The view toward San Francisco Bay from Vista Point, 2015. Photo: Janet Schwind

The vista point parking area along Highway 35 sports a spectacular view. It’s about 8.5 miles south of Highway 84 and depending on the smog level or cloud layer, you might be able to see the entire south end of San Francisco Bay.

The 285-foot Hoover Tower on the Stanford University campus in Palo Alto, home of the Hoover Institution, can be seen from this location. Established by Herbert Hoover, this facility was used to house a library and an archive concerning issues of war, revolution, and peace. Now its scholars focus on economic opportunity and prosperity, as well as peace.

Hoover Tower, Stanford University, California. Photo: King of Hearts CC BY SA 3.0

A giant parabolic-shaped hangar can be seen to the south. It is a remnant of the time when the US Navy housed its airships at Moffett Field. Constructed in the 1930s, this landmark encompasses eight acres of land. In February 2014, NASA announced that the tech company Google had signed a $1.16 billion, 60-year lease for the Moffett Airfield. Google plans to allocate $200 million to rehabilitate the three hangars and two runways, as well as the site’s 18-hole golf course, and use the space to develop robots, rovers, and drones.

Moffett Field from the air in 2008. Hangar One is at the left of the runways in the center, and Hangars Two and Three are to the right. Photo: NASA

Downtown San Jose can also be seen from this point. Mission Peak and Mount Diablo loom above the East Bay. If you visit on a clear day, you might see the Bay Bridge and the city of San Francisco, with a backdrop of Mount Tamalpais.

Coal Creek

To the north, the Cloud’s Rest trail leads down into the Coal Creek Open Space Preserve and its network of mostly wooded trails. The preserve is named after Coal Mine Ridge. In the 1850s, settlers opened a coal mine that produced a low-grade lignite. Customers who burned the coal complained that it was oily and emitted a most unpleasant odor, so the mine had little future even before it was destroyed by a landslide.

Russian Ridge

Across Skyline Boulevard is the first of two entrances to the Russian Ridge Open Space Preserve and its extensive network of trails. Wildflowers decorate the meadows in late spring.

A trail entrance to the Russian Ridge Open Space Preserve across from Vista Point, March 2015. Photo: Janet Schwind

The ridge is named after a Russian family, although the family’s name has been lost over time. They leased the dairy ranch on the east side of the ridge. Later,  a small Russian Orthodox retreat center was built on the site.

From an elevation of 2,572 feet atop Borel Hill, you can gain even more of a bird’s eye view than from Vista Point. When the fog recedes from the coast, you can see a great expanse of the Pacific Ocean. Locals love to inform gullible visitors that you can see all the way to Hawaii from here.

Take the Self-Guided Mobile Tour

This piece is part of the South Skyline Boulevard (Highway 35) Tour made possible by Janet Schwind and the Skyline Historical Society. Download the free app with many tours of the Santa Cruz area and beyond.

Panoramic view of Skyline Boulevard (Highway 35). Photo: Jawed Karim CC BY 3.0

Skyline Boulevard, which stretches through California’s Santa Cruz Mountains, is much more than just a transportation corridor. Its gentle curves and spectacular views are beloved by tourists, motorcyclists, and the local residents who regularly pick up trash along the shoulders of the winding road. South of Skylonda, the area is a mosaic of open spaces and trails along the ridge. There are roadside parking areas where you can pull off the highway and enjoy the panoramic views, and there are numerous trails for hikers to enjoy a more intimate experience with nature.

The view from Russian Ridge, 2015. Photo: Yūgen CC BY 2.0

Although there are an exceptional number of parks and trails open to the public, there are also private residences and private land. If you happen to visit, please respect the carefully placed signs that indicate private property.

Historical Background: From Summit to Skyline

Previously, the ridge top here was known simply as “The Summit.” The word “skyline” probably came into use as a promotion for the construction of the new state highway in the early 1900s. Indeed, without the persistent promoting, lobbying, and creative thinking of a group of dedicated folks, there would not be a Skyline Boulevard.

The South Skyline Region in the Santa Cruz Mountains along the San Francisco Peninsula. Map: Eric Goetze, courtesy of Eric Isacson

“It Takes a Village” to Build a Highway

Around 1900, the vision of a highway along the ridge top from San Francisco toward Santa Cruz and Monterey began to take shape, but it took 30 years to materialize. The project involved considerable political maneuvering, because it would pass through four different counties and change the way the state financed its highway construction.

Hundreds of people became involved in promoting, designing, and building the boulevard. In the fall of 1916, county supervisors, state senators, chamber of commerce members, and representatives from the California Automobile Association met to form the Skyline Conference. They were instrumental in establishing the first joint highway district in the state, which included the counties of San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Santa Cruz.

The new highway district, the state, and the federal government each contributed $250,000 toward the project. To secure state funding, the promoters claimed that the highway would relieve traffic congestion in the Santa Clara Valley. Then, to gain federal funds, they asserted that the highway would have strategic value with its views of the Pacific Ocean and provide a vital connection between the presidios of San Francisco and Monterey.

The First State Bond Measure for Highways

When they failed to raise enough money for the highway district, the promoters successfully lobbied for an amendment to the state constitution to allow the issuance of bonds dedicated to highway construction. In 1919, the voters of California approved the first bond measure for highways. It allocated $2,471,000 specifically for the construction of a “skyline highway.”

Sign posted at Saratoga Gap, 1928. Photo: Courtesy of CalTrans

Highway Engineers Relish the Challenge

The state engineers were chomping at the bit to begin designing the new roadway. Chief Engineer John H. Skeggs explained, “Our work up to then had been upgrading existing county roads and putting up with their compromises. With the Skyline Boulevard project, we saw an opportunity to build an all-new road through an undeveloped mountainous area.”

Skeggs was also transfixed by the beauty of his creation. “Under my direction,” he said, “we established design standards for the entire length of the road. We set the roadbed width at 30 feet, limited the grades to 6.5%, and set the minimum radius for a curve at 200 feet. The result is a road that is clearly superior to its feeders.”

Panoramic view of Skyline Boulevard (Highway 35). Photo: Jawed Karim CC BY 3.0

Construction Gets Underway

In 1922, the first construction crews gathered at Ocean Beach in San Francisco and worked their way south in segments. They completed the third segment to La Honda Road (now Highway 84) in the South Skyline region in 1925.

The Insley one-man power shovel saved many man hours clearing slides during the construction of Skyline Boulevard. Photo: Courtesy of CalTrans

Progress lagged after 1925, because the state highway commission ran short of funds or the funds were diverted to other highway projects. With an increase in the fuel tax, the project got back on track. In 1928, a new contract was awarded for the segment between La Honda Road and Saratoga Gap (now State Route 9). The amount allotted was $723,000, close to the initial estimate for the entire project 10 years earlier.

State Route 9 spans 35 curvy miles that connects Santa Cruz to Los Gatos. Photo: Courtesy of CalTrans

State Senator M. B. Johnson toured the route and convinced 80% of the landowners to donate a right-of-way. Others were compensated for the loss of their barns and orchards. Some ranchers were granted tunnels under the highway for their cattle to pass through.

Roadbocks: Where Do We Go from Here?

But more roadblocks lay ahead. The vague wording in the enabling legislation allowed citizens to contest the route down from Saratoga Gap. Businessmen from Boulder Creek and Santa Cruz proposed turning south and heading down the San Lorenzo Valley, while those in San Jose promoted the route continuing along The Summit ridge.

Saratoga Gap during the construction of Skyline Boulevard, 1933. Photo: Courtesy of Chuck Schoppe

The ridge route won out, and construction continued to Black Road in 1932. There, it came to an abrupt halt, probably due to lack of funds and political will. Some of the original promoters had died during the long campaign. Drivers who insist on continuing along the ridge must follow the winding path of the old Summit Road created in the 1890s.

The Result: A Panorama of Exceptional Beauty

As Chief Engineer Skeggs said, “It is seldom that one highway combines the beauties of the mountains, the sunsets of the desert, the fogs of the ocean, the panorama of a great historical bay, and the magnificent urban valley of a large city in as many varying phases by daylight or starlight. Only those who travel it many times ever learn the full potency and charm of the scenic Skyline Boulevard.”

Santa Cruz Mountains sunset, 2012. Photo: Yūgen CC BY 2.0

Skeggs marveled at the view from the Castle Rock Ridge: “…from the summit of which, on a clear day, 13 counties, the Monterey coast, and Farallons (Islands) can be seen at one and the same time.” On a moonlit night, he said, the fogs below present a sight “of such rare silvery beauty as to be incapable of description.”

The view from Castle Rock State Park, 2011. Photo: Sourav Das CC BY 2.0

Take the Self-Guided Mobile Tour

This piece is part of the South Skyline Boulevard (Highway 35) Tour made possible by Janet Schwind and the Skyline Historical Society. Download the free app with many tours of the Santa Cruz area and beyond.

Parking for the Russian Ridge Open Space Preserve is on Alpine Road, right after the turnoff from Highway 35. Photo: Julia Gaudinski

Right off of California’s Highway 35, Alpine Road passes Russian Ridge Open Space Preserve and Skyline Ridge Preserve on its route from the San Francisco Bay to the Pacific Ocean. Alpine Road probably began as a Native American walking trail and later became a way for Mexican Rancheros and then loggers to cross over the Santa Cruz Mountains. Today, it’s a favorite trip for motorists.

The old route of Alpine Road. Today’s Alpine Road is no longer continuous. It has been closed in parts for the Coal Creek Open Space Preserve. On the east, it was superseded by Page Mill Road, and it now connects to that road. Original map by Eric Goetze, modified and provided courtesy of Eric Isacson

The name “Alpine” is said to be derived from a Californio-owned ranch on the west side called “El Pino” (the pine tree). In the 1830s, it became a wagon road between the two ranchos granted to Antonio Buelna and was known as “The Old Spanish Trail.” When logging gained traction, it became a primary route used to access the redwoods west of the summit.

The view toward the ocean from Russian Ridge. Photo: Jeff Vier CC BY-SA 2.0.

Two Adjacent Preserves

A tunnel from the parking lot of the Russian Ridge Open Space Preserve leads to the lovely spring-fed Alpine Pond and the David C. Daniels Nature Center in the adjacent Skyline Ridge Open Space Preserve. Both of these preserves offer extensive trails and beautiful views.

The Russian Ridge Preserve

If you visit Russian Ridge, be sure to stop by the nature center for a historical overview and biology lesson about the pond.

The tunnel that leads to Alpine Pond from the Russian Ridge Open Space Preserve Parking lot on Alpine Road. Photo: Julia Gaudinski

Alpine Pond next to the the Daniels Nature Center. It’s an easy walk from the Russian Ridge Open Space Preserve parking lot off Alpine Road. Photo: Julia Gaudinski

The Skyline Ridge Preserve

Much of the Skyline Ridge Preserve was once owned by the popular San Francisco mayor and California governor James “Sunny Jim” Rolph, Jr. Between 1907 and 1934, Rolph acquired over 3,000 acres of surrounding territory. Sunny Jim earned his nickname by virtue of his expansive personality and his habit of assuring Californians that everything would come up rosy during the Great Depression. On the campaign trail, he was accompanied by a band playing his theme song, “There Are Smiles That Make You Happy.” He died in 1934, toward the end of his term as governor. After his death, the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge was unofficially dedicated to him, although few sources acknowledge him.

James Rolph, Jr. and his daughter Annette survey their vast estate astride Alpine Prince, c. 1915. Photo: Courtesy of Nancy Welch

The Skyline Ranch was then occupied by Charles Howard, owner of Seabiscuit, the famous race horse. John Rickey also raised his prize-winning pigs here. Rickey’s goal was to breed the leanest pork for his restaurants, including the former Dinah’s Shack, in Palo Alto. Part of the preserve is now leased to a Christmas tree grower. Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, you may cut your own tree after carefully selecting one of the thousands available.

One of the entrances to Skyline Ridge Open Space Preserve. Photo: Julia Gaudinski

Take the Self-Guided Mobile Tour

This piece is part of the South Skyline Boulevard (Highway 35) Tour by the Skyline Historical Society. Download the free app with many tours of the Santa Cruz area and beyond.

Much of the information in this tour comes from a book called The South Skyline Story by Janet Schwind and the Skyline Historical Society, 2014. It is a well written, fun and informative read from the Native Americans, through the early loggers and ranchers, commune dwellers, wine makers, conservationists and homebuilders. You can get a copy at Alice’s Restaurant in Skylonda (the junction of Highways 35 and 84) or by contacting Skyline History President Chuck Schoppe, email: chuck_sch@hotmail.com or phone: 408-867-9229.

The view looking south from Sempervirens Point

Sempervirens Point is located off Highway 9 about two miles southwest of the Skyline Boulevard (Highway 35) junction. On a clear day, the view of Monterey Bay from Sempervirens Point is spectacular. Views of the upper San Lorenzo Valley hardly show how heavily it was logged by the Dougherty brothers’ Santa Clara Valley Mill and Lumber Company in the last part of the 19th century. Sufficient water and light has aided the quick recovery of second growth coast redwood trees, Sequoia sempervirens, which now cover the previously exposed slopes.

To access their logging camp, which is now within Castle Rock State Park, the company constructed a narrow gauge railroad that delivered the logs to their mill north of Boulder Creek. From the mill, the cut lumber was loaded on a train headed to the depot at Boulder Creek, where the flatbed cars where then transferred to another train that continued south. The route continued down the San Lorenzo Valley to Felton and then went back north, up through the mountain tunnels to San Jose. As circuitous as this might seem, it was more efficient than dragging logs by oxen and hauling lumber on horse-drawn wagons on steep, winding mountain roads.

The “Dinkey” hauled lumber on the narrow gauge Dougherty Extension Line within what is now Castle Rock State Park, circa 1902. Photo: Courtesy of Jeff George

Teamsters (stagecoach and wagon drivers) hauled lumber from the Hubbard and Carmichael lumber mill, which was located at what is now Camp Chesebrough, a Boy Scouts of America camp on the west side of Highway 9. They traveled on Oil Creek (a tributary of the Pescadero) up to a landing at Sempervirens Point and on up to Saratoga Gap. At the summit, the wagons were doubled up for the trip down the Saratoga Toll Road toward San Jose.

John Rodoni, a driver for Hubbard and Carmichael, reaches downtown San Jose with 13,207 feet of lumber (no date). Photo: By Hill and Yard, courtesy of San Lorenzo Valley Museum

Waterman Gap

After visiting Sempervirens Point, head down Highway 9 out of the South Skyline region. The junction of Highway 9 and Highway 236 is called Waterman Gap, where you’ll find a four-way stop but little parking. At the beginning of the 20th century, Waterman Gap was a much busier place. It was the site of an innovative wire cable “logging road” used to hoist logs out of the isolated Pescadero basin into the San Lorenzo basin and had rail connections to the port in Santa Cruz and to the city of San Jose.

The wire cable system was constructed in 1901 by the Santa Clara Valley Mill and Lumber Company. This was an elaborate arrangement of pulleys, winches, a steel cable, and a skid road with an irrigation system. Power for the operation was supplied by a steam “donkey” (boiler), which was stoked with wood, of course. After they cleared the ridge, the logs were loaded onto a company railroad which transported them to the company’s mill above Boulder Creek. Later, other companies established mills within the Pescadero basin, and processed lumber was taken out on a wagon road.

Timber cutting still occurs in the upper Pescadero watershed, but times have changed. Now, the logs can be delivered to distant mills by truck. Also, rather than cutting down every tree in sight, harvests are conducted in a sustainable manner. Old Mill Road, a private road leading down into the Pescadero basin from the junction, is now occasionally used to haul logs to a mill near Davenport.

A steam donkey at work in the Oil Creek area of the Pescadero basin (no date). Photo: Courtesy of San Lorenzo Valley Museum

To learn more about the history in the redwoods, visit the charming San Lorenzo Valley Historical Museum located in a historic church just south of the main business district in Boulder Creek.

Take the Self-Guided Mobile Tour

This piece is part of the South Skyline Boulevard (Highway 35) Tour by the Skyline Historical Society. Download the free app with many tours of the Santa Cruz area and beyond.

Much of the information in this tour comes from a book called The South Skyline Story by Janet Schwind and the Skyline Historical Society, 2014. It is a well written, fun and informative read from the Native Americans, through the early loggers and ranchers, commune dwellers, wine makers, conservationists and homebuilders. You can get a copy at Alice’s Restaurant in Skylonda (the junction of Highways 35 and 84) or by contacting Skyline History President Chuck Schoppe, email: chuck_sch@hotmail.com or phone: 408-867-9229.

1955 Chevrolet Bel Air Sport Coupe, stopped on Old La Honda Road in La Honda, California, 2010. Photo: Grummblecakes

Old La Honda Road was the precursor to present day La Honda Road (Highway 84) in the Portola Valley of California, south of San Francisco. It is very winding so if you want to bike or drive it, be prepared for a narrow roadway snaking around blind corners. When autos came into the mountains after 1900, signs were posted along the road advising drivers to “sound your Spartan” (the Spartan was a brand of automobile horn).

What the Garmin dashboard GPS display looked like at the top of Old La Honda Road, June 2007. The photographer, Antti T. Nissinen, commented that “Garmin tricked us big. Old La Honda [Road] was not made for cars.”

Turnpikes of Yesteryear

Old La Honda Road is based on several historic roads that were the equivalent of turnpikes or freeways in the 1860s and 1870s. Timber and other commercial interests were demanding access to their mountain properties, but the newly formed counties did not have the money to fund all of the requested roads.

Entrepreneurs were allowed to petition their county or state governments for a franchise to construct a road financed by their stockholders. They charged a user toll for the upkeep of the road. Stockholders rarely made money, and there were many complaints from travelers about the poor condition of these roads. Eventually, the roads were acquired by the counties, and turned into public thoroughfares that served ranchers and tourists.

The Knights Stage Line ran daily on Old La Honda Road taking passengers from the train depot in Redwood City through the redwoods of La Honda and on to the beaches of Pescadero. 1897. Photo: Courtesy of Bud Foss and Bob Dougherty

Summit Landing

The area where Old La Honda Road crossed the summit was a center of activity in the late 1800s and was called Summit Landing. It is difficult to imagine the landing now, because all we see today are a long row of mailboxes and a redwood forest. The old foundations were filled in during the construction of Skyline Boulevard.

The Rapley house at Summit Landing, 1898. Photo: Courtesy of Portola Valley archives

Try to imagine the scene at the Summit Landing in the 1890s. On the southwest corner stood the spacious Rapley House and barn and the Summit Saloon. Another house and barn, surrounded by grazing sheep, was nearby. Tired stagecoach drivers and passengers could stop for some refreshment at the small Summit Saloon and play a few rounds of pool. At holiday time, local ranchers gathered there for dances.

It took a great deal of horsepower to haul even a single wagon load of grain, apples, and especially lumber up from the coast, so teamsters often stored their goods at the Rapley barn before hitching up a double load for the trek down the mountain to Redwood City or Palo Alto.

A group of summit area ranchers celebrate the Fourth of July at the Summit Saloon, 1906. Photo: Courtesy of Jimmy Rapley

Hallidie’s Wire Ropeway

South of the landing stood a large horizontal pulley that was the terminus of Hallidie’s Wire Ropeway, an overhead cable car system that ran up the hill on his ranch. It was powered by a steam engine at the lower terminus. The 7,241-foot-long wire ropeway, which Andrew Hallidie, known as the father of the San Francisco cable car built in 1894, was meant to be a demonstration for his clients in the mining business. It similar to a ski lift, and its buckets occasionally carried passengers for a scenic ride.

Andrew Hallidie, “the father of the San Francisco cable car.” Photo: Courtesy of Portola Valley archives

Andrew Hallidie and his father had been in the wire rope business in their home country of England. They came to California in 1852 to join the gold rush but, like many others, found little gold. When visiting San Francisco in 1873, Andrew witnessed seven horses slipping to their deaths on a wet cobblestone hill and came up with the idea of powering the cars by a wire rope laid under the street. Now, he is known as the father of the San Francisco cable car system. He became rich and was a prominent citizen who became a politician and also served on many boards.

The terminus of the Hallidie wire ropeway on the summit near Old La Honda Road, c. 1895. Photo: Courtesy of Portola Valley archives

The 7,241-foot Hallidie wire ropeway ran from Portola Road to the summit, c. 1895. Photo: Courtesy of Portola Valley archives

Take the Self-Guided Mobile Tour

This piece is part of the South Skyline Boulevard (Highway 35) Tour by the Skyline Historical Society. Download the free app with many tours of the Santa Cruz area and beyond.

Much of the information in this tour comes from a book called The South Skyline Story by Janet Schwind and the Skyline Historical Society, 2014. It is a well-written, fun, and informative read, covering the Native Americans, through the early loggers and ranchers, commune dwellers, wine makers, conservationists, and homebuilders. You can get a copy at Alice’s Restaurant in Skylonda (the junction of Highways 35 and 84) or by contacting Skyline History President Chuck Schoppe by email, chuck_sch@hotmail.com, or phone, 408-867-9229.

Windy Hill in 2015. This 1,335-acre preserve is sure to satisfy hikers, bikers and horse back riders.

Windy Hill Open Space Preserve is part of a myriad of open spaces found in the hills of San Mateo County, California. Located between Skyline Boulevard (Highway 35) and I-280, the forested hills and open grasslands of Windy Hill have twelve miles of sense-satisfying trails with spectacular views of the bay and Pacific Ocean. Hikers, bikers and horse back riders are not the only ones who have admired this place. Mexican rancheros, European ranchers and citizens of Portola Valley have made their mark on Windy Hill.

Named for the Wind

According to Jimmy Rapley, an old mountain cowboy, government surveyors needed a name for this prominent grassy mound. He couldn’t recall ever hearing a name, but volunteered that it was where the wind blows over the ridge, and so it became Windy Hill. If you are visiting, you may see an occasional hang glider soaring in the strong wind currents on the eastern slope of the hill.

Mexican Rancho

In the Mexican era, the summit near Windy Hill formed the boundary of a rancho granted to Maximo Martinez. Damiana Gulch is named for Martinez’ wife. Damiana is the common name for a shrub found in Central America whose leaves were sometimes brewed for an aphrodisiac. Proving to the plant’s name, Damiana bore fifteen children in her 87 years of life.

Maximo and Damiana Martinez who occupied the Mexican rancho El Corte de Madera. Courtesy of Portola Valley archives.

The Boulevard Plows through History

Steam shovels and powder monkeys, with their black powder, plowed through these hills in the construction of Skyline Boulevard in the late 1920s and disrupted the heart of the Brown Ranch. If you happen to be visiting, look out for several large cuts along the highway that were left in the creation of the boulevard. Remnants of an old quarry, represented as odd shaped bumps and hollows on the horizon, lay south having been used to fill in Skyline Boulevard in the late 1920s

The old Brown ranch during the construction of the boulevard. Note the wide open pasture land, now being filled in with coyote brush.

In a previous life, the Brown ranch had played host to an illegal still in Prohibition days. In the 1860s it was a small summer resort run by the Hamms who took advantage of the great vistas and their location on a turnpike between Redwood City and San Gregorio to cater to travelers.

The old quarry used in the construction of Skyline Boulevard.

Open Space, not Suburbia

Original plans for Windy Hill were not to preserve nature at all but to prosper…in the housing market. The citizens of Portola Valley lobbied their town council to turn down a proposal for a 900 home development on this property. Having been defeated, the owner donated the land to the Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST) to form the basis of the preserve.

The view to the west from the Windy Hill area.

Take the Self-Guided Mobile Tour

This piece is part of the South Skyline Boulevard (Highway 35) Tour by the Skyline Historical Society. Download the free app with many tours of the Santa Cruz area and beyond.

Much of the information in this tour comes from a book called The South Skyline Story by Janet Schwind and the Skyline Historical Society, 2014. It is a well written, fun and informative read from the Native Americans, through the early loggers and ranchers, commune dwellers, wine makers, conservationists and homebuilders. You can get a copy at Alice’s Restaurant in Skylonda (the junction of Highways 35 and 84) or by contacting Skyline History President Chuck Schoppe, email: chuck_sch@hotmail.com or phone: 408-867-9229.

1. Sources Used

   • The South Skyline Story. Janet Schwind and the Skyline Historical Society. 2014.

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]]> /blog/the-windiest-of-hills/feed/ 1 /blog/highway-35-saratoga-gap-unwraped/ /blog/highway-35-saratoga-gap-unwraped/#comments Mon, 30 Nov 2015 13:30:48 +0000 /?p=5099

Saratoga Gap in 2015, looking northward.

Saratoga Gap is located in Northern California’s Santa Cruz Mountains at the intersection of Skyline Boulevard (Highway 35) and Highway 9. Today, the gap is a popular resting stop for bicyclists and travelers. Back in the late 1800s when this important junction was known as Saratoga Summit, horse drawn wagons loaded with redwood lumber from the Hubbard and Carmichael mills in the Pescadero basin passed through on their way to Saratoga and San Jose.

Harmonious hame bells, mounted on the lead horses’ collars, warned other drivers of their approach. The teamsters stopped to rest and feed themselves and their teams at the small inn at the summit. Ranchers along the ridge arrived on their way to market with smaller wagon loads of apples, prunes, and grapes.

Wallace Moody leaves Saratoga Summit on his way to the Santa Clara Valley with a load of firewood from his family’s ranch. Fairview School in the background. Photo courtesy of Louise Cooper.

All drivers had to pay a toll to use the private turnpike (twenty-five cents for one man with one horse and one dollar for a loaded wagon pulled by four horses). Officially known as the Saratoga and Pescadero Turnpike and Wagon Road, the road was opened in 1871 to access the redwood timber in the upper San Lorenzo Valley and the Pescadero basin. The turnpike never came close to its initial objective, the town of Pescadero. Later it became known simply as the Saratoga Toll Road. At one point there were separate toll houses on either side of the Santa Clara/Santa Cruz county line. There were numerous complaints about the condition of the toll road, and within twenty years, the roadway had been purchased by the respective counties and made public.

Summit Road, the forerunner of Skyline Boulevard, came through the gap in 1884, providing an important link to the toll road. Before this time there had only been a trail along the summit linking the different ranches. When one of the ranchers began charging a toll to pass over his property, his neighbors petitioned the county for a public road, putting an end to this practice.

A state survey shows Skyline Boulevard (dark line) plowing through a tangle of local roads at the gap in 1928. In the early 1930s, Skyline Boulevard was extended along the general route of Summit Road making it straighter and improving the experience. Map courtesy of CalTrans, modified by Janet Schwind.

Fairview School

From 1901 until 1914, children from nearby ranches and the Hubbard and Carmichael lumber company received their education at Fairview School. In the late 1800s and early 1900s there were many one room school houses serving all eight grades dotted around the mountain. Each school was its own district, built and governed by local ranchers and mill owners. The teacher usually boarded with a local family. Once a year, the county superintendent would make the rounds to see how the teacher was doing.

Education was a hit or miss affair for many pupils. They had to walk or ride miles to reach the school and often were absent due to childhood illnesses, or when their labor was needed on the the ranch. Even the teachers often came and went from these out of the way, and therefore undesirable assignments. For the children who attended, though, the schools provided valuable friendship for peers and opened a window to a wider world. If they wished to attend high school, many of them would have to live with a friend or relative in town for the term.

Highway 9

Highway 9, was seen by local as a superior modern highway when it replaced the old toll road in 1915. The Santa Cruz county portion of the highway, along with Route 236, was promoted as the entry to the redwoods at Big Basin. Early photos show a gateway to California Redwoods Park (now Big Basin State Park) at Saratoga Gap even though it is many miles from the park itself. When Highway 9 was designed, the state had reserved a 200 foot natural corridor into the park, along the highway. Years later, the Skyline-to-the-Sea Trail was fitted into this right-of-way.

An entrance to California Redwoods Park (now Big Basin Redwoods State Park) at Saratoga Gap, date unknown. Photo courtesy of Ronnie Trubek.

Changing Land Use

A comparison of then and now photos shows the difference in vegetation at the gap. On the northeast corner, native trees replaced an old vineyard. On the northwest corner, the fir trees that were planted in the early 1930s are dying off in 2015. Where these nursery trees not native to this locality?

Saratoga Gap during the construction of Skyline Boulevard, 1933. Photo courtesy of Chuck Schoppe.

Saratoga Gap in 2015, looking northward. Photo © Mobile Ranger.

More Trailheads!

Several trails head out from the gap. A trail on the west side of Skyline, very close to Highway 9, leads to the Skyline-to-the Sea Trail in Castle Rock State Park. It starts out following the path of the old Saratoga Toll Road.

One of the several trailheads at Saratoga Gap. Photo © Mobile Ranger.

The Saratoga Gap Trail leaves Highway 9 on the northeast side and leads to Charcoal Road in the Saratoga Gap Open Space Preserve with access to the Long Ridge Open Space Preserve.

The Skyline Trail, a section of the Bay Area Ridge Trail, leaves the parking area on the southeast side. This trail parallels the boulevard with several access points along the way. In a little over three miles, it reaches the entrance to Castle Rock State Park (across the boulevard) and continues beyond in Sanborn County Park.

Take the Self-Guided Mobile Tour

This piece is part of the South Skyline Boulevard (Highway 35) Tour by the Skyline Historical Society. Download the free app with many tours of the Santa Cruz area and beyond.

Much of the information in this tour comes from a book called The South Skyline Story by Janet Schwind and the Skyline Historical Society, 2014. It is a well written, fun and informative read from the Native Americans, through the early loggers and ranchers, commune dwellers, wine makers, conservationists and homebuilders. You can get a copy at Alice’s Restaurant in Skylonda (the junction of Highways 35 and 84) or by contacting Skyline History President Chuck Schoppe, email: chuck_sch@hotmail.com or phone: 408-867-9229.

1. Sources Used

   • The South Skyline Story. Janet Schwind and the Skyline Historical Society. 2014.

Like our content? Subscribe to our mailing list and get 2-3 blog posts a week via e-mail.
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]]> /blog/highway-35-saratoga-gap-unwraped/feed/ 5 /blog/highway-35-a-grizzly-trail/ /blog/highway-35-a-grizzly-trail/#comments Mon, 16 Nov 2015 13:30:39 +0000 /?p=5076

The hills right before the Jikoji Zen Center and the former home of the alternative Pacific High School. Photo © Mobile Ranger.

Located in the Santa Cruz Mountains of California, Skyline Boulevard (Highway 35), is a great place within the San Francisco Bay area to access a vast array of open space districts. If you drive along this scenic route with stunning vistas west towards the ocean and east to the Santa Clara Valley, you cannot help but wonder why there is so much parkland so close to a hugely urban area.

Grizzly Flat Trailhead area, about 2 miles north of the intersection with Highway 9, is a great example of open space galore. It has an entrance to the Upper Stevens Creek (Santa Clara) County Park where trails connect to the Montebello Open Space Preserve to the north and the Saratoga Gap Open Space Preserve to the south. On the west side of Skyline Boulevard is an entrance to the Long Ridge Open Space Preserve which is close to the point where three counties of San Mateo, Santa Cruz, and Santa Clara converge.

The entrance area to the Stevens Creek Open Space Preserve. Photo © Mobile Ranger.

Grizzly Flat itself is located about a mile east of the trailhead near the headwaters of Stevens Creek. The creek is named in honor of Elisha Stephens — despite the difference in spelling. Stephens was the captain of the first successful wagon train to cross the Sierra Nevada over Donner Pass in 1844. He settled down on a farm lower down on the creek in what is now Cupertino. He is said to have entertained a succession of visitors whom he enjoyed feeding such local delicacies as rattlesnakes and frogs.

On the west side of Skyline Boulevard is an entrance to the Long Ridge Open Space Preserve and its network of trails. A short distance down this trail will take you to picturesque Peters Creek, a cool haven in the summer heat.

Elisha Stephens. Photo from the collection of Janet Schwind.

Named for the Grizzly Bear

According to local lore, Grizzly Flat was named in honor of a bear whose scratches were noted on a bay tree near the creek. The grizzly bear was both feared and revered by the indigenous tribes who inhabited the area, but they presented a special problem to the Spanish and Mexican settlers. In the late 18th Century grizzly bears thrived in the Santa Cruz Mountains, feeding on the rancheros’ plentiful herds of cattle. Extensive hunting by European settlers eventually wiped out the population in California.

Why the Open Space is Here

Welcome to Palo Alto. Elevation 58 feet? Not right here. Photo © Janet Schwind.

There is a sign at the south end of the parking area welcoming you to the City of Palo Alto with a population of 57,000 people and an elevation of 58 feet. Uhm, where are all those people, and the elevation right here is actually 2300 feet?

In 1959, the city of Palo Alto, annexed the western foothills. The idea was to provide more residences for the people employed in the city’s burgeoning industries. The city then hired a planning firm from Los Angeles (groan) to make recommendations for the “development” of the foothills. The planners did just that, and in 1961 came up with four scenarios, all of which would have radically changed the character of the area.

Long Ridge Open Space Preserve. Photo © Mobile Ranger.

Instead of open space full of trails, oak woodlands and grass, what was planned was very different. A wide expressway was to wind its way toward Grizzly Flat and over to Montebello Ridge to a community of large residential lots served by neighborhood schools and a shopping center. Down near Grizzly Flat a dam was going to be built to create a mile-long recreational lake. Up on the meadows of Montebello Ridge, the residents of high rise townhouses were to enjoy a view of the entire San Francisco Bay Area. This was the proposal that called for most intense development, but all of the alternatives submitted by this planner would have transformed the foothills into suburbia.

Conservationists Spawn Open Space District

A backlash to this plan helped spawn the conservation movement in Palo Alto. Another firm was hired to plan for the “development” of the foothills. The new study reflected the mood of the citizenry, as well as the city’s economics, when it concluded that it would be less expensive to purchase the land outright than to develop it. Residential development in remote, difficult terrain does not generate sufficient tax revenue to cover necessary city services, in contrast to downtown industrial areas. With this conclusion, the environmental and fiscal conservatives were on the same page. The solution of the conservationists was to form the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District (MidPen) in 1972. The district now owns much of this foothill land and surrounding open space up and down the San Francisco Peninsula.

Alternative Education on the Ridge

Along Skyline Boulevard is the Jikoji Zen Center. This property was home to the experimental Pacific High School founded in 1961 by a group of parents on the San Francisco peninsula whose teenagers were languishing in public school. It was based on the ideals of freedom, democracy, love of learning, compassion, and social accountability. In 1966 the group moved to this site, and parents, students, and staff began building classrooms. In a few years students and staff began living on site, and Pacific became a boarding school. LLoyd Kahn moved in and oversaw the building of geodesic domes as living spaces. Based on his experiments at Pacific, Kahn and crew published Domebook One and Domebook Two.

Teachers and students erect the Egg Dome at Pacific High School, circa 1969. Photo courtesy of Nanette Biers.

From the beginning the school struggled with the ideal of freedom. When grades are not given and class attendance is voluntary, some students bloom and others get lost. Many were inspired by teachers who led construction, art, and gardening projects and field trips to Canada and Mexico. Others used their freedom to do very little at all, except experiment with drugs. The school attracted teenagers who were already disaffected with society during the Vietnam War. Gradually, classes were suspended, and the site morphed into a commune, attracting more counter culture types. Looking back, the former students most valued their time at Pacific by the personal relations developed among students and staff.

The sign at the entrance to the Jikoji Zen Center. Photo © Mobile Ranger.

A local Buddhist group purchased the land from the former Pacific High School in 1979. Jikoji was named after the Temple of Compassionate Light in Japan. Please respect the peace and quiet of the meditators who visit this retreat, and do not enter the driveway.

Demarcation of the end of the scenic highway designation close to the Santa Cruz County line. Don’t worry there are California poppies in Santa Cruz too! Photo © Mobile Ranger.

Take the Self-Guided Mobile Tour

This piece is part of the South Skyline Boulevard (Highway 35) Tour by the Skyline Historical Society. Download the free app with many tours of the Santa Cruz area and beyond.

Much of the information in this tour comes from a book called The South Skyline Story by Janet Schwind and the Skyline Historical Society, 2014. It is a well written, fun and informative read from the Native Americans, through the early loggers and ranchers, commune dwellers, wine makers, conservationists and homebuilders. You can get a copy at Alice’s Restaurant in Skylonda (the junction of Highways 35 and 84) or by contacting Skyline History President Chuck Schoppe, email: chuck_sch@hotmail.com or phone: 408-867-9229.

1. Sources Used

   • The South Skyline Story. Janet Schwind and the Skyline Historical Society. 2014.

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You might also get entered into a lottery and win a cool Mobile Ranger prize. Check the top-right sidebar of this page for details on any current blog subscription giveaways!

]]> /blog/highway-35-a-grizzly-trail/feed/ 5 /blog/highway-35-alice-in-skylonda-land/ /blog/highway-35-alice-in-skylonda-land/#comments Mon, 02 Nov 2015 13:30:08 +0000 /?p=4963

Skylonda is not an official town, but warrants a sign anyway. There are several variations in the spelling. Photo courtesy Janet Scwind.

The community of Skylonda is a hidden treasure amongst the winding curves and dense redwood forests of La Honda Road and Highway 35. The locally renowned Alice’s Restaurant is located there as are the Skywood Center and a real estate office you can find out how Silicon Valley tech investors have driven up land prices.

Giant Redwood Trees of California. Oil on Canvas by Albert Bierstadt, 1874.

They Came for the Redwoods

The redwoods were key to development of this area of the Santa Cruz Mountains. Early timber cutters, beginning in the Spanish mission era, found redwoods in what is now nearby Woodside and Portola Valley. Later, Yankee woodsmen followed a diminishing supply of redwood timber up the steep slope to the summit and down over into La Honda. The lumber had to be transported to local mills and then to the port of Redwood City on San Francisco Bay. Several turnpikes were built to serve the timber mills, the ranching community, and to transport tourists to the coast. Old La Honda Road to the south is a remnant of the turnpike era. In 1914 a new La Honda Road, which became state route 84, replaced them. In 1929, the junction of the two state highways became an important crossroads when Skyline Boulevard (state route 35) passed through on its way along the summit from San Francisco.

The intersection of Skyline Boulevard and Highway 84 to La Honda.

A Community Forms

The Chapman family who owned the surrounding timberland, took advantage of the new highways and filed a series of subdivisions under the names of “Sky L’Onda,” “Sky-Londa,” and “Sky Londa,” combining the names of Skyline and La Honda. The lots, about one quarter acre in size, were marketed to middle class families in San Francisco. The down payment was low, and with the right financing, a log cabin could be built for only $750. More affluent city dwellers had already established large estates nearby. By 1932 there were about 60 summer cabins that could, if you were hardy, be used in the winter. The community grew as more lots were sold, and a mutual water company was formed. Today, most of the cabins have been remodeled and updated into permanent residences for commuters to the Santa Clara Valley.

A portion of a realtor’s promotional flyer for lots and cabins at Sky-Londa, 1932. Courtesy of Joyce and Ed Rosenstiel.

Not the Alice’s Restaurant

The first commercial building at Skylonda was a small store that predated the state highways. It catered to the local logging community. In the 1960s, Alice Taylor opened a coffee shop in the little building now called Alice’s Restaurant. There is no relationship to Alice Brock and her Massachusetts restaurant made famous by Arlo Guthrie’s famous 1967 song of the same name.

Alice’s Restaurant at Skylonda is a gathering place for tourists and locals alike, 2015.

Nevertheless, the several owners over the years kept the name because it was good for business. Motorists who grew up in the ‘60s can’t help but remember the song and tend to stop and eat. The Kerr brothers, the present owners, went so far as to install a “Group W Bench.” For those not familiar with the Vietnam War protest song, this bench was the place at the army recruiting center where you were sidelined if you had ever committed a crime. Songwriter Guthrie and his buddy landed there because they had been fined $50 for illegally dumping garbage, and thus evaded the draft during the Vietnam War – according to the song (and movie) anyway.

The Group W bench at Alice’s Restaurant in Skylonda.

The Skywood Center

Across Skyline Boulevard one finds the newer Skywood Center, which is within the Town of Woodside. The center was completed in 1950 by Joseph Stadler and his nephew, Ralph Oswald. The low ranch style complex has housed a series of restaurants, a coffee shop, real estate offices, and the Skywood Market.

The Skywood Center at Skylonda in 1960. Photo courtesy Janet Schwind.

The market, formerly a general store, now specializes in food and offers a deli counter for picnickers. It also sells gas, as does Alice’s across the way. To the northeast of the Skywood Center lies the subdivision of Skywood Acres where the country lots, ranging from one to ten acres, purposefully snake around the largest redwood trees.

The Skywood Center at Skylonda in 2015.

Take the Self-Guided Mobile Tour

This piece is part of the South Skyline Boulevard (Highway 35) Tour by the Skyline Historical Society. Download the free app with many tours of the Santa Cruz area and beyond.

Much of the information in this tour comes from a book called The South Skyline Story by Janet Schwind and the Skyline Historical Society, 2014. It is a well written, fun and informative read from the Native Americans, through the early loggers and ranchers, commune dwellers, wine makers, conservationists and homebuilders. You can get a copy at Alice’s Restaurant in Skylonda (the junction of Highways 35 and 84) or by contacting Skyline History President Chuck Schoppe, email: chuck_sch@hotmail.com or phone: 408-867-9229.

1. Sources Used

   • The South Skyline Story. Janet Schwind and the Skyline Historical Society. 2014.

Like our content? Subscribe to our mailing list and get 2-3 blog posts a week via e-mail.
You might also get entered into a lottery and win a cool Mobile Ranger prize. Check the top-right sidebar of this page for details on any current blog subscription giveaways!

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