HISTORY OF THE CAMBRIAN AREA

From the website by the Cambrian Community Council

Cambrian Area Defined
The term Cambrian was first used over 133 years ago when David
Lewis of the Lewis Casey Ranch named the first Cambrian School in
honor of his homeland, Wales. Cambria is the classical, or Latinized,
name for Wales. Since Lewis' time, Cambrian has grown to define a
distinct geographical area and has persisted as such despite much
confusion caused by the emergence of many overlapping jurisdictions.
In 1863 when the settlers of the area provided education for their
children, two distinct geographical entities were created as Cambrian
and Union School Districts. As outlying areas of the County of Santa
Clara at that time, cartographers used the school district boundaries
for geographical delineation as shown in the 1876 Thompson & West
Historical Atlas of Santa Clara County. The school names had grown
into geographical and directional references.
Political borders and maps changed drastically in answer to demand
for services to support the population explosion after World War II. As
the realigned borders of the City of San Jose, the City of Campbell,
and a small portion of the Town of Los Gatos overlay the previous
map, the community began referring to their area in terms of both
definitions, giving rise to fuzzy definitions.
To further muddy the waters, over a four-year period (1958-1962) the
San Jose Mercury News and the Cambrian Weekly News produced
almost 100 pages devoted to Cambrian Park (which is within
Cambrian) instead of Cambrian and gave varied descriptions of the
borders. The Cambrian Weekly News announced that the U.S. Post
Office had clarified the issue in 1961 by combining Union and
Cambrian with the zip code 95124. The paper did not note that when
the Post Office did so it relegated some of the original Cambrian
School district to zip codes 95132 and 95008.
While confusing the geography, both newspapers agreed on the
important issue-Cambrian values remain that of the settlers who
originated the asTheir activities outside the home are still family
centered in schools and churches, where their time and energy and
money is benefiting their families and communitiesgrowing a new
product-young, healthy and happy American families. And while
admitting the borders are confusing, they agree that Cambrian is as
much as state of mind as of friendliness and informality that makes it
a wonderful place to live. A Sketch Glory Anne Laffey, historical
consultant, stated that there were more languages spoken in Santa
Clara County than in all of the rest of the United States. As you read
the number of immigration's, including our own, it isn't hard to

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understand that Cambrian is no different than the rest of the country
and that it has always been that way.
The Frontier: 1850-1860
During this period most of the land was held in huge Mexican land
grants as large as 13,000 acres Rancho de Los Gatos to the
southwest, Rancho San Juan Bautista Narvaez to the southeast with
former mission land between the two ranchos and north of Dry Creek
claimed by Juan C. Galindo. Acting majordomo since the secularization
of the Mission Santa Clara, Galindo was granted 3800 acres by Father
Real, but the courts later denied his claim. The property became
public land and opened for settlement as was the public land on which
most of Cambrian area is located. His small home on Dry Creek
eventually became the home of H. A. Leigh.
The Cambrian area continued to be used as it had been by the Mission
Santa Clara as part of the grazing land, which in 1827 supported a
minimum of 14,400 head of cattle and 15,500 sheep. The land grants
were slowly subdivided and sold to the earliest settlers in parcels of
80 to 600 acres with a few at 2,000 acres reflecting the change in
many 49rs who found that the shortage of wheat, fresh vegetables,
and fruit made their return to farming as lucrative and more stable
than searching for gold. Although land titles were not all settled until
the 1870's, with a few settlers having to buy their property more than
once, many squatting until they were settled, the area was slowly
becoming populated. Slowly is the key word as shown in a census in
1852 only eight farm sites were shown on the Galindo claim. By
1860, the most dominant crop was wheat and the few farmers who
irrigated, varied their crops to more than double the value of their
farms.
At the end of the era Cambrian settlers, located six miles from San
Jose, between a growing Campbell, the Los Gatos gateway to the
Santa Cruz Mountain lumber and the New Almaden Mine were close
to all the hubs without the bustling activities of any of the centers. By
1858 stage coach travel through the Los Gatos toll road to Santa Cruz
and beyond brought people to the area as well as provided access to
market. Los Gatos was a busy town with the Forbes Mill and the first
hotel of the area. Beyond hard work, innovation and rich soil
Cambrian had the key elements to development, location and
transportation.
Large Scale Wheat Farming: 1861-1870
A stable period, emphasis was on high yield dry farmed wheat
production with barley as a secondary minor crop. Farmers increased
their wheat production from an average of 2.7 to 20 bushels an acre
by 1870. The farmers gave little thought to diversification except in

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the form of farm stock. As we imagine the sheer labor involved as
these pioneers cleared the land and successfully increased their crops
eight fold, we have to stand in awe of them as we realize they built
their first grade schools at the same time. An insight into the
challenge of conquering the land as well as the nature of the land can
be seen in the observations of a Santa Cruz Sentinel journalist during
his stagecoach travel in 1869.
It is singular that the best grain, as an average, we saw in the county,
was in this vicinity, from land cleared of the dense chaparral-poison-
vine, grease wood, sage, manzanita etc., growing in every direction.
The plan adopted to clear, is novel, first a large very heavy roller-runs
over the standing brushwood. This process effectually levels the brush
close to the ground. After the broken mass becomes thoroughly dry,
fire is put into it which consumes everything even with the ground:
then comes a heavy plow, drawn by ten horses which turns the roots
and snags up to the sun at a depth of about 14 to 18 inches; these
roots are again gathered into heaps and carted to San Jose and sold
for firewood; then cross-plowing takes place which effectually and
permanently clears the land ready for crops.
Era of General Farming: 1871-1880
Stable again until the late 1870's when the bottom fell out of the
wheat market and wheat production decreased to only 4.5 bushels per
acre, farmers turned to general farming raising poultry, sheep,
swine, barley and hay. Toward the end of the 1870's farmers had
begun to experiment in intensive horticulture, cultivating apples,
peaches, prunes and grapes as the result of the failure of the one
crop economy.
Horticulture Expansion: 1881-1945
Second generation farmers saw the profitable results of the W. Ware,
H.A Leigh, L. Casey, G W Gardner and G. M. Harwood successful
horticulture and viticulture experiments and began subdividing their
land into 5 to 20 acre parcels at a high profit, retaining enough to
profitably establish their own orchards. Some of the ranchers
subdivided to their children. New neighbors arrived and schools
needed expanding.
Although many factors contributed to the successful transition from
wheat farms to orchard ranches, the railroad was the key to getting
the fruit rapidly to market as well as bringing thousands of people to
the area on excursion trains for development. The Campbell railroad
depot and canning industry became the focus of Cambrian ranchers.
In 1887 the Flemming brothers and the first cannery by J.C Ainsley
established the earliest fruit packing operation in 1891.
Actively involved at every turn, in 1929 when the Campbell-Los Gatos

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Prune and Apricot Association was officially approved by the state, W.
A. Riggs from Union and L. Hiatt of Cambrian were elected to the
board of directors while William H. Cilker and Frank Steindorf were
elected representatives to the California Prune and Apricot Growers
Association who had built Sunsweet Plant 1 in 1919.
With orchards came the change of the farm complexes, consisting of
farmhouse, barn and equipment sheds, to include drying yards,
cutting sheds, fruit barns and dehydrator tunnels. As demand
increased many farmers chose to use their land for their dryers
instead of for planting. In 1937 the Campbell cooperative was formed
to become the largest of all cooperative dryers by 1948.
Orchards had not only provided the area with income and growth, but
also spurred the industrial growth of the auxiliary industries and
created a population explosion that required services. For Cambrian,
the area between the hubs, it meant the continuation of hard work as
the ranchers developed and maintained their orchards and irrigation
while raising their families. It also meant prosperity and continued
success.
By 1939 three projects were completed that would greatly affect the
future of the area: water conservation programs, connection of the
Bayshore Freeway, and the establishment of Moffet Field as a naval
dirigible base. The fourth factor was Frederick Terman. Hired as an
engineering professor at Stanford University in 1930, his guidance
was responsible for the university becoming a leader in the field of
electronics.
World War II and Beyond: 1945 +
World War II, like the gold rush a century before, had a major effect
on the changing character of the area. Thousands of military
personnel were brought to the area, exposing the beauty of the valley
to public view. Post-war contracts were awarded to William Hewlett
and David Packard, who continued to grow the electronics industry.
The companies of Hewlitt-Packard, Varian, Sylvania, General
Electronics and Lockheed were forming the nucleus of the Silicon
Valley. Between 1950 and 1975 the population increased five-fold.
Rising land values and property taxes induced the ranchers to sell
their orchards to developers. As the first generation of wheat farmers
divided their lands to the second generation orchard ranchers, the
third generation sold their lands to developers. Many of them moved
to more rural communities while others provided income for their
children. The Valley of Hearts Delight had become the Silicon Valley.
The last innovation in land use gives way to innovation in industry.
Cambrian saw a rapid transition as mom and pop corners such as
Cambrian corner with the Carmen Nursery, Pepper tree Market, and

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the one pump gas station or Camden corner with Macs Market,
Daughertys Drugs and Graces Childrens Shop were replaced by
rows of retail businesses. Tract housing replaced orchards and new
schools were needed. In the 1950's as more and more services were
required, a major change in political boundaries took place as
Campbell incorporated; Los Gatos extended its borders and the City of
San Jose expanded radically.
Cambrian is now a mixture of the first, second and third generation of
those who arrived after World War II, the more mobile young people
of the 90's and a few remaining pioneer ancestors. Although the
number of houses, size of property, political boundaries, and livelihood
has changed drastically since the beginning of this sketch, Cambrian
remains a relatively quiet area between the hubs and has retained
focus on family, religion and community that was inherent in the
original settlers.
Schools
Residents of the Cambrian area are served by the public schools of
the Cambrian and Union Grade School Districts and the Campbell
Union High School District. Private schools of religious nature include
Valley Christian School, St. Frances Cabrini and St. Lucy in Campbell.
Cambrian Grade School District
Cambrian School District was established in 1863 when the settlers
built the first Cambrian School on the southeast corner of what is
presently Bascom and Curtner on property donated by Lewis Casey
and his sister, Rebecca. Welsh immigrant, David Lewis, a farm hand
on the Casey Ranch who donated the funds to purchase materials to
build the schoolhouse was asked to help name the new school. He
suggested Cambria, Latin for Wales. Built by the labor of the
surrounding farmers, the first Cambrian School was the only one in
the area at that time and therefore it welcomed children from
Campbell, San Thomas and parts of the Moreland district.
Ida Price, the first president, was instrumental in establishing the
Cambrian Home and School Club, which provided hot lunches and
convinced the board members of the pleasantry of inside plumbing.
The present Home and School clubs continue to provide invaluable
support for the children of the Cambrian School District.
The Cambrian Mens Club, in the 1940's through 1960's, also took an
active role in the school as well as Cub and Boy Scout troops as they
provided the community-at-large with fundraising social events such
as the Annual Fiesta penny carnival where the men built collapsible
booths for games such as the milk bottle toss and wheel of fortune.
Schools presently serving the Cambrian School District:

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Ida Price Middle School
Farnham School
Bagby School
Sartorette School
Fammatre School

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Union Grade School District
The Union Grade School District began informally in 1858 on the 320-
acre ranch of Major Lewis Foster Parker near present Harwood and
Blossom Hill when he called a meeting of 50 neighboring settlers to
establish some form of education for their children. Formalizing the
district in November 1863, they set about the task of hiring an
unmarried woman teacher at a salary of $50 a month with room and
board. In addition to teaching, she would trim the lamp-wicks, keep
the water bucket and cup clean, keep the fire burning and maintain a
clean building.
When the first Union School was built, the District did not own
property, nor could the community agree as to location, therefore it
was a small portable structure built on skids to allow it to be moved to
different properties. Reportedly it had been moved, twice in one night,
utilizing horse teams. After it burned down in 1872, Mrs. Christopher
Schofield donated an acre of land at the intersection of Los Gatos-
Almaden Road and Union Avenue, for the first permanent Union
School, which opened in 1873. From that time forward the district and
schools has reflected the changing population and economy of the
current times.
The Union Home and School club began in 1892 when the We And
Our Neighbors Club assisted Miss Van Meter with a school Christmas
Party. The Home and School clubs continue this tradition of doing
good deeds as they lend financial and advisory support to their
perspective schools.
Schools presently service the Union School District:
Union Middle School
Dartmouth Middle School
Carlton School
Noddin School
Lone Hill School
Lietz School
Athenour School
Oster School
Guadalupe School
Campbell Union High School District
Prior to the 1900s, students living in the area who wanted an
education above eighth grade had to travel far to a public high school.
In 1900 a bond was passed to form the Campbell Union High School
District. Campbell High School opened in 1900 and served as the area
high school until 1955 when Camden High School opened at the
corner of Union and Camden Avenues. When closed in 1980, the
community members succeeded in preserving a portion of the

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property for the Camden Lifetime Activities Center including a
community swimming pool. Today, Cambrian is served by Del Mar
High School (1959), Leigh High school (1962) and Branham High
school (1967).
Cambrian Signposts
Roads of 100+ years ago were very simply named via common
consent to convey the destination, note a landmark, or honor adjacent
ranchers and farmers. Although a few had their beginnings as the
easiest historical route between point A and point B, many were built
and maintained for private passage between fields and neighboring
farms. When neighbors petitioned the County of Santa Clara to
declare a road public, the area was honored as the road was added to
the county map and the name became part of the county historical
record. Many of the roads we know today were made public in that
manner.
Bascom Avenue Beginning in 1852 as the Road by Way of the Plains,
in 1862 it gained its present name to honor Dr. H.L. Bascom and
family. A classical pioneer story first published in 1887 by the
Overland Monthly, the Grandma Bascom Story typifies the 49er
spirit. Upon arriving in San Jose overland from Kentucky in 1949,
Grandma Bascom felt the need to augment the good doctors income.
She opened a boarding house, entertaining the elite of that day,
including the legislators of the new state capitol. Nicknamed
Slapjack Hall due to the dexterity of the helpful legislators cooks in
the flipping pancakes, Grandmas was a great success. In 1852 the
Bascom's moved to a 100-acre ranch on the southern outskirts of
Santa Clara where neighbors petitioned the road to be named in their
honor.
Branham Lane The present Branham Lane is an extension of the road
to Isaac Branhams 656-acre farm just west of Almaden Road. One of
the first and most prominent pioneers of the Cambrian area, Isaac
Branham (1803-1887) and his family of small children arrived at the
San Jose Pueblo after a six-month journey by covered wagon from
Missouri in 1846. Upon arrival he immediately enlisted in the Mexican
War. In 1847, with partner, Captain J. Hanks, he built a water-powered
sawmill above Los Gatos that supplied lumber needed in the rapidly
growing valley. Entrepreneur, hunter and philanthropist, multi-faceted
Branham was also an innovative farmer. Allocating 50 acres of his
property to grapes, he planted one of the first vineyards in the area
that reached a production of over 5,000 gallons of wine per year by
1865. He is also on record for producing a 63lb. beet and a 40lb.
carrot that was 4 long.
Politically active, he loaned the California Senate a temporary
building on San Carlos Street while helping to finance a more

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permanent building.
Camden Avenue An acronym for from Campbell to New Almaden
Mine. Camden Avenue, previously Railroad Avenue, began as a
narrow gauge branch of the South Pacific Coast Railroad on July
15,1886 to haul timber from the Santa Cruz Mountains to the New
Almaden quicksilver mine. South Pacific took over the branch and
converted it to standard gauge in1906. South Pacific shared track
with the electric interurban Peninsular Railway between 1906 and
1930 while running a weekly mixed train. Beginning with developers
and later for pleasure, special weekend excursions would bring
thousands of people to the area for barbecues, picnics, music and
dancing. Between the automobile and depression, by 1937 the depots
at Blossom Hill (Le Franc), Union Avenue and Bascom Avenue were
closed. Santa Clara County was deeded the stretch of the right of way
between the present Highway 17 and Almaden by South Pacific in
1940.
Campbell Avenue Completed in 1883, Campbell Avenue jogged
around Campbell pioneer, founder and first postmaster, Benjamin
Campbells home to create an east-west route between what is
presently Winchester Boulevard, and Bascom Avenue. Heading the
county petition was Campbell with neighbors; Mrs. Willet, H.S. Foote
and G. W. Gardner. The road, as well as the post office that followed,
was successful in enticing the Southern Pacific Coast Railroad to build
through the district in 1886 a pivotal point in the prosperous
transition from areas wheat farming to horticulture.
Curtner (Casey Road) - The imprint Casey Road can still be spotted
on one section of the concrete curb at Curtner and Union Avenues
reminiscent of the time when the western portion to Camden was
named after the Lewis Casey family. In 1853, pioneers from Ohio, the
Caseys settled on 84 acres north of Curtner and west of Union to
Bascom. One of the first in horticulture, Lewis Casey donated a corner
of his property creating the first Cambrian Schools established in
1863.
In 1968 when Curtner Avenue was extended to meet Casey Road, the
name was changed to prevent confusion. A true rages to riches
biography, Henry Curtner (b1832) arrived from Indiana in 1852 with a
capital of $20. He quickly rose to the status of millionaire and one of
the valleys greatest philanthropists.
Dry Creek Road Farmers and ranchers went to bed on the stormy
night of December 20, 1866 and awakened to find the flood of all
floods had caused the Los Gatos Creek to jump its banks below
Campbell and cut north along Los Gatos North Water Ditch through
five miles of farmland before dropping back into the old channel just
east of Meridian Road. Titles were rewritten as property lines were

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adjusted to accommodate the new and present channel that caused
some farmers to cross the creek to get to their barns while others
along the old channel suddenly lacked the legal division between
neighboring properties. Shallow and wide, the old channel became
Dry Creek Road.
Harwood Road Relatively short, Harwood Road is a straight meridian
petitioned by neighbors to be named after G. M. Harwood who took
the risk to plant grapes on his 214 acres at the north base of Lone
Hill. By 1871 his 66,000 vines were so profitable that it contributed
greatly to the land value of the area.
Leigh Avenue H. A Leigh convinced his sister and recently widowed
mother, Delicia to move from England in 1874 as partners in a 180-
acre farm on the north side of Dry Creek Road. Delicias cultured
British background made the family the center of social life for
politicians and local leaders alike as she remodeled and expanded the
house to include a private tennis court and carriage house with dance
floor above it.
Noteworthy as an innovative farmer, H.A. Leigh was one of the first to
successfully make the transition from wheat to horticulture in 1881
when he subdivided his acreage into 5 to 15 acre parcels at a high
profit while retaining sixty acres that he planted in orchards. His
success saved others by encouraging them to do likewise. Their
neighbors petitioned a newly constructed road adjacent to them be
named for this highly regarded family.
Los Gatos-Almaden Road In the 1850s lumber from Santa Cruz
Mountains, milled in Los Gatos, was transported via horse drawn
wagon to supply the Almaden Mines with support beams for 259 miles
of underground tunnels. Teamsters traveled down what is presently
Los Gatos Avenue to Los Gatos-Almaden Road and turned right before
Lone Hill (a true hill at that time) to Blossom Hill Road and out Farley
to Almaden.
Meridian Avenue Named for its position on the north-south meridian
that passes through Mount Diablo and used as a base point for
surveys in the Bay Area, it was laid out erroneously in 1852 by a
surveyor using magnetic compasses. In 1889, to the relief of the area
land title- holders, astronomer James Keeler of the Lick Observatory
discovered and rectified the eight feet per half-mile error. Since that
time Meridian Avenue has been true to its namesake.
Union Avenue (Ware Road) In 1867 the loyal Unionist along Ware
Road petitioned that the road become public and designated Union
Avenue. William Parker, John Stanford, Hiram Platt, William La
Montagne and William H. Ware, among other adjacent farmers agreed
with N. G Haines as he claimed that Union Avenue had more dignity

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than a name that had the title road and pointed out that it was lined
with trees and graded except for half a mile.
William H.Ware, knows to all as Billy Ware, typified the early
pioneering spirit of the gold rush period. Dreaming of gold as a
teacher in Mississippi, he joined a California-bound mule train. Taking
the work rush very seriously, he broke away from the slow mule
train only to run into Indians who stole his horse. Ware made it
through the Sierras on foot. After accumulating wealth via gold
mining and dabbling in ditch digging, a trading post and a hotel, in
the 1850s he settled down on his 574 acre wheat and hay ranch
located northeast of present day Foxworthy and Union Avenues as one
of the earliest settlers in Cambrian. One of the innovative farmers of
the time, his farm increased in value from $6,000 in 1860 to $40,000
in1870.
White Oaks Road Between 1858 and 1880, weary passengers of the
Pioneer Stage Coach Company and other travelers refreshed
themselves at the Seven Mile House, which stood on what is presently
White Oaks Road and Bascom Avenue. The road is named for the
immense stand of trees that welcomed and shaded them.
Snapshots
The merry-go-round of Cambrian Park Plaza, designed by a local
baker, depicts a young family on a pleasure outing consistent with a
family community as Paul Schaeffer, orchardist-turned-builder,
envisioned it almost 50 years ago. Mr. Schaeffer turned his 270-acre
prune orchard into a finished community including homes on large
lots, donated land to build the Cambrian Park Methodist Church, and
in 1953, the first one-stop shopping center including medical and
dental professional offices. Innovative in its approach to blending the
architecture with that of planned homes, providing covered walkways
to protect shoppers during inclement weather and provide a rear
delivery area to keep trucks from interfering with customer vehicles it
opened with a huge celebration. As you shop, be sure to read the
plaque in front of Price Low and notice Paul Schaeffers favorite
marigolds and roses.
The water tower in the corner of the Downing Center on Union
Avenue and Los Gatos-Almaden Road is an emblem of the community
responsibilities fulfilled by the ranchers as each morning they loaded
a water barrel onto their wagons, filled it at a nearby water tower and
wetted down the roads to lower the dust stirred up by their
equipment.
The John Downing family arrived in the area by train from Nova
Scotia in the late 1800s. Innovative orchardists, poultry and egg
ranchers until the 1960s, many local residents still recall buying

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cartons of eggs from their creative vending machine, with the change
on top of the box. Today, fourth generation Dwayne Downing provides
a glimpse into the past quietly surrounding his Live Oak Kitchen
patrons with Aunt Floras antique radio or the fireplace mantel lifted
intact from the Riggs-Downing home circa 1888 while 1930s
photographs of the Downing Ranch cover the walls.
Although the little grocer is smiling because he is proud that his
Cosentino Market on Bascom and Union demands a freshness that has
to live up to what we would serve at our own tables, he might also
be enjoying its history. Cosentino Market has its roots in teen
rebellion. In 1945, Sicilian immigrants Dominic and Isabella Cosentino
moved to the area from Ohio with four sons between 7 and 18 years of
age. Dominic had dreams of an orchard, but sons Salvadore, Marino,
Phil and Dominic who had been in produce since they could walk
were NOT going to be farmers. They began their California
enterprise by selling bananas off the back of a truck. Three stores,
much expansion, including a new store in Santa Clara, nineteen
children, twenty grandchildren, and a shopping center named after
their mother later, the boys are still pleased with their decision. A
photo history of their development is mounted above the produce in
their stores.
Picture from the Past
As farm properties were subdivided, quite a few of the farmhouses
and public buildings were moved to other lots in order to preserve
them. Many are private dwellings at this time, but one of the buildings
is available for all of us to enjoy.
We And Our Neighbors clubhouse is quietly announced on the carved
redwood sign in front of the building on the northeast corner of Los
Gatos-Almaden Road and Union Avenue. The antique exterior hides
the beauty of the hardwood floors, parlor and stage. Listed on the
National Register of Historic Places by the U. S Department of the
Interior it is the meeting place for one of the oldest continuously
meeting womens service organizations in the valley.
Over 100 years old, the club began in the home of Mrs. Jane Cilker in
June of 1892 to improve themselves culturally and assist one another
when needed. Performing a plethora of good deeds too numerous to
list, their minutes give insight into their longevity: first dues were $1
annually; $300 bought a piano; benefit dances were 24 cents;
clubhouse rental was $1.25 for members, $6 for all others.
These Union district pioneer women held their meeting at their homes
until the construction of the clubhouse in 1910 made possible by the
land donation of Mrs. Sophia La Montagne and a building donation of
$2,650 by Mrs. Scholfied. Throughout its history the clubhouse has

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been made available for local community events such as serving as
the county lending library in the 1950s. It presently serves as a
meeting place for Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts as well as variety of
other public and private functions.

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