Type
InscriptionLocation
Two papers inside binderTranscription
Many many years ago, before there were airplanes, automobiles, or trains, people were seeking new homes where government land was cheap, in a mild climate.
The discovery of gold in California in 1848 inspired many to leave the New England and Midwestern states.
English, Irish, French, and Italian people came from Europe to buy land too.
Mr. and Mrs. Frank McCullagh heard of the Gold Rush in California, they wished to be away from the very cold Ohio winters. Deciding to make Santa Clara County their permanent home, they chose to buy land in the foothills of Saratoga and Los Gatos about 1900.
The best architect in San Francisco was employed to plan their house. Mr. Willis Polk was building some of the finest homes in the county. Having learned the building business while working with his father in Illinois, he came to San Francisco, building many of the finest homes in the bay area.
To get lumber from the saw mill in the Santa Cruz mountains to Saratoga, Los Gatos and San Jose makes a good story.
The very narrow mountain roads were not paved and had many sharpe curves. Italian and French boys were hired to drive the seven team lumber wagons. To drive one team of horses, hitched to a buggy over those mountain roads was difficult and frightening especially if one met another team on a curve.
Those young teamsters took pride in having the most melodious bells they could buy for the lead horse to wear on the hanes of his harness. The bells were to warn approaching teams coming around a curve.
These boys learned how to get cooperation from their parents ability to manage a large family of children so skillfully while living in a small house, each child having some of the work to do, They sang. It came natural for the boys to sing. Their lusty voices could be hear throughout the mountains. The horses loved the music and pulled the heavy load in unison.
The San Francisco earth quake, April 18, 1906 died little damage to the well built houses in Los Gatos, a few chimneys did give way.
Many interesting stories are told by picture and in books in the Los Gatos city library. Some of them tell about, Forbes Mill, How Los Gatos got its name, the railroad through the mountains to Santa Cruz, and the electric cars that ran for 30 years, are only a few.
The beginning sentence to my story in this album was suggested by Christopher R. Cooke age 12. He chose it for the beginning to this story for his younger cousins, Bill C. and David R. Eidson our grandsons.
This clipping from the Times-Observer, Tuesday May 15 1979 gave me an idea, I like a contest. My needle and thread picture of the McCullagh-Jones house is something like I thought I saw when looking at the house.
The inspiration to do this needle work came from the Hour of Power program and to keep going stitch after stitch.Language
EnglishMaterial/Technique
Pen
