Meet Stephen Payne
The Howling Wilderness
Stephen Payne holds a doctorate in Public Historical Studies from UC Santa Barbara, a master’s degree in History from San Jose State University, and a baccalaureate in Anthropology from UC Santa Cruz. Stephen has also taught Santa Clara County and California history courses at local colleges for many years. Stephen’s family goes back five generations in Santa Clara County. The McClellan farm buildings in Steven’s Creek Park belonged to his great, great grandparents, who were settlers in 1849. In 1852 his great grandfather arrived in the valley, settling in Los Gatos. In the mid-1870s, the family purchased a farm near Campbell, where Payne Avenue is today.
Check out KSCM
Live Moutain Radio
KSCM is an Internet based radio station streaming from the Santa Cruz Mountains. They offer a variety of musical styles, events, and live shows. Not only do they play modern music, they also offer the history of music in the Santa Cruz Mountains - think about the Chateau Liberte, the Doobie Brothers, Moby Grape. and so many more classic bands. KSCM is also about local history such as Patchen and Mountain Charlie. See more at KSCMRadio.com.
LPM Volunteer
Nancy Cole has been a Santa Cruz Mountain resident for over 35 years, having discovered the area through the Summit Riders horseman’s group over 50 years ago. Nancy’s initial experiences were riding horses from property to property to visit, do brunches, lunches, dinners and overnight camping with the horses. She fell in love with the mountains from the very first of her many adventures. Nancy’s long career as a realtor specializing in mountain properties has spanned 45 years. Her work exposed her to many superb mountain people who were experts in their field, many self taught. Wells, septics, roads, grading, geology, all the many trades that sustain mountain living.
Hello, World!
By Debra Staab
In 2025, communications are ubiquitous, instantaneous, and available 24 x 7 x 365. We can call, email, text, tweet, toot, Tik Tok, or send documents and packages via overnight express to anywhere in the world. The latest global news appears on our phones as soon as it happens. With the tap of a finger we easily share photos and updates with family and friends. We live in a highly connected fast-paced world. Early Communications In years past, sending messages was not as easy as it is today. Runners and riders on horseback had to work in relay teams to send information over long distances. As early as 3,000 years ago, messenger pigeons, with notes attached to their legs, were used to announce the winners of the Ancient Olympics. Genghis Khan used them in Baghdad around 1150. Paul Reuter, founder of Reuters press agency, used a fleet of some 45 birds to send news and stock prices between Brussels and Aachen in 1860. Pigeon-post was used during various wars and
Last Call for Alcohol
By Debra Staab
Drinks all Around The Pacific Coast Railroad brought hundreds of strong-muscled Chinese and white workers up into the Santa Cruz Mountains in 1877 to build a railroad tunnel at Wright’s. Upon arrival, the remote location sported nothing more than an old woodcutter’s shack. Within the first few weeks, the crew felled trees and built themselves bunkhouses, a cookhouse, several tool sheds, and most importantly, a saloon. The saloon, said to be more like a dugout, was run by the construction foreman, O.B. Castle, who named it “The Tunnel”. The Tunnel quickly earned a reputation as the roughest, toughest, rowdiest place in the Santa Cruz Mountains to have a drink. One local described it in these terms, “The Tunnel made the Barbary Coast look like a Sunday School Picnic by comparison.” The underlying reason behind the constant drunkenness stemmed from a “cocktail” invented by Mr. Castle, which he called “Discovery”. The recipe was simple, add four tablespoons of water to one gallon of whiskey and down it all in one sitting.
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