History of Santa Clara County, California, with biographical sketches of the leading men and women of the county who have been identified with its growth and development from the early days to the present, Part 50

Author: Sawyer, Eugene Taylor, 1846-
Publication date: 1922
Publisher: Los Angeles : Historic Record Co.
Number of Pages: 1928

USA > California > Santa Clara County > History of Santa Clara County, California, with biographical sketches of the leading men and women of the county who have been identified with its growth and development from the early days to the present > Part 50

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About sixty years ago the village standing at the head of the navigable slough which ex- tends southward from the Bay of San Fran- cisco, was given the name Alviso This is a proper name, given in honor of Don Ignacio Alviso, who was born in Sonora, Mexico in

1772. He came to California with his mother, sisters and brothers under the leadership of Anza. Alviso was a major domo, or foreman at the Santa Clara Mission for several years and in that capacity was actively engaged in construction work for the Mission at the time the buildings were moved to their last site. He helped to construct and for several years lived at the California Hotel. His wife's maiden name was Maria Margaret Bernal. He died in 1845, leaving a large estate.

Milpitas is the interesting name of a thriv- ing town on the road from San Jose to Warm Springs. The word, 'Milpitas' is a compound of mill, a thousand, and pitas, which means agaves, American alves or century plants ; and the fibrous threads of a plant. Milpitas got its name from the Rancho Milpitas, one cor- ner of which eneloses the town. Inasmuch as there were no agaves growing in that part of the valley and that there may have been many small flowering vines along the Penetencia Creek which runs through Milpitas, it is safe to assume that the word, Milpitas, was used as meaning a thousand thread-like vines.

Hacienda means landed estate, fortune, domestic work. It is also used to indicate headquarters. This name was given to the reduction works of the New Almaden quick- silver mines. This place is about twelve miles from San Jose in a shallow canyon at the foot of the mountain out of which cinnabar has been taken since 1847. A village has grown up at this point and it bears the name Haci- enda. One of the principal tributaries of the Guadalupe River runs through this village. It is called the Arroyo de los Alamitos, the rivu- let of the little poplar trees, poplar trees hav- ing grown along this stream for many years.

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The Century Dictionary defines the word Alameda as follows: "A shaded public walk, especially one planted with poplar trees." The word Alameda, however, is used in the United States, Cuba and Mexico as the name of a shaded way or walk without reference to the kind of trees planted on it. It may be proper to add that the Alameda, between San Jose and Santa Clara, has long had a high aesthetic value. In 1833 Governor Figueroa took cog- nizance of it as one of the assets of Alta Cali- fornia, and learning that some of the trees which had been planted on it were being cut down for firewood, ordered the vandalism to cease immediately.

San Tomas Aquina, a public highway which runs southward from the Payne road, has been named officially San Tomas Aquina. The English equivalent of this Spanish name is Saint Thomas Aquinas. This Saint must not be confounded with the Saint Thomas who was one of the twelve apostles. The father of the Aquinas was called Count Aquinas, because of his political connection with a province of Italy named Aquina. His son re- seived the name of Thomas Aquinas and was canonized under that name. The road re- ceived its name from its relation to the San Tomas Aquinas Creek, which rises in the Santa Cruz Mountains and flows into Camp- bell Creek.

The Saint John the Baptist Hills (San Juan Bautista) rise up from the south side of Oak Hill Cemetery. Sometime in the '60s Thomas Kell conveyed twelve acres of land on these hills to Bishop Riordan for a burial place. For many years a large Roman cross out- stretched its arms over these hills. Near this cross was a small, neglected graveyard. From the top of these hills one may see, in Oak Hill Cemetery. the graves of many thousands of San Jose's pioneer citizens.

Calabaza is the name of a winter stream of water which rises in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains and flows into the Guada- lupe River near the Bay of San Francisco. The orchardists living near the stream pronounce the name as though it were spelled Calabasis. The name means small, young, tender pump- kins, and is more fanciful than significant.

El Arroyo Tulares de los Canoas is the rec- ognized name of a stream which runs along the west side of the Monterey road to the cor- ner of Almaden Aventie and South First Street and then turns to the west and angles across the Fourth Ward of San Jose to discharge into the Guadalupe River. The literal English equivalent of the name is the rivulet of the tules for canoes. In use the name is reduced to Canoas Creek, which means a creek for canoes.

Sierra Azule appears on the map in Hall's History as a portion of the mountains now called Santa Cruz. The word Sierra means rough mountains and Azule means bluc. The dark, bluish color of the mountains as seen from any point in the valley justifies the use of the name Sierra Azule. In the foothills of these mountains, on land formerly owned by the late L. A. Spitzer, on the Mount Eden road, are some springs of water bearing the name Azule, and the blueness of the water as it runs away from the springs, being like the unclouded sky, makes the name very appro- priate.

Loma Prieta is the Spanish equivalent of blackish hill or blackish point. This is the name of a mountain peak situated south of San Jose, near the line separating the counties of Santa Clara and Santa Cruz. It has an al- titude of 3790 feet. This peak stands out prominently and is easily seen from any view- point in the valley. Even Mt. Hamilton does not offer as large a range of vision as does Loma Prieta. Standing on the top of this peak one can see nearly every object which can be seen from Mt. Hamilton and in addi- tion he can see much of Santa Cruz County and the ocean beyond. At night from Loma Prieta can be seen the lights in San Jose and Santa Cruz.

The English equivalent of Santa Clara is Saint Clear or Saint Bright. Clara is the fem- inine form of the Spanish word, Claro, clear. Santa Clara was the first Franciscan nun and the founder of the Order of Santa Clara. She is called Santa Clara de Assisi, Virgin, Abbess and Matriarch of her famous religion. Re- membering that Santa Clara was converted under the teaching of Saint Francis and that Franciscan Missionaries founded the Mission, is it any wonder they gave to it the name Santa Clara?

The Spanish land grants are a prolific source of Spanish names. El Rancho Rincon de los Estera is Spanish for the Salt Marsh ranch. This name is appropriate because the north- erly line of this grant runs from the Guada- lupe River across the salt marsh lands of the Bay of San Francisco to the Penetencia Creek. The northwest corner is near but does not in- clude Alviso.

Rancho Potrero de Santa Clara means the pasture ranch of Santa Clara. This land made an acceptable pasture for the people living about the Mission because it lies between Santa Clara and the Guadalupe River. Gar- den seeds are now grown on much of this land. J. Alexander Forbes was the first Brit- ish consul stationed on the ranch. He mar- ried Senorita Anita Galindo, who brought to him as a marriage dower much of this fine

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tract of land. Forbes sold it to Commodore Stockton, after whom Stockton Avenue was named.

Rancho Agua Caliente, hot water ranch. The land lies partly in Alameda County and partly in Santa Clara County. It includes what is now known as Warm Springs.

Rancho Pastoria de los Borregas, when translated into English, means sheep pasture ranch. It lies about the quite modern town of Sunnyvale.

The name Embarcadero de Santa Clara was given to a small body of land bordering on what is now called Alviso Slough. It means the embarking place or port of Santa Clara. The person who named this piece of land must have had a rank imagination.

San Francisco de las Llagas is the name of a grant of land that lies south of San Jose along both sides of Llagas Creek. The word Llagas means sores or wounds. Some knowl- edge of the history of Saint Francis is neces- sary to understand the name. John Gilmary Shea. L.L.D., has edited a book entitled "The Lives of the Saints." The book had the ap- proval of Pope Leo XIII. In it is set forth among other things that Saint Francis, after visiting the East in vain quest of martyrdom, spent his life, like his Divine Master, in preaching to the multitudes and in fasting and contemplation amid desert solitudes. During

one of these retreats he received on his hands. feet and side the print of the five bleeding wounds of Jesus. Whether this statement is true and worthy of credit or whether it only transmits a tradition is of little importance in this connection. Certainly whoever named the ranch was familiar with the biography of Saint Francis. In giving the name to the tract of land in Santa Clara County he tried to perpet- uate the name of St. Francis and also to indi- cate a significant event in the Saint's religious life. Wounds of Saint Francis is probably a literal translation of San Francisco de los Llagas. Near the south line of Santa Clara County is a postoffice named Llagas. It is neither euphonious nor significant.

El Rancho Rinconada de los Gatos means the ranch of the inclosed angle of the cats. The southern angle of this tract of land rests in the great canyon south of the city of Los Gatos, and the diverging boundary lines, as they extend northward, inclose this beautiful place. Assuming that there were many wild cats in the canyon at the time the first sur- vey was made, the name El Rancho Rinconada de los Gatos is rational and appropriate.

Rancho Tularcitos is equivalent to the ranch of the little tules. This ranch extends from the town of Milpitas into the mountains. Lit- tle tules may yet be seen growing there.

Yerba Buena means good herb. This plant is delightfully aromatic and makes a very pleasant tea. It grows in neglected places, especially in the moderately well-shaded foot- hills. It can be found growing in the eastern side of the county, where the ranch, called Yerba Buena, is situated.

El Monte Del Diablo has the following his- tory. During the session of the first Legisla- ture of California the Senate appointed a com- mittee to report on the derivation and defini- tion of various names. Vallejo was chairman of this committee and he brought in a report which had reference to the name Monte Diablo, in which he stated that in 1806 a mili- tary expedition marched against a tribe of In- dians called Bolognes, who were encamped on the western base of the mountain, and that in the course of a fight which took place there, an unknown personage, decorated with extra- ordinary plumage, appeared among the In- dians ; and that when the battle which resulted in favor of the Indians, was finished, the un- known departed up the mountain. The de- feated soldiers, Vallejo's report went on, sup- posed him to be an evil spirit, called by In- dians "Ruy" and by the soldiers, a devil, so they named the mountain El Monte del Diablo, or the Devil's Mountain. During the session of the Legislature in 1866 an effort was made to change the name of the mountain, but noth- ing came of it. The Government has run a line due south from the top of this mountain and named it the Mount Diablo Meridian. This line runs down the center of the Merid- ian Road just west of the O'Connor San- itarium.

El Pueblo de San Jose de Guadalupe is the original name of San Jose. The name was given in 1877 by Lieutenant Moraga. A few years later he could have designated his new town as being in the Santa Clara Valley, but that would have been indefinite because the Santa Clara Valley included a vast but uncer- tain territory. It is thus seen that he had good reason for using the name El Pueblo de San Jose de Guadalupe, or the town of San Jose on the Wolf River. This name has never been changed into another, but is has been abridged to two words-San Jose.

Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe, Our Lady of the Guadalupe, is the name of the river which passes through San Jose and empties into San Francisco Bay. This word, Guadalupe, is made by combining the Arabic word, guada, a river, and the Latin word, lupus, a wolf. Guadalupe, therefore, means Wolf River. In- asmuch as nothing was noted by the explor- ers about wolves being found along this river, it is fair to assume that wolves did not sug- gest the word. Now, the history of Nuestra

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Senora de Guadalupe begins in the land of Palestine and passes over to Spain; from Spain it comes to Mexico and then attaches to the principal stream in Santa Clara County. In 1597, Gabriel de Talvera wrote the history of Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe. From that history it is learned that the town of Guada- lupe in Spain certainly had its carved image of Jesus before the conquest of Mexico by Cortes. It is therefore a fact that the name Guadalupe with its sacred associations was familiar to all the Catholics who emigrated from Spain to Mexico after the conquest of that country.

There is a town near the City of Mexico which is named Guadalupe-Hidalgo, that which is usually called Guadalupe. It is the most sacred and the most popular shrine in the republic of Mexico. It is the focus of the most fervent and powerful religious cult in that country. The shrine of the Virgin, which can be seen any day in the Cathedral located there, has been to the Mexicans for centuries what the Ganges is to the Hindus and Mecca to the Mohammedans. Saturday, December 9, 1531, ten years after Cortes' conquest of Mexico, an Indian of low birth, who had re- ceived baptism and been christened Juan Diego (John James) is said to have been met by the Virgin Mary on the barren hillside, some three miles from the City of Mexico. She directed the Indian to gather flowers on what he knew was barren ground. He followed the direction of the Virgin and soon returned to her with a large quantity of fragrant roses. The Virgin then directed him to carry the flowers to Bishop Gummarago in the City of Mexico. When the confiding Indian opened his crude tilma or blanket to pour out the roses, the Bishop saw the image of the Blessed Virgin painted on the inside of the blanket. That crude cloth with the image of the Virgin on it has long been enshrined and may now be seen in a cathedral in the little city of Guada- lupe, which was built on the hillside where the Indian met the Virgin. This enshrined pic- ture is the Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe. Is it any wonder that the pious Father Font com- ing from Mexico to the Santa Clara Valley gave the name of Nuestra Senora de Guada- lupe to San Jose's principal river ?

Judge A. L. Rhodes was one of the promi- nent members of the Historical Society. He died on October 23, 1918, at the age of ninety- seven. After the funeral the following com- mittee was appointed by the judges of the Superior Court to prepare and submit a me- morial on the life and character of the de- ceased jurist: S. F. Leib, J. C. Black, C. L. Witten, Nicholas Bowden and C. C. Coolidge. The committee presented the report on No-

vember 27, 1918, and it was read by C. L. Witten before Judges Gosbey and Welch, sit- ting en banc. It is as follows:

"Augustus Loring Rhodes was born in 1821 near Utica, Oneida County, New York, where his grandfather, a pioneer, established his home in 1796. Judge Rhodes received his first education at an academy and then graduated from Hamilton College in Clinton in 1841. After completing his college course he trav- eled through some of the southern states as a private tutor. His spare time after leaving college was devoted to the study of the law, which soon became his life occupation. He commenced active practice in the state of In- diana. At Bloomfield, Illinois, he married Elizabeth Cavins, whose father was then a judge in that state.

"In 1854 Judge Rhodes came to California, and from that year to the time of his death, October 23, 1918, a period of sixty-four years, he was continuously a resident of Santa Clara County. In 1856 he opened a law office in San Jose and soon became prominent in pro- fessional and public life.

"In 1859 he was elected district attorney of Santa Clara County, and in 1860 was chosen by the voters to represent Santa Clara and Alameda Counties in the State Senate. In 1863 he was elected a Justice of the Supreme Court and was a member of that tribunal until 1880. After his retirement from the Su- preme Bench he practiced law, with offices in San Francisco, until September 22, 1899, when he was appointed Judge of the Superior Court of Santa Clara County to fill the va- cancy occasioned by the death of Judge A. S. Kittredge. He presided over one of the de- partments until September, 1907, when he voluntarily retired to private life. His retire- ment was not, however, that of a recluse, but meant that more of his time was given to en- joyment of the society of his family and friends.

"In measuring the life of Judge Rhodes it would be difficult to determine whether as lawyer and judge, or as man and friend, he was the greatest, for he combined the ele- ments that went to make him great in all these capacities. It is unnecessary to detail the qualifications which went to make Judge Rhodes an eminent lawyer in his earlier life and in the interim between his respective pe- riods upon the bench; that he was an able lawyer of the highest repute sums up his ca- reer at the bar : nor is it necessary in order to establish or perpetuate his worth as a judge by a recital of his judicial accomplishments, for that is already set forth in the long line of decisions which in permanent form consti-

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tute a record which requires no words of ours to enlarge.

"It is not out of place, however, to perpetu- ate, by this record, the many charming per- sonal attributes of Judge Rhodes; the well- proportioned frame which to the last carried erect the burden of almost a century of years ; the intellectual countenance which bespoke the strong mentality of the man: the cheery greeting to his friends; the unimpaired mind

and memory with its rich fund of reminis- cences and anecdotes relating to the pioneers of Santa Clara County's bench and bar.

"Judge Rhodes lived far beyond the allotted time of man and it was a long life of useful- ness and honor. As in life he was loved and venerated by us all, so in death will his mem- ory be cherished by the bench and bar of this county."

CHAPTER XXX.

The Banks and Industries of San Jose-An Incident in the Life of E. Mclaughlin-New Corporations Help to Build Up the City-Some . of the Leaders of Industry.

The oldest banking institution in San Jose is the Bank of San Jose, now located at the northeast corner of First and Santa Clara Streets. It was opened for business in the Knox Block in March, 1866, by William J. Knox and T. Ellard Beans under the firm name of Knox & Beans and was conducted as a private banking house until January 31, 1868, on which date it was incorporated as a state bank. It was the first bank incorporated in Central California. The first officers were John G. Bray, president; T. Ellard Beans, cashier and manager : C. W. Pomeroy, secre- tary. In 1880 John T. Colahan, former city clerk, was appointed assistant cashier. In 1870 Mr. Bray died and T. Ellard Beans be- came president, a position he held until his death in 1905. Henry Philip succeeded Mr. Beans as cashier, acting in that capacity until 1875, when he was succeeded by Clement T. Park. W. V. Dinsmore was Park's successor. He resigned in 1912 and V. J. La Motte took his place. On the death of T: Ellard Beans, his son, William Knox Beans, became presi- dent. In 1871 the Bank of San Jose block, at its present location, was begun. It was com- pleted in 1872. In 1906 the building was dam- aged by the earthquake and in 1907 it was torn down and a new five story, reinforced concrete building was erected on the site. The present officers are William Knox Beans, pres- ident; Victor J. LaMotte, vice-president and manager ; A. B. Post, cashier. The capital stock is $300,000; surplus and reserve, $358,000.

T. Ellard Beans, one of the founders of the bank, was born in Salem, Ohio, and his early life was spent in mercantile and banking pur- suits. He came to California in 1849, mined

for a time and then went into mercantile busi- ness in Nevada City. He nearly lost his life in the great fire in that place in 1856. Ten years later he removed to San Jose. His death was generally regretted for he was one of the city's most reliable and competent busi- ness men. His son, William Knox Beans, en- tered the bank in 1878 and was vice-president before lie took the higher office so long held by his father.

Bank of Italy

The Bank of Italy, a branch of the main in- stitution in San Francisco occupies the three- story building formerly the home of the San Jose Deposit Bank of Savings, presided over by the late E. Mclaughlin, who founded the bank in 1885. When the Bank of Italy took possession the operating space on the lower floor was greatly enlarged and remodeled. Capital paid in $9,000,000; surplus, $1,500,000; undivided profits, $1,924,959.37. A. P. Gian- nini is president and W. R. Williams is cash- ier. San Jose officers are N. R. Pellerano, vice- president and W. E. Blauer, manager.

It was while the Safe Deposit Bank of Sav- ings was in existence with E. MeLaughlin as president and John E. Auzerais as cashier that it was the scene of one of the most daring robberies ever perpetrated in California. It was over thirty years ago and at that time the banks of the city and state had inside ap- proaches like grocery and dry goods stores. There were no cages, nol separate depart- ments with either wooden or steel divisions. The gold was stacked generally at the end of a long counter and could easily be reached or handled by any customer. But the day came when the banks ceased to keep "open house."

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The cages and the steel safeguards came in to prevent any attempt on the part of the evilly inclined to steal the gold. The change was made after the robbery at the Safe De- posit Bank.

The robbery, shrewdly conceived, was the work of three men. One was detailed to en- ter the bank and engage the cashier in con- versation while a second man was to do the actual stealing. The third man was to sta- tion himself on the outside near the door to prevent, if possible, any bank customer from going inside, and if not possible to do this, to give confederates warning that there was dan- ger in the air. A moment for action was to be selected while the bank was free of custom- ers and while the cashier (who was also the teller) was at some distance from the stack of money which reposed on a mahogany tray near the street end of the counter. Luck fa- vored the robbers. With one man on guard at the door, the other two men entered the bank and successfully carried out the pro- gram agreed upon. While no unfriendly eye was upon him and while the cashier's atten- tion was being diverted by robber number one, the second robber quickly seized the tray with the money-$10,000 in gold twen- ties, carefully stacked-concealed it under his overcoat and substituted for the tray of money a tray of gilded dummies. It was the expecta- tion of the lawless trio that the substitution would not be discovered until the cashier had occasion to go to the tray to get gold for a customer.

Having performed the most difficult part of the program, the second robber, with his haul. passed out of the door. Following closely upon his heels went robber number one, his talk with the cashier having abruptly come to an end. Then the last member of the trio left his station at the door and joined his con- federates. It was some time before the rob- bery was discovered. As soon as discovery was made there was a hurry call for the po- lice, but when the officers arrived there was no trace of the robbers. The city was combed but nothing had been left behind to serve as a workable clue. Not one cent of the money was ever recovered.

Garden City Bank and Trust Company

The Garden City Bank and Trust Company, formerly the Garden City National Bank, is located on the lower floor of a seven-story con- crete building on the southwest corner of First and San Fernando Streets. The National Bank was chartered and organized in 1887 with Dr. C. W. Breyfogle as president and Thomas F. Morrison as cashier. In 1893 it ceased to be a national bank and became a

state bank. Until the erection of the new building in 1906, it occupied quarters on the northwest corner of First and San Fernando Streets. S. B. Hunkins became president after the death of Dr. Breyfogle and held office until death claimed him in 1914. Then Thomas S. Montgomery took the presidency. Mr. Mont- gomery is the only one living of the original directors and stockholders. The capital stock is $500,000; surplus, $625,000; deposits, $8,- 005,984.59. The present officers are T. S. Montgomery, president ; Dr. J. J. Miller, John F. Duncan, vice-president; W. G. Alexander, secretary : C. J. Tripp; cashier. The bank has branches at Campbell. Gilroy, Santa Clara and Saratoga.

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History of Santa Clara County, California, with biographical sketches of the leading men and women of the county who have been identified with its growth and development from the early days to the present, Part 50

Author: Sawyer, Eugene Taylor, 1846- Publication date: 1922 Publisher: Los Angeles : Historic Record Co. Number of Pages: 1928

Author: Sawyer, Eugene Taylor, 1846-
Publication date: 1922
Publisher: Los Angeles : Historic Record Co.
Number of Pages: 1928