Los Gatos circa 1960. Image courtesy of the Los Gatos Library*, SS072.
Loaned by Alyce Parsons.
Long known as “the Valley of Heart’s Delight”, Santa Clara Valley was the world’s largest producer of fruit, with acres of farmland providing a bounty of produce in an ideal climate. This decade saw a huge increase in population that came about for several reasons, including the growing technology industry that developed into what we now know as Silicon Valley. While Los Gatos maintained its small-town charm, residents were also participating in a cultural and creative change; Mid-Century architecture replaced traditional buildings; farmland decreased to accommodate urban development; and a thriving community of artists, creatives, bars, and restaurants grew in town. Within this atmosphere, the creation of a museum fit in perfectly – as our founder, Dr. Ethel Dana Atkinson, believed no town is complete without a museum!
New Museum Los Gatos (NUMU) asked our community to loan photos, stories, objects, or momentos from life in Los Gatos in the 1960s to be featured in an exhibition celebrating the museum’s 60th anniversary. The Los Gatos Museum Association was founded in 1965 and had its first home at the adobe firehouse on Tait Avenue. We want to celebrate and uncover what made this creative time period so unique: our residents, businesses, and abundant bohemian history with the likes of John Steinbeck, etc.
Art by Rick Guidice. Courtesy of artist.
This exhibition will be on view in the Mike & Alyce Parsons Reception.
*The Los Gatos Library makes no representation of exclusive ownership of the rights to any image. The user assumes all responsibility for conforming with the laws of libel and copyright, which may apply to the use of this material. You should not publish or otherwise reproduce any materials which are possibly subject to copyright without first having obtained written permission:
(a) from the copyright owner, his heirs, or assigns, and
(b) the Los Gatos Library, owner of the original materials.
