and control were paramount to him.

maloneyIn July of 1905, Montgomery’s friend, colleague and test pilot, Daniel Maloney, would die testing on of his gliders on a balloon elevated flight.  The Santa Clara, this version of the aeroplane, was flown hundreds times.  The machine was damaged on a previous flight but hadn’t broken completely until that point.  Maloney and Montgomery would’ve tested their gliders in the hills of Evergreen, as well as other places, before demonstrations in the City of San Jose and the University.  This event and the big Earthquake of 1906 would cause Montgomery to take a little break from flying.

Montgomery would always be inventing and contributing to a wide range of industries.  In 1909, perhaps inspired by hearing Nikola Tesla speak in 1893, John J. Montgomery would patent an alternating current rectifier.  This would’ve improved radios and electrical vacuums at the time.  The semi-conductor would replace this technology later on.  Current Alternating Current Rectifiers are still used in DC (Direct Current) and high-voltage situations today.  Most power sources around your house are grounded (GFC), not direct.

montgomery 1Despite popular belief, John J. Montgomery didn’t actually live in the Village of Evergreen.  Montgomery lived closer to Santa Clara University where he worked and the Pueblo of San Jose that built up around the Mission of Santa Clara.  John Montgomery would come to get permissions from Evergreen’s Ramonda Family to fly on their ranch with the optimal hillsides to take flight from without the assistance of a balloon.

John Montgomery would fly again in 1910, after finding his love.  Montgomery fixed, immobilized, the tail of the airplane and incorporated the guiding features into the warping of the wing pattern.  From there, John J. Montgomery was to add an engine and patent the design as the first plane.  This design was titled “the Evergreen”.

montgomery deathUnfortunately, during this series of flights and trials, John J. Montgomery would pass away after a landing he couldn’t walk away from.  On October 31, 1911, Montgomery would fly through Evergreen for the last time.  Without his contributions to the field and his competition that drove other inventors, we would be flying hundreds of miles an hour in metal tubes over a hundred years later.  Beyond that, Montgomery was constantly improving upon technology and his work is around us everywhere, from our car tires to our electrical outlets.

91d4d203-6e45-4919-9cdf-7295ef5f6498The experiments and public demonstrations in Santa Clara County brought another claim to fame for the Valley of Heart’s Delight.  If you didn’t know Evergreen’s famous fruit or famous wines, you would’ve heard about that guy who died flying there.  The park and monument are here in Evergreen at Montgomery Hill Park along Yerba Buena Road and San Felipe Road, near where he passed.  Another monument stands today at the Santa Clara University campus.  Another airplane wing stands at the site of his San Diego County flights.  You can also view his work at the Smithsonian Museum in Washington D.C or the much closer Hiller Museum in Redwood City.  His great grandnephew has written a book and has agreed to our interview on the subject of John J. Montgomery and flight in general, at he follows in John’s footsteps as a professor of physics at UC Santa Cruz.

montgomery-2015-copyMy experience and my knowledge of John J. Montgomery began with painting for the Evergreen School District at the school named in his honor.  Otherwise, I would’ve remained unaware of the inventor.  There, one of the ball walls specifically discusses the History of Aviation and where John J. Montgomery fits within that narrative.  Gliders were incorporated into all the murals on campus.

Other longtime Evergreen residents, like Jerry Kettmann, would’ve had an intimate relationship with aviation, cultivated at the nearby Hillview Airport.  Harriet Quimby would’ve been directly inspired by Montgomery’s flights.  Here’s the artwork we have planned for John J. Montgomery who helped put Evergreen on the map.

1905

 

 

Graffiti, Tagging and Art

 P1310690We’re using are to address some difficult issues Evergreen is facing.  The most obvious is graffiti, but more specifically tagging.  Graffiti is a kind of Art, so I’m going to do some technical waxing and defining for a sec before getting to the Evergreen epidemic.  I’ll keep it short, but this is my area of expertise.

P1310632The Arts is the study of any form of human expression, so they cover a broad range of topics.  Graffiti is a kind of Art, short for Visual Arts.  Graffiti is a type of street expression or hip hop that is most often executed in spray paint is totally stunning when done well.  This example here is totally collaborative and organic.  I find it wicked inspiring.  It’s also the dead end for Fowler Creek, so an Evergreen historic landmark of sorts.  This would’ve been Downtown Evergreen back in the day.

P1310641Tagging, the dreaded enemy, is the single color spray painted, hurried expression.  It’s often a number, name or identifying mark of some kind.  Yuck.  Evergreen is host to both expressions.

These two example pictures were taken from the same Evergreen location, with the lens pointed in opposite directions.

P1310687Now, I would be lying if I told you I didn’t appreciate the colors, the lines and the value of this style of graffiti art.  I went to school in Southern California, finding myself inspired by LA’s hip hop vibe and graffiti.  I love the goofy giraffe off of our Cal Trains.  The truth is the only thing that separates this from Fine Arts is the legal permissions and contracts that go with its preservation.

11924764_10205168348264340_5498132776250486890_nWorking in public schools in Eastside San Jose and Evergreen, I have the conversation with high school students all the time about painting murals, doing something you love for a living, and how I use it as opportunity to say something later.  I encourage entrepreneurship with education.  I encourage students to ask for proper permissions, have a clear thought and a game plan.  Your property owner will respect that and therefore protect your work.

graffiti evergreenI was having that conversation with students pretty half cocked, never having asked for permissions for public artwork before, instead executing private contracts.  I never opened myself up to the Public Sector before like I have with this project.  It has been well received by every level of the Community.  Now that I’ve done it personally, I’ve not been misinforming the youth.  If you have a good idea, it’s going to find support.  I feel a little better about the conversations I’ve had with Silver Creek students loitering and watching me paint over the summers.

Laddie Way - Google MapsThe problem in Evergreen was visually obvious.  When I first reached out to the City of San Jose in regards to the Evergreen Mural Walk, I was sent a long list of places and people that have been affected by graffiti.  From retirement communities and schools to private property damage, the scars it leaves on this Community aren’t pretty.

E Capitol Expy - Google MapsThis visual allows for the Broken Window Theory to set in.  This is an idea within the study of criminology which leads to added and worsening destruction and in this case crime.  Evergreen experiences above national average numbers for violent crimes and home invasions.  I need students driven to school instead feeling safe enough to walk.  This project is aimed at trickling down positive, starting with removing this, the most visible canvas.

P1310691The Evergreen Mural Walk artwork is absolutely designed with graffiti and tattoo influences.   They’ll be fun to paint should any graffiti artists come out from local high schools.  The bright, bold colors is something I feel very strongly about recreating.   Graffiti Artist don’t mark on top of what they consider to be “Good Art”, adding to culture and acknowledging their existence.   It’s an odd ethic, but a treaty I broker with a cool approach and reap the rewards all over Evergreen schools.

bus stop vision 2 copyHopefully the Evergreen Mural Walk gets these individuals involved and creates community stewards of them.  It ought to create community pride in its execution and subject matter.  This shows the street culture of Evergreen while limiting its further decay.

Here’s further evidence of our Evergreen ProblemAborn Square Rd - Google Maps Brigadoon Way - Google Maps Corkerhill Way - Google Maps E Capitol Expy - Google Maps

 

Sparkling Evergreen Waterways

P1310696Throughout Evergreen’s over 200 year History, we hear described a network of creeks running though town.  As a kid, I would form a personal relationship poking around for toad and bull frogs, swinging from tires and racing over bridges with my friends.  Little did I know, these creek beds are a contributing factor to the name Evergreen.

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The Spanish and Mexican powers in California would call them the lagunitas.  The creeks ran off into the large laguna or lake.  Evergreen was rather marshy.  This Rancho Yerba Buena Chaboya Diseno notes several creeks running through the Evergreen hills.  This map especially notes Dry Creek, Thomspon Creek and Coyote Creek, the western border of Rancho Yerba Buena.

1876 MapWhat the Mexican Chaboya land grant from 1833 doesn’t show contrary to so many other maps and disenos of this neighborhood is that San Felipe Road after the intersection with Evergreen Lane now Aborn Road run parallel to a large creek.  Evergreen was built around its creeks.  The town of Evergreen would built up around its creeks and learn to rely on them.

P1310622This creek to the left was once called Dry Creek.  Dedicated in 1974 as Thompson Creek, Dry Creek ran directly through the town of Evergreen founded in 1866.  It was amazing to hear that these bridges I crossed on my bike as a child would have been crossed for some 100 years before.  These bridges connected distance farmers and ranchers to the center of Evergreen.

P1310619The original path of San Felipe Road 150 years ago was parallel to this creek almost directly after Evergreen Lane.  Keaton Loop, which sneaks behind Wells Fargo on San Felipe was the original route, hugging the creek bed.  This route feels old timey as all get out.  The original schoolhouse would be located in the shopping center on the other side of this creek crossing.

1880 - Evergreen bridgeMost popular small crossings of Thompson Creek are between Cadwallader Avenue and Keaton Loop, to the south of Evergreen Lane/Aborn Road, and Scottsdale Drive and Pettigrew Drive, to the north of Evergreen Lane/Aborn Road.  These are both super close to White Road and San Felipe Road.  Students from 1860 would’ve crossed these bridges to get to class.  Thompson creek dumps into Cunningham after traveling parallel with Capitol Expressway a little.  It cuts diagonal after Quimby Road toward and past Evergreen Library.  Thompson Creek will loosely follow San Felipe traveling south until Yerba Buena Road.  There, the creek makes a left hand turn and hugs the Evergreen Valley College campus to its south.  Thompson Creek water ways have inspired this murals.

Dry Creek is what follows straight along San Felipe Road.  This was appropriately named as it run dry most times of the year.  Water from Anderson Reservoir would be pumped in to supply farmers with irrigation.  This would create family feuds over water right between neighbors.

velma_interiorBack in the day, it was the Laguna Secrayre.  Lake Cunningham, before its new name and the creation of the park, was Silver Lake.  Velma Million, park creator, named the park after the gentleman who owned the land last.  Frank Cunningham purchased the land from Evergreen pioneer, John Tully.  City of San Jose had to seize the land in the early 1900’s for flood control.  As late as 1969, Silver Lake flooded its banks into neighboring low lying houses.  Today, this popular hiking and picnic destination serves a second purpose equalizing water levels.  Velma created the park in 1973, with a vision to create a “Vasona of the East” in a rapidly developing San Jose.  She created a positive from a negative.  Velma herself is truly inspirational to me, so we’ll save her story for another blog.

P1310197Silver Creek along the western side of old Evergreen.  It no longer exists today.  There are some traces of the Silver Creek around today, beyond the naming of the school and surrounding neighborhood.  Silver Creek was built directly on top of for Highway 101 and Capitol Expressway.  The ruins of Silver Creek can be found at the on ramp of Yerba Buena Road and US 101 North.

P1300931Silver Creek Road closely followed Silver Creek while it was around, but modern day King Road, which it turns into, does not.  Portions of Silver Creek exist near Silver Creek Linear Park.  Portions of it exist near new development in the old Hassler property now known as the Ranch, as well as along the backside Silver Creek County Club.  To the right is one of those relics of Silver Creek.

Norwood Creek, for which a school is named, flows from Capitol Expressway to White Road, then haults to an office center and residential subdivision.  It does reemerge in high elevations.  It has several Water Facilities along Norwood Avenue diverting this natural flow.  At one time, it would’ve paralleled the entire length of Norwood Avenue.

P1310632I suspect this what’s left of the Fowler Creek which, like the road, was named after farmer Andrew Fowler.  You can find this water way tunnel off of San Felipe Road  connecting with Thompson Creek, if you know where to look.  I think it’s actually quite stunning.  This creek would have split off San Felipe Road and followed Fowler Road east, but this area has been entirely developed.  On Google Earth, where Fowler Creek would’ve begun back in the day, there’s a large water tank.  Farming also could’ve dried Fowler Creek up over time.

watershedThe creeks Evergreen all tie into a larger network the flow to either Calaveras Reservoir or Anderson Reservoir.  The Evergreen streams have been drying up for sometime, though.  Modern day Evergreen experiences golden hills in summer and autumn, but that was not always true.  Farming in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s found easy, dependable water sources close by.  These streams and creek would be diverted for orchards and crops.  Natural ponds would quench the thirst of cattle.  This and flood control measures lighten our hills in warmer months.  Drought doesn’t help.  The hills are especially lush lately.  Their naturally green grasslands were irrigated by running streams since the Ohlone Indians discovered Evergreen.

P1310599I went back to one of my favorite creek beds as a child, behind my old elementary school, Millbrook.  This is Quimby Creek, but as you can see and as I can hear late at night, the waterflow has a healthy wildlife.  The particular bridge connects Millbrook Drive with D’Amico Drive.  Quimby Creek connects to Thompson Creek with another quaint bridge from Scottsdale Drive to Aborn Ct.

P1300927Egrets make a home in our healthy Evergreen waterways.  I used to see them all the time as a kid where Beschoff Motors is now.  They’re frequently by Capitol Expressway.  I found this guy over by Linear Park.

P1310608Sadly, many of the creeks and natural water flows have been built on top of, but should you be able to find them, you’ve found a little Evergreen History flowing in front of you.  Thompson Creek has a lovely trail, but it does feature tagging.  Consider tagging and graffiti also a part of Evergreen’s identity.  It’s just the fact.

 

Evergreen today

evergreen-realtorAs Wikipedia describes it, Evergreen is the neighborhood between the borders of Tully Road to the north, 101 to the West, San Felipe Road to the South and the East foothills to the East.  The artwork will revolve around the people, events and places within this area.  I’m portraying Evergreen overtime.  It begs the question, what is Evergreen today?

sjgurdwaraEvergreen is home to 126,146 documented residents with 34,151 households.  I phrase it that way because we have a lot of long-term visitors indoors and outdoors.  Evergreen is half as dense, people per square mile, as the rest of San Jose or San Jose as a whole.  We’re evenly split between men and women.  The average household size is 3.7 people.   Average household income in $135,206.  To say Evergreen is diverse would be an understatement.  It’s a melting pot brimming with different culture.

Our gorgeous suburb has an average age of 37.4 – 40.2 years of age.  I know you think of Silicon Valley types raising their kids in Evergreen, but the Villages Retirement Community tucked back into San Felipe Road tremendously evens out our median age.  The Villages is home to hundreds of old Evergreen families and pioneers.  It leads me to believe the bulk here is under 10 years old and over 70 years old.

68.5% of workers in Evergreen are White Collar workers, many of those folks working in the healthy tech economy of the Silicon Valley.  Almost 50% of residents have college and graduate degrees.  80% of residents in Evergreen have some college experience.  Needless to say, education is an important aspect of the Evergreen community.

images92JJUXZ6Evergreen Elementary School District and Eastside Union High School District have 18 public schools, 12 of which have a 9-10 rating as noted by GreatSchools Ratings.  I’d say that’s an excellent percentage.  All these schools have 5 or above rating.  Evergreen Community College hosts classes for more than 11,000 students.

Evergreen treesEvergreen was named for its oak trees, lush rolling hills and sparkling waterways that have existed here throughout time.  Though summer and autumn months bring a golden quality to our hills, open spaces and rural areas survive here in Evergreen as it was once a farming community.

Though the Evergreen Mural Walk is aimed at instilling pride into the Evergreen neighborhood by drawing upon its roots, it is a brilliant pocket of diversity and growth today that we should be proud of.