Historically Speaking
Gilroy Gets its First
Public Water System
Written By Elizabeth Barrett
B
y 1870, with increased pros-
perity from its new status as
a railroad terminus, Gilroy’s
growth had blossomed from a
mere 250 inhabitants to a spurt of 2,000
residents. The town needed a reliable
water supply. But prior to the establish-
ment of a reservoir plus a piped water
system, the seasonal water supply had
been hit-or-miss. Inside the city limits,
wells were located at Third, Fourth and
Sixth Streets. Additionally, cisterns, to
be used in case the city wells ran out
during the dry season, were placed
along Monterey Street at Fourth and
Sixth Streets. These were also vital in
case of fire. Many homes had a private
well, while others could purchase from
a local water delivery wagon.
In 1871, the privately-owned Gilroy
Water Company filed articles of incor-
poration. The plan was intended to
provide citizens with a steady supply
of Uvas Creek water. The added water
power, it was hoped, would also help
drive factory machinery and irrigate the
surrounding farms.
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An exultant editorial, in the local
newspaper on March 4, 1871, praised
the new supply, noting that, “Gilroy
will present a different appearance this
coming summer… instead of parched
gardens and withered shrubbery, the eye
will be greeted with green patches of
garden vegetables and the smell pleased
with the fragrance of the rose and the
geranium.”
From fall through most of the
summer, water from the Uvas was
expected to flow into a main pipe and
straight to town. Then, during the dry
period before the rains returned, the
reservoir could be tapped, if necessary.
A dam with a 90-foot breadth was
installed across Uvas Creek by May,
1871. Situated nine miles northwest of
town, the dam measured 7.5 feet high
and 8 feet wide at the base. From there,
1200 yards of wood flume were installed
to conduct water via 17-inch pipes to
the 9-million gallon reservoir, situated
next to the Ousley (now Hoey) Ranch,
located west of town next to what would
in later years become the Municipal
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
MAY/JUNE 2017
Golf Course. From there, water was
transported into Gilroy in 13-inch
pipes. The new pipes supplied water for
farms and ranches along the way, and
were connected to the newly established
Mason’s and Odd Fellow’s Cemetery
(now Gavilan Hills Memorial Park.)
At the time, Gilroy’s city limits were
bounded north to south by First and
Tenth Streets, and west to east by Hanna
and Maple Streets. In town, smaller
pipes connected with the main line and
supplied water to private homes and
businesses along the major streets.
It wasn’t long before the new water
system proved advantageous. An 1875
promotional brochure crowed, “The
city has vastly improved in appearance
since the introduction of this water,
the inhabitants having planted trees,
shrubs, flowers, having ample means
for irrigating them.” By then, ample
water was available for sprinkling the
graded dirt streets to keep down the
summer dust.
In December 1871, a pounding
storm hit Santa Clara County. The
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