History is a dynamic and ongoing conversation between the past and the present. The Los Gatos History Project adds to this conversation as we delve into our collection to find untold stories of the people and places that make up our town.

Gathering collections of objects is a universal human practice. Collections have a longer history than museums: beginning in the earliest human societies, there were established collecting traditions in Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, and Asia, long before collecting developed in Europe.

Precursors to modern museums, cabinets of curiosity—or wunderkammern—first began to appear in Renaissance Europe. These displays, which were usually only accessible to a narrow circle of people, exhibited a wide variety of objects and artifacts with particular leanings toward the rare, eclectic, and mysterious.

Founded in 1865 by four powerful businessmen, the Southern Pacific Railroad was created as a rail line from San Francisco to San Diego. The town of Los Gatos had its own rail station across from the Hotel Lyndon, at N. Santa Cruz Avenue and Main Street.

John Weldon Lyndon arrived in California in 1859 at the age of 23. He worked as a grocer, earning enough to invest in his own land and open his own store. After a time he took over the town hotel, known first as Ten Mile House and then Los Gatos Hotel. After a series of sales, repurchases, and a fire, the newly remodeled Hotel Lyndon opened in 1899. Located at the corner of N. Santa Cruz Avenue and Main Street—conveniently across from the Southern Pacific Railway Station—the hotel welcomed travelers from all over, including, as an 1891 newspaper article said, “A president, governors, writers, royalty, big businessmen, and stage and screen personalities.” Hotel Lyndon saw and contributed to the economic growth of Los Gatos until the building was demolished in 1963.

The information on record for this silver tea set is more detailed than many pieces in our collection and allows us to verify its provenance, or history of ownership. The maker’s mark stamped on the bottom tells us it was made in 1900 by Luen Wo, a leading silversmith in Shanghai, China. Documentation accompanying the donation tells us that the set was owned by one-time Los Gatos resident Lochie Rankin. Born in Tennessee, Rankin was a member of the United Methodist Church, South and became the first unmarried woman traveling to China as a member of the Women’s Foreign Missionary Society. Fellow members of the Society gifted her with this tea set in recognition for her work in China, where she founded two schools.

The current predominance of Silicon Valley tech industries in Los Gatos may hide the importance of agriculture and viticulture here during the late 1800s and early 1900s. It is often repeated in newspaper articles of that time that the temperate climate was conducive to the growing of all kinds of crops, as well as for the health of ailing visitors.

The NUMU history collection includes several items related to the care and cleaning of clothing or fabrics. The irons likely date from the late 1800s into the early 1900s. Each iron would have been heated in a fire and used until they were no longer hot enough to do the job.

Handmade items continue to be appreciated for the care, effort and talent that goes into making them. These crocheted lace collars would have been worn across the shoulders on top of a gown to add style and decoration.

The recorded history of Los Gatos goes back to at least 1840, when the Mexican government granted a land patent to Sebastian Peralta and Jose Hernandez. Originally known as La Rinconada de Los Gatos (Cat’s Corner,) it was named for the pumas that could be heard throughout the mountains.

Humans have made dolls as miniature representations of ourselves for as long as we have recorded our history. Dolls engage our imagination and reflect our humanity. A souvenir doll can celebrate cultural identity through clothing, personal decoration, and creativity.

Many of the items in this case were donated by one of the museum’s founders, Dr. Ethel Dana, in 1965. The information we have includes names that are no longer used in reference to the people identified as the original tribal producers.

Frank Ingerson and George Dennison, “the boys,” as their friends called them, were partners in art, love, and life. They were prolific designers, painters, and sculptors in their day, creating in partnership and often signing both names to a work of art.

Charles Henry McKiernan, known as Mountain Charley, made his way from Ireland to the Santa Cruz Mountains in 1850 and became one of Los Gatos’ most well-known residents. The frame house he built at the corner of Redwood Estates and Summit Road is believed to be the first structure of that kind on the entire mountain.

Imagine these wagon wheels in action. Led by a team of horses with jingling bells, they could have carried lumber sourced from the Santa Cruz Mountains to San Jose. Perhaps they supported a local winery, moving boxes of grapes to the fermentation tanks. Or they carried passengers through town, bumping down Main Street and North Santa Cruz Avenue on a warm summer’s day.