Victoria Christian - Sunol

In Hawaii, its called talking stories; in Sunol, it is remembering the past. It is a place you never knew existed and it has been right here all along. If the hills could talk, they would tell of a time of simplicityno cell phones, no computers, or the traffic nightmare called the Sunol Grade. Thankfully the quaint village of Sunol has remained just that and has not changed much over the years. In this, the 21st century, Sunol residents are continuing to preserve and restore the past, searching again for that simple life.

My experiences in writing this book have been absolutely exhilarating. Ive visited countless homes, shared family stories, crawled through dusty attics, played detective and tracked down former Sunolians, spent hours in local museums, and worked on the book until 2:00 a.m. only to dream about it in black and white. But it is that heart-thumping moment when you realize youve found the perfect picture that captures a certain place that makes it all so rewarding.

I hope to have captured the essence of historical Sunol, and I have desperately tried to find and represent in this book everything and everyone that makes the town so special. Of course, I could not have completed this project without the assistance of the following, and I thank them from the deepest part of my heart: my parents, Joyce and Ario Ysit, who have always encouraged and supported my writing ability; my daughter Jessica; partner John Beard; Jovan Beard and Danika Beard, who remained patient with me while I worked on the book; Kathy Morris; Miguel Gerardo LaRosa; William Trimingham; Candace Day; Robert Heath; Sandi Bohner; Henry Luna; Mary Truong; Sara Hansen; Betty Roraback; Joan and Bud Hall; Stanley Garcia; Sam McCracken; Andrea Gronley; Bonnie Bruton; Marie and Lorry Gronley; Derek Johnson; Tim Koopmann; Terry Berry, Cathy Thompson-Maraz, and all the helpful docents at Museum on Main, Pleasanton; Patricia Schaffarczyk and Regina Dennie at Fremonts Museum of Local History; Mary Boyle, reference librarian, Santa Clara City Library; Erica Herron of Sunol Regional Park; and of course my editor, Devon Weston, who guided me every step of the way and shared my enthusiasm for this project.

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One

FIRST SETTLERS

After sailing from Mexico north along the Pacific coast and making camp in Monterey, Spanish explorer Capt. Pedro Fages and Fr. Juan Crespi led their expedition north along the coast to San Francisco scouting for a location to build a mission. On their return trip to Monterey, the group traveled inland through the Sunol Valley, and it is believed that Fray Crespi describes Sunol in this excerpt from his journal dated April 2, 1772: On the other side of the valley we crossed another arroyo even larger, also full of trees. In the southeastern part of this valley the two arroyos unite, and from the junction a good-sized river now flows in the same direction. The place is very desirable for a good Mission, although we did not stop there I named it Santa Coleta.

Fray Crespi had also noted in his journal that they had encountered a Native American village near the Sunol Valley. The Ohlones had settled in the Sunol Valley approximately 250 years ago, and their name is a derivative of a Miwok word meaning people of the west. The Ohlones were considered the largest population of Native Americans north of Mexico.

Spanish nobleman and San Jose resident Don Antonio Maria Sunol acquired a 48,000-acre land grant on April 10, 1839, with Antonio Maria Pico and brothers-in-law Jose Agostin Bernal and Juan Pablo Bernal, and they named it Rancho Valle de San Jose. Although Sunols portion of the land grant was considered the largest at 14,000, he chose to remain living in San Jose. Sunols ranch was located near the current site of the Water Temple.

The pioneering families who arrived in the mid-1880s were heading west for various reasons. Some arrived during Californias Gold Rush only to discover the much-sought-after mineral was not as abundant as first thought. Some pioneers chose to follow family members to the golden state, and others had received land grants.

MISSION SAN JOSE, 1867. Founded on June 11, 1797, the acquired lands of La Mision del Gloriosismo Patriarca Senor San Jose, simply known as Mission San Jose, extended far to the north to nearly Oakland and east towards the Sacramento delta region. After secularization in 1836, the land was divided through Mexican and Spanish land grants, and the Ohlones who once inhabited the area were forced to leave. Many of the Ohlones sought shelter at the mission, which is located approximately five miles south of the Sunol Valley. (Above, courtesy of Museum of Local History; left, painting by Edith Hamlin; courtesy of Museum of Local History, R. B. Fischer Collection.)

ANTONIO SUNOL. Antonio Sunol served as San Joses first postmaster from 1826 to 1829, and he operated the citys first mercantile store from his home. Sunol also held several offices with the City of San Jose, such as trustee, territorial legislator, and San Jose City Council member. Sunol was considered a kind-hearted, generous soul. His favorite flower was the red geranium. (Courtesy of James F. Delgado.)

RANCHO VALLE DE SAN JOS MAP, 1878. Because of difficulties with squatters, Antonio Sunol sent his eldest son, Jose Delores Sunol, to manage the ranch, which included thousands of head of cattle and sheep. Unfortunately Jose was shot and killed in 1855 by a squatter, John Wilson, who was found shooting the cattle. Wilson was never captured. (Courtesy of Thompson and West Atlas .)

JOSE NARCISO SUNOL. Antonio then sent younger son Narciso to manage the ranch, and he lived there with his family until 1862, when the property was sold to Charles Hadsell for only $5 per acre. Hadsell sold the property to Spring Valley Water in 1872. (Courtesy of AmadorLivermore Valley Historical Society.)

OHLONE RANCHERIA. The last Ohlone ranchero in the Sunol Valley was built in 1860s by the Verona Band, and it was located between Sunol and Pleasanton along the Arroyo De La Laguna Creek. By 1870, the Alameda County Census Bureau reported only 131 Ohlones living in the county. It is believed that the last tribal dance was held in this area in 1897. (Courtesy of Candace Newbern and Robert Heath, Day family descendants.)