For about 100 years, people in town enjoyed a peaceful existence. The Ghosts of Lexington. If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page.. It was 551 feet (168 meters) above sea level. We use their deep knowledge to create great stories that bring their favorite places alive for you. The Oakland Tribune described the crime as a fiendish atrocity without a parallel in the criminal annals of this coast.. Chesterman said a $65 million project to rebuild the earthen dams outlet system remains on schedule for completion by next September. She loves exploring and researching her surroundings and then writing about her discoveries to inspire others to get out and explore too. Harriette Cole: Is it a red flag that he wants me to ride a bus to our first date? Thank you Carol. To all readers: I am grateful for Dereks input as he is a very well respected train historian and has a blog all about Santa Cruz area train history. building, possibly a house. Gambling machines. Thanks to the plentiful El Nio rains, in early April, Lexington Reservoir was at 69% capacity. It was surrounded by vineyards and redwoods. A man shooed me out pretty quick.. It was hard to move dirt with draft animals , so road builders had to follow the natural contours of the mountains. A devastating drought in Utah has lowered reservoir levels across the state. Almas reputation was more genteel. The story was a gruesome sensation in papers from coast to coast. It is near the Black Rd. Quabbin Reservoir | Ghost Town of Greenwich Massachusetts Carpo must find out who wanted them dead, and why, before the last of the lost town's survivors disappear (from PW review). After years of speculation, the announcement came in 1947 that a dam was to be built by the Santa Clara Water Valley Conservation District. [3][4], The reservoir is in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains, at an elevation of 645 feet (197m).[2][5]. This is a view you dont see too often, said Dave Chesterman, capital program manager for the water district, as he walked across the 82-year-old bridge in rubber boots. To the left above is the Alma Bridge Road Devon DeweyRemains of Rockport can be seen in the foreground, with the shrinking reservoir behind it. It is pretty cool to see the road and relics of the old towns, but I have to say that the next time you come back to visit I hope there is more water in Lexington Reservoir! AlthoughLexington was best-known for a brutal murder, Alma was known and once named for a large hotel and stage station called the Forest House. The old town was first inhabited in 1860 Credit: UPI. Alma, beneath the Lexington Reservoir Bagby, under Lake McClure Baird, under Lake Shasta [13] Looking An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. Later, the modern Highway 17, finished in 1940, bypassed Alma. But some of them not too famous for the tourists. The railroad ceased operations in 1940. 59.352, shown as "ROOM" in the map below. Majors and one accomplice were executed, and the turncoat, one John Showers, was stabbed to death in Folsom Prison 16 years later by a childhood friend of Majors. Remains of Rockport can be seen in the foreground, with the shrinking reservoir behind it. They liked the warmer weather. Jul 14, 2014 - Lexington- California, is a ghost town in Santa Clara County, now submerged by the Lexington Reservoir. (Midpeninsula Regional Open Space are currently working on a project to rehabilitate several buildings there.). According to local lore, the town was originally named Forest House, but was renamed by the postmaster to honor his sweetheart. Another story claims it was named after a sex worker. I knew quite a few of them, said the only surviving water district engineer. It went by the name Lyndon, after Lyndon Creek. Three men were responsible for the brutal murders of William Peter Renowden and Archibald McIntyre in Lexington, on March 11, 1883.[6][7]. Their marriage was a shame on the family and denounced by Floods father, Gold Rush tycoon James C. Flood, leading to the couple avoiding judgmental eyes in San Francisco and seeking a countryside retreat. There is an official park entrance Back in 2008 during renovation on the dam, the Lexington Reservoir was drained to just 5%of its capacity, revealing the old Alma bridge. around and went back north. the old bridge. The last owner of the estate, Dr. Tevis, was a retired San Francisco physician with a generous heart. Continue with Recommended Cookies, The most intact remnat of Alma, the 1920's bridge "ENTER" is the parking lot on the side of Hwy 17. A collapse would pose flooding risks to Los Gatos and Campbell. We use their deep knowledge to create great stories that bring their favorite places alive for you. Outside of the violence, though, it seems Alma was a sought-after destination for weekenders from the big cities, who would take the train to the hillsides to hunt and fish. Utah Ghost Town Drought Rockport Reservoir - AccuWeather Close is a satellite photo of Lexington Reservoir as it usually looks, from Rumored to have $20,000 in gold stashed throughout his cabin, Renowden and his partner Archibald McIntyre met an unlucky fate that day. Now we don't speak. hill. down the middle is technically Los Gatos Creek. [3], In September 2007, the Santa Clara Valley Water District began its Lenihan Dam Outlet Project at Lexington Reservoir. Get Morning Report and other email newsletters, With a lot less water, the fishing is good at Lexington Reservoir, as Jesus Robles Sr., and his son, Jesus Robles, age one and a half, found out. Thank you, Ranger Lautamo, for a most entertaining read about the bottom of Lexington reservoir. St Thomas Nevada - Lake Mead National Recreation Area (U.S. National drove over the east shore of the lake. That same year, the general store was robbed its safe exploded with dynamite, destroying a large part of the building. I grew up in Los Gatos and currently live in Brookdale love reading your articles would love to see pictures of Alma, Lexington & Holly City if you can. All Access Digital offer for just 99 cents! Established in 1871, the bustling town of 200 was a welcome rest stop for stage coach drivers and a lovely getaway for San Franciscans in search of an adventurous weekend of hunting the elusive grizzly or fishing for trout in Los Gatos Creek. Offramp from old State Route 17 to the ghost town of Alma while the Lexington Reservoir was being drained, California [5581 1471] [OC] [OC] 0 comments. on the opposite shore indicate the maximum level of the reservoir. This site is done by Derek Whaley. . Mid-peninsula plans to demolish most of the college buildings starting in 2020, except for the chapel and the library. The decision was regrettable, but it noted, watersheds are where you find them.. looks like the base of a sign or lamppost. Now it seems a bit cool to know that a town used to be there, Id love to go check it out . The ruins of a town submerged when the Lexington Reservoir was constructed It is part of the popular Romantic Road through southern Germany. trees. The start of the end for Alma was the opening of Highway 17 in 1939, reducing the worth of the train depot there. Andrew has written for The Atlantic, Vice, SF Weekly, the San Francisco Chronicle, McSweeney's, The Bold Italic, Drowned in Sound and many other places. "TUNNEL" is the tunnel under Hwy 17 to Black Road. Meet Cheryl Bradshaw, The 'Dating Show' Contestant Who Chose Serial Killer Rodney Alcala, Archaeologists Just Uncovered How The City That Inspired The Biblical Sodom Was Destroyed, What Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The Most, 27 Raw Images Of When Punk Ruled New York, Join The All That's Interesting Weekly Dispatch. GitHub export from English Wikipedia. Or, learn about the ghost town of Centralia, Pennsylvania, which has been on fire since 1962. Today, when the water level of Lexington Reservoir dips low enough, you can walk the same ground as the ghosts of Lexington, searching for remnants of a time gone by. I Inside was everything a weary traveler needed: beds, a dining room filled with tasty homemade fare, and of course a saloon for those in need of a strong drink before braving the treacherous road that then wound through the Santa Cruz Mountains. The outskirts of the town are now filled in with forest and bisected by the highway, but this town once boasted a grand hotel that served grizzly bear meat, an estate with trout lakes, botanical gardens with rare plants, and, arguably, the worlds largest madrone tree. Is it mentioned in the book Ghost Towns of Santa Cruz Mountains or in Richard Beals Highway 17: The Road to Santa Cruz? Table of Contents show. Lexington Reservoir, Los Gatos, California. The estate also claimed to have the largest madrone tree in the world growing on its acreage, visible from Bear Creek Road. the Miller Point Picnic Area. Originally located along Los Gatos Creek, the town was 550 feet above sea level. Lexington Reservoir modied to show the locations of the two submerged ghost towns, Lexington and Alma. Ghost town Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster of this hill, which is usually underwater. but will probably not be once we get more rain. Great idea! 37. up the hill paralleling today's Hwy 17. The GPS coordinates You can check out more of Molly's writing at mollylautamo.com. The route gained full access to Santa Cruz in May 1880. Lexington Reservoir is an artificial lake on the Los Gatos Creek near Los Gatos, California. Some redwoods on the property are believed to be 800 to 900 years old. Ghost town remnants resurface as Lexington, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Six killed when small plane crashes, bursts into flames in field near Southern California airport, Ghost town remnants resurface as Lexington Reservoir level falls, | Natural resources and environment reporter. Stay Tuned! The Jesuit School is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, the American Association of Theological Schools, and by the Vatican Congregation of Catholic Education as an Ecclesiastical Faculty of Theology.[7]. And what was back there? Lexington Ghost Town - Andrew Davis When Lexington Reservoir was built in 1952, the two towns of Alma and Lexington were torn down and later became submerged under 130 feet of water. back towards the east shore, showing this large cove, which is normally Modern day State Route 17 passes by the reservoirbeneath which lie the former towns of Lexington and Alma. We stumbled upon it after scaling the side of a creek where the dog went. Lexington The GPS coordinates for this foundation are Even if this bridge cant be seen, a different bridge and other parts of Almas past come into view when water levels are low. The town was abandoned in the 1950s after the federal government announced plans to construct a . What kind of fish are in Lexington Reservoir? - Safe Harbor Fishing [2] Lexington started out as a sawmill built in 1848 by Isaac Branham and Julian Jank. He is doing great work and will have a book out soon! The Lexington House Hotel and saloons were busy with tourists, commuters, bandits, and gamblers before the roads were rerouted to bypass the town. When I was younger, I went to school in the valley (we lived in Boulder Creek) so we would drive 17 every day and pass the reservoir. I wasnt aware of the Aldercroft community; it didnt come up in my research. Plummeting water levels have revealed faint traces of the former town known as Rockport. This piece is part of the Highway 17 Tour. The base are N 37 11.744 W 121 59.321, shown as "BASE" in the map Its canopy reached 100 feet across (about half the length of the Lincoln Memorial), and its trunk circumference was an astounding 32 feet 10 inches. A king and a war are on his agenda, An Iowa meteorologist started talking about climate change on newscasts. Watershed: Guadalupe River Capacity: 6.5 billion gallons Depth: 130 feet Length: 2.5 miles Built: 1952 Lexington Reservoir, named for the historic 1850's town which once stood on the valley's floor, is a significant source of local drinking water. He was a volunteer at the Redwood Estates fire department for several years. In 1860 John P. Hennings bought some of the property and changed the name to Lexington, after his home town of Lexington, Kentucky. Madrones are such pretty trees! When Lexington Reservoir was built in 1952, the two towns of Alma and LExington were torn down and later became submerged under 130 feet of water. What a great article (again)-I always learn from your informative and interesting content. Today, remnants of the town can now be seen thanks to the lowering water levels of . shown as "BRIDGE" in the map at the bottom of this page. Today, with the water level down 95% due to construction retrofit of the dam, parts of the past can be seen on the floor of the reservoir. This is a view of the ruins from The railroad ceased operations in March 1940, following major damage by a winter storm[5] and the completion of State Route 17 that same year. Ghost Town San Jose, CA - Last Updated October 2022 - Yelp It was the mellow counterpart to its infamous neighbor, Lexington. The James J. Lenihan Dam, a 195 ft (59 m) high, 1,000 ft (300 m) thick earthen dam, forms the third-largest reservoir in Santa Clara County. south on Lexington Reservoir, you can see pipeline that is probably Lexington Reservoir and James J. Lenihan Dam are located on Los Gatos Creek about three miles south of the town of Los Gatos. After the San Francisco earthquake of 1906 destroyed most of the city, he transformed his estate into an earthquake refugee camp for the entire San Francisco grand opera company until they could return home. But during the Black Hawk War, which lasted from about 1865-1872, settlers built a large wall to protect themselves and renamed their town Rock Fort., European settlers came in, established a little community there, explained Jon Parry, assistant general manager of the Weber Basin Water Conservancy District. The location is latitude 37.18N and longitude 121.98W. The Lexington Murders was one of the most notable crimes in California during the 19th century. [1], There are two different possible origins for the name of the town. The town of Lexington burned bright for a short while, profiting from the logging industry and achieving infamy from a brutal murder. intersection of Hwy 17 at the Reservoir. Their notoriety made news when a child from a family at the property took to the stand and accused them of cruelty, which included children being tied together with ropes and tethered to trees. The old Santa Cruz hwy ( Glenwood) was a very twisty road, graded without heavy equipment,. Courtesy: Jackie Phillips, lma Store, George Osmer, proprietor and post master They were having some conflicts with the natives, so they ended up building kind of a rock wall around their settlement.. The triangular-shaped lower parcel lies between Highway 17 and Bear Creek Road. Your email address will not be published. She expects to become gradually accustomed to the quiet, and is looking forward to the day when Almas now truly rural simplicities will exert for her the charm that she now feels is only latent.. Lexington Reservoir, Los Gatos, California. This year, water levels have dropped dangerously low. In the third year of a statewide drought, the water is currently low enough to reveal the flooded remains of the ghost towns of Lexington and Alma. So glad you enjoyed the piece, Jim! The GPS coordinates for this It was a tumultuous period for Santa Clara County. The locals knew better, however, and never ate the tough, stringy meat with a flavor that was best described as rancid fish.. In the 1860s, the saw mills moved up into the hills and Lexington began to lose importance. I knew quite a few of them, Clarke said of the last residents of Alma. This gave automobiles the final push needed to replacethe train, and soon most folks chose to drive over Highway 17 instead. GPS coordinates for the bridge are N 37 11.507 W 121 59.369, All the best things to do, to see, and discuss in the San Francisco Bay Area! Thank You for all you do. The irregularly-shaped upper parcels lie on both sides of Bear Creek Road and surround the Presentation Center, a conference and retreat facility run by the Sisters of Presentation. The California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) has developed a safe eating advisory for Lexington Reservoir based on levels of mercury or PCBs found in fish caught from this water body. Original Post October 31, 2014 Forest House was rebuilt in the 1930s and became the largest hostelry between Los Gatos and Santa Cruz. The crooks burned the old man with turpentine-soaked rags and beat him with pistols, killing him and a friend, and then fled with the gold. )Sometimes it can be a lengthy process to obtain the rights to historic photos otherwise we would post more. The yellow line shows the Originally located along Los Gatos Creek, the town was 550 feet above sea level. The brief history of Alma, a drowned Bay Area town The town was deliberately drowned and destroyed in 1952. This is the Over the years, it attracted graffiti and I was always told stories of people walking in it and falling to their deaths when it would collapse in areas. Ghost town remnants resurface as Lexington Reservoir level falls, The Hidden Collateral Damage in Santa Cruz, How Santa Cruzs Bank of Italy Turned a New Leaf, Santa Cruzs Many Wharves: From Lime and Lumber to Ecotourism, http://mobileranger.wpengine.com/losgatos/holy-city-father-rikers-cult-in-the-santa-cruz-mountains/, http://www.sccgov.org/sites/parks/parkfinder/Pages/Lexington-Reservoir.aspx, Santa Cruz Trains: Railroads of the Santa Cruz Mountains, http://www.valleywater.org/Programs/TeachersStudents/TeacherMaterials/WaterHistoryTeachersGuide/SantaClaraCountyWaterHistory.aspx. (To accompany a story by Paul Rogers, slugged ssjm1207lexington. Sometimes, receding water lines exposed a hint of its old buildings. The two beautiful little mountain communities are scheduled to join the submerged cities which have woven themselves into legend, the Peninsula Times wrote. Perhaps most dramatic among the reservoirs newly visible artifacts is a concrete bridge that once spanned Los Gatos Creek between Lexington and Alma. Ghost town remnants resurface as Lexington Reservoir level falls The Los Gatos Creek Trail starts at the dam and continues downstream along the creek's canyon. More information about Lexington Lexington, California is a ghost town in Santa Clara County, now submerged by the Lexington Reservoir. (Karen T. Borchers/Mercury News), This is a bridge from 1926, that was previously under water. [9], When the level of Lexington Reservoir drops, it is possible to see portions of the old roads that were used in the construction of the reservoir and that served the historic towns of Lexington and Alma that were covered by the reservoir. Do you have any old photos or memorobilia from the town?? the floor of a garage. That fall, the dam was sealed, and the Lexington Reservoir slowly filled with the winter rains, drowning the historic towns. It's like having a park ranger with you. Or the district would do it. Some moved the structures to higher ground. [4], The reservoir covered the towns of Lexington and Alma. The population of Rockport remained small around 200 before it started to decline in the 1940s. It revealed the foundations of a handful of homes, but not much else beyond a near-intact bridge marked with the date it was built in 1926. southern route I took at the start to reach "BRIDGE". Los Gatos,then called Forbes Mill, wasjust a small crossroadsin its large shadow. No longer a fort, they changed the name of the town again, this time to Rockport. The trees taking this route after it rains. A U.S. Ghost Towns of Lexington Reservoir: Lexington I found it hard to comprehend then, and I still miss it and him. As for the towns of Alma and Lexington, their heyday was the mid-1800s, when each of them was populated by about 200 hearty souls. Do you have any info on that? PDF Ghost Towns of Lexington Reservoir: Alma - almafilm.info he was my Great Great Grand Father George Osmer. No wonder the fishing is terrible, not an ounce of structure on the bottom of this lake, nothing natural, concrete and ugly. Cal now but we visit often and my kids just learned about madrones last time we visited-neat stuff! Bond funds were used to build trails, a parking lot, restrooms, retaining walls, bridges, and culverts. The thugs burned the man and his friend alive, beat them to death with pistols, torched the cabin and took off with the gold. noted Rockport State Park Manager Eric Bradshaw, the ghost town of Centralia, Pennsylvania. [3] [4] Background The Santa Clara Valley Water District has this site on the history of water. But parts of the original route, now called Old Santa Cruz Highway, still snake through the woods from Bear Creek Road to the summit area. It prompted my recall of the time my Dad took me for a drive on that stretch of road and told me how it was to be covered with water and disappear.

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