A FEW MORE NAMES
MCKENDRIE- McKendrie Street was named for a Methodist bishop and he never saw the street that bears his name. The story goes like this: What is now called The University of the Pacific was started in Santa Clara as Californian Wesleyan College in 1851. By the early 1860's the school needed money. The trustees decided to take drastic action, they purchased 435 acres of the old Stockton rancho, set aside 20 acres in the middle of the tract, and subdivided the rest to sell. This tract is still called College Park.
The boundaries of the tract were the Guadlupe River on the east, The Alameda on the west, Newhall street on north, and Polhemus street on the south. (In the 1960's Polhemus street's name was changed to Taylor street.) When they had to lay out streets they took the names of six Methodist bishops: Asbury, Emory, Hamline, Hedding, McKendrie and Morris (Morris was changed Vermont because there was concern that people might confuse it with the Morse Street.)
MILLIKEN- John Milliken was born in 1807. He moved from Pennsylvania to Ohio, later to
Illinois, and than to Iowa. In 1852 he struggled across the plains by ox team and settled on the "Old San Francisco Road", 3 miles
west of Santa Clara, known to "old timers" as Milliken Corners. The elementary school in Santa Clara Central Park is
named for him.
MILLER- Henry Miller was born in 1827 in Germany. When he came to this country he
worked as a butcher in New York. In 1847 he moved to California. He died in 1916, and at that time had more than a million
and a quarter acres in California, Nevada and Oregon. His home was located on Mount Madona, in what is now the county park.
(Miller also bore a striking resemblance to General Grant.)
MONTGOMERY- Alexander Montgomery was born in Ireland in 1840. He came to this country
via The Isthmus in 1865, following his brother John who came in 1852. He bought 40 "West Side" acres for $10.00 an acre, the
average price for bare land. He later purchased 160 acres on the present site of City of Cupertino for $5000.00. (All of the land was considered waste land, and was covered with chaparral brush.) He was the first man to produce wheat on this virgin soil,
his record yield, "1 1/2 tons of clean wheat per acre." He also developed 60 acres in vineyards, with a winery and carried on dairying and fruit growing. He also had the first distillery for Brandy in the county. He sold this product in carload lots and paid a yearly tax on this product alone of $18,000.00. He also produced Cream of Tartar. He built a fine residence and the largest general store outside of San Jose, at the present day intersection of Stevens Creek Boulevard and Sunnyvale-Saratoga Road.
MOORPARK- Much like the Bing Cherry, this street is named for a fruit, the Moorpark Apricot. The seeds for this fruit were imported from England in 1854 by D.C. Vestal. And of course Parkmoor is just a respelling ot Moorpark.
MOODY- David B. Moody was born in Indiana in 1836. As a boy, he crossed the plains, in the first wagon train through the Tejon Pass. With his brothers he engaged in flour milling with headquarters in San Jose. He was also part owner in the Caldwell Oil Srtike in 1872, above Los Gatos, still known as Moody Gulch, or to CHP as Moody Curve. The oil was of "Pennsylvania" quality and was piped to the now extinct town of Alma, then shipped by rail to Alameda. The strike dwindled out in 1922. Moody was also President of San Jose Woolen Mills and a promoter of The Vendome Hotel, both long gone.
MURPHY- Martin Murphy Sr. came to the Santa Clara Valley from Sutter's Fort and purchased The Rancho Ojo De Agua De Coche, two square leagues or 8,927 acres on The Montery Road near the "Twenty One Mile House". Here he lived, to be loved and respected by all who passed his way. His liberal hospitality, integrity and disposition won the friendship of all who knew him. Before he died in 1865, he built a beautiful chapel on his rancho and named it for his patron saint, San Martin, a familiar and enduring place name.
MURPHY- Martin Murphy Jr. arrived in this area with his father, but located in The Sacramento Valley. Desiring to be near his relatives, he purchased Rancho Pastoria De Las Borregas near Mountain View containing 4,800 acres. He inherited all of the fine traits of his father, the same integrity, gentle but firm disposition, all combined to earn him a respect seldom attained by any valley
resident.
NAGLEE- General Henry Morris Naglee was a West Point graduate who came to California in 1847 to engage in The Mexican War. He returned East and rendered distinguished service in many critical campaigns of The Civil War. In 1856, his estate in San Jose consisted of 140 acres South of Santa Clara Street extending from 11th Street to The Coyote River with a mansion, park like grounds, gardens, orchards and vineyards. Until recently the home remained at what is now 14th Street near San Fernando.
NARVAREZ- Jose Agustin Narvaez came to California in 1797. In his lifetime, he held public office, owned 1000 acres of land, and raised a family of 13.
NOTRE DAME- Notre Dame Avenue was named for College which was started in San Jose in 1851 by six nuns. It was a landmark on West Santa Clara Street for many years, but was moved to Belmont in 1923.
O'CONNOR- The Hornorable M.P. O'Connor was born in Ireland in 1823 and was taken to England in 1825. He came to The United
States in 1838 to study law in Saint Louis, being admitted to the bar in 1846. He drove a mule team across the plains in 1849. Since there was little legal business
in the West at that time, he engaged mainly in mining in Nevada County. He served in the State Assembly and was elected State Senator in 1869 and gave up his law
practice. Meanwhile his mining ventures and investments had given him immense wealth. He finally located in San Jose with his wife Amanda, and built a beautiful residence on Second and Reed Streets, which was later donated as an orphans home. In 1889 the couple resided in a mansion next to their newly erected O'Connor Sanitarium on San Carlos
Street, then called Stevens Creek Road, at Race. The building cost $300,000.00 and occupied 15 acres, but was razed in 1955 to make way for the Sears store. (Of course,
it is now a Safeway.) This was only one of the O'Connor's many endowments throughout Northern California. For today's valley resident, the multi-million dollar O'Connor Hospital is a fitting reminder of this distinguished citizen and benefactor.
OGIER- James H. Ogier was born in Maryland in 1830. At 21 years of age he came to California via the Ishtmus, a poor man working for wages. He had to buy his land three times from other Mexican claimants. He finally secured 150 acres in the Alviso District, which was later enlarged to 280 acres.
He built a mansion and married the daughter of Isacc Branham, another Heroic pioneer of 1846. They had seven children.
PARKHURST- "Cockeyes Charley" Parkhurst (1806-1879) arrived in California from Ohio in 1848 and for many years drove a stage
in the Santa Cruz Mountains on the Santa Cruz-San Jose route. A typical stage driver, this character allegedly swore, chewed tobacco, smoked and drank. Cockeyed Charly
cast a ballot in 1868 which made her the first woman to vote in the United States. Until her death, no one was aware that Charlotte Parkhurst was not a man. There is a monument at the grave in Santa Cruz.
PEARL- John Quincy Pearl came to this area in 1852 and bought 600 acres of land in the Almaden Valley. He was a member of one of the first volunteer fire companies, a founder of the Pioneer Irrigation Ditch Comapany and active in the Santa Clara County Agricultural Society.
PELLIER- Louis Pellier was a native of France, and was the founder of the prune industry in this valley. (I picked plums when I was in high school, but the industry has vanished form this area!) Louis came to California during the Gold Rush and tried mining and then established a nursery on San Pedro Street in San Jose. In 1857, his brothers, Jean and Pierre, brought starts of other fruits from France, including prune cuttings.
PENNIMAN- Arthur C. Penniman was born in New York in 1828. In 1852 he drove a light wagon from Missouri across the plains in the amazing
record time of 51 days. He farmed at Sonora, Fresno, Martinez, Walnut Creek and finally settled on 80 acres in "The Willows" at Willow and Minnesota Streets. About 1878 he planted one
of the earliest plum orchards.
PIERCE- James Pierpoint Pierce has a park named after him on The El Camino Real in Santa Clara. Ever wonder who he was? The answer is here.
Some of the resources used to put this page together
© 1997 to 2007 by John D. Casey Jr.