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.
Meet Paul Karz
Speaker & Trail Guide
My name is Paul Karz, and I have served as a Senior Interpretive Aide with California State Parks for the past eight years. Prior to joining State Parks staff, I spent more than 30 years in private industry as an Operations Manager with Intel Corporation and Texas Instruments. Throughout much of that time, I also volunteered as a State Parks docent, developing a lasting commitment to public history and community engagement. I am a Vietnam combat veteran, and following six years of military service, I earned a degree in Communications from California State University, Stanislaus.
Early Chinese Settlers
The San Lorenzo Valley Museum at the Belardi Gallery in Felton previously hosted a major exhibit on the San Lorenzo Valley Chinese 1850-1920. Photographs, documents, artifacts, and interpretive text revealed the significant challenges that the Chinese immigrants encountered. A few Chinese had migrated to California during the times of Spanish and Mexican rule, but the vast majority arrived during the Gold Rush, along with many others from around the world. The Chinese came primarily from the Southern Chinese province of Kuangtung to escape war, famine, droughts, and floods. They saw California as their golden ticket to prosperity.
What's In a Name
By Debra Staab
Let’s have a bit of fun reviewing the origin of some local place names. How many do you recognize? Do you know their backstories? Beehive The Beehive refers to a hill between Mountain Charlie Gulch and Hutchinson Road located at Summit West. The mountain has an elevation of 2,109 feet and is named due to its shape resembling a bee’s hive. Eccles Eccles was a railroad stop about 2.5 miles north of Felton along Zayante Creek. The name derives from John Sanderson Eccles, a gasfitter from Ireland, who deeded the right of way to the South Pacific Coast Railroad in 1878. A 310 foot long spur ran from the stop to the Union Mill on Lompico Creek. A post office, general store, hostelry, and passenger shelter were constructed at the site.
Logging in the Augmentaion
By Debra Staab
Aptos Creek springs forth from the southwestern slope of Santa Rosalia Mountain and flows south nearly 10 miles until it enters Monterey Bay at Seacliff State Beach. The word “Aptos” is believed to derive from Spanish settlers’ 1796 interpretation of the Ohlone word “Outos” as used to name their village at the confluence of Aptos and Valencia Creeks. Nature’s bounty is plentiful in the watershed which supports numerous species of flora and fauna. Native Americans tended to live on the edges of the forest which they entered to hunt, fish, and forage. It is estimated that there were nearly 200,000 acres of old-growth forest in the Santa Cruz Mountains including Coast Redwoods, Douglas Fir, and mixed hardwoods. The largest Redwoods reached colossal heights of 350 feet with unbelievably large trunks ranging from eight to 28 feet in diameter. The Ohlone showed great wisdom in caring for their environment including occasional controlled burns to purify the land and stimulate new growth.
.png)