A FEW MORE NAMES
PORTAL- Louis Portal, a wealthy Frenchman arrived here in 1850 and purchased 400 acres, and planted vineyards in 1860. He used to use the "captains walk" on the cupola to detect slow vineyard workers. He also refused a "right-of-way" to the railroad because it "might disturb ageing of his vines" in his highly developed winery. He returned to France after a devastating blight of his vines. (Phylloxera).
PREVOST- Louis Prevost was born in France in 1807 and came to San Jose in 1849. He was a nurseryman by trade and from his native land he imported flowers, fruits and ornamental trees for his famous "Prevost Gardens" off Park Avenue. He attempted to establish the silk industry here in The Valley believing that it would flourish. He also imported silk worm cocoons from China which were diseased. Prevost was
financially ruined and died bankrupt.
QUAKERS- As early as 1861 a group of Quakers held religious services in San Jose, led by Jesse and David Hobson. In 1848, a church was built on Stockton Avenue. (Where the Quaker's Grandfather preached.) Later, the orthodox and unorthodox members divided, the former building a small "Friends Meeting House" on Morse Street. (It was moved to make way for Interstate 880, when it was still State Route 17, and is now at 1041 Morse Stret.)
RACE- Race Street was named for the race track that was a major feature of the 76 acre Agricultural Park located near the bend in The Alameda for 40 years prior to the turn of the century.
REED- James Frazier Reed was born in Ireland in 1800, but was brought to this country early in his life. In 1832 he enlisted in the army and had as a companion Abraham Lincoln. Reed became one of San Jose's leading citizens and was instrumental in promoting San Jose as the first Capitol in 1849. His family's names are preserved by the present street names of Reed, Margaret, Virginia, Martha and Keyes.
RIVER- River street is named for the Guadlupe River which runs along side it. For many years the river would flood each Winter, destroying much of what was along the street.
ROBLES- Secundino Robles was born in 1810 in Santa Cruz. He prospected for gold in the Almaden hills, but missed the quicksilver, which was not identified until 1845. In 1841 he was Mayordomo at Mission Santa Clara. He eventually sold his mining interests for $13,000.00 cash plus 4,418 acres of the Jose Pena grant of Rancho Rincon De San Francisquito, covering the Stanford and Palo Alto territory. In 1835, he married Marie Antonio Garcia who presented him with a verified, record breaking 29 children. He fell victim to gambling, mortgages and the Yankee swindlers, and died penniless in 1890.
ROCK- John Rock was born in Germany in 1836. He came to the United States in 1852, and fought in The Civil War. He was self educated and spoke five languages. He came to California in 1852 and started a nursery on Milpitas Road. He was responsible for perfecting Pellier's prune and firm establishment of the valley's long term prune industry. He also developed a 500 acre nursery in Niles. He died in 1904. Recently, Nick Kirk, a visitor to the site, and a local historian, provided some additional information. You can see it here.
SARGENT- J.P. Sargent was a native of New Hampshire who crossed the plains with his three brothers in 1849. In 1853 he located in San Benito County. In 1856 he bought 7,000 acres South of Gilroy, which included the Rancho Juristac. The Southern Pacific Railroad, and the present freeway mark the ranch's Northern boundaries. The ranch was once noted for its liquid petroleum deposits which were used in early San Jose street paving.
SANOR- Michael Sanor was born in 1822, and came West via ox team in 1849, looking for gold. He turned to farming with more success, developing a claim of 240 acres fronting Stevens Creek Road. Finally in 1887 he sold this farm for the then "enormous" sum of $250.00 an acre and retired to San Jose.
SAISSET- Pedro D. Saisset was born in Paris in 1829, and came around the horn in 1849. He was the first developer of a power plant for the City of San Jose Electric Tower at Santa Clara and Market in 1881.
SCHALLENBERGER- Moses Schallenberger was born in 1826 and at 18 years of age joined the Murphy-Townsend-Stephens party of 1844. Upon the sudden death of his brother-in-law, Doctor Townsend, he moved to San Jose to manage the estate. He built a mansion two miles North of San Jose, on todays Schallenberger Avenue.
SCHIELE- Schiele Avenue is named for Charles M. Schiele who was a grocer, waiter, hotel proprietor, miner, real estate speculator and developer, and a member of the Common Council. He also found time to raise three sons and a daughter.
SENTER- German Senter was born in 1810 in Maine. He was a close friend of General Grant, who gave him $500.00 spending money for the trip to California in 1859. He became a wealthy land owner and later moved to Santa Barbara.
SETTLE- C.T. Settle was born in Indiana in 1825. In 1849 he crossed the plains by himself. He returned for his family in 1852, and settled in Oregon. Rain drove him to this valley in 1857 and in 1860 he bought 200 acres in the Willow Glen District for $10.00 an acre. He raised grain, but later subdivided this acreage into ten lots and encouraged orchard planting. He also built a street railroad to this district, which enhanced the value of land to $1,000.00 an acre. He was also President of The Farmers Union and lived in a fine home on the corner of Willow and Lincoln Avenues.
STEPHENS- Elisha Stephens was born in South Carolina in 1804. (The Valley's Dam, Boulevard, and Creek all bear his name, all misspelled.) Old maps bear correct spelling, and the above is correct, not Stevens. Elisha was the first English speaking settler in the West Valley. He was a blacksmith by trade, and a hunter, trapper and adventurer by inclination. In 1844 he was selected to captain The Murphy-Townsend-Stephens Party of California bound immigrants. He skillfully brought the expedition through safely with not a soul lost (as a matter of fact one was added) and two years ahead of the ill-fated Donner Party. In 1844 he took up a 160 acre homestead, which became Blackberry Farm. He later expanded his holdings to 315 acres, but Elisha found the "country gettin' too durn civilized" and in disgust, in 1864, he moved to a more remote spot near Bakersfield. He died there in 1887.
(It is interesting that Stephens is seldom mentioned as a pioneer. He was here before the Donner Party, and laid out the route used by several other, more famous "explorers" such as Fremont. He is a real unsung hero of The Valley!)
SUNOL- Antonio Marie Sunol was born in Spain in 1796 and later joined the French Navy. In 1818 he "jumped ship" in Monterey. He opened a general store in San Jose Pueblo and married Maria Dolores Bernal. He was the first Spanish Mexican postmaster, and held several other public offices. In 1847 he bought The Rancho Los Coches (The Pigs)from a mission Indian grantee. He lived in a beautiful adobe on what is today Lincoln Avenue. Rancho Los Coches covered over 2,000 acres including the Hanchertt Park neighborhood, O'Connor Hospital, Valleyfair, and Valley Medical Center. You may wonder why it was called Los Coches (The pigs)? Because it was the pasture land for The Missions swine herd.
TANTAU- Matthew B. Tantau was in 1815 in Germany. He came to this country in 1852, first settling in New Orleans, later moving to Cincinnati, then here. He bought 200 acres off Bollinger Road, and later increased it to 500 acres. His son Fred, farmed 240 acres of this land, while his son George combined it with his San Francisco business career.
TOWNSEND- Doctor John F. Townsend was one of the leading members of The Murphy-Townsend-Stephens Party, which was the first to cross the Sierras in 1844. He was also the first graduate doctor to arrive in California. He was one of San Francisco's first Alcaldes. Dr. Townsend was a prophet of the future, both in predicting as early as 1844 that a railroads would be built along The Truckee River route of his covered wagons, and in foretelling the future explosive growth of the State of California. He became a prominent politician in San Francisco where a street bears his name. (I think that he is more important for lending his name to the football stadium at Buchser Junior High School.) He died of Cholera in 1850 on his newly purchased San Jose ranch on today's Schallenberger Avenue.
Some of the resources used to put this page together
© 1997 to 2007 by John D. Casey Jr.