Gilroy Historical Society
Amanda Rudeen, Chair of the Gilroy150 Committee.
Connie Rogers, President of the Gilroy Historical Society,
wants to “raise the awareness of Gilroy residents about our
history. Our history and our culture are the building blocks
of our future. We want to explain and highlight that so that
our residents are aware of the tools they have been given
by those who have come before us.” The Gilroy Historical
Society provides staff, curates the 25,000 artifacts, and plans
displays for the city-owned Gilroy Museum, located at 195
5 th St in downtown Gilroy. By the March 12, 2020 anniversa-
ry, they are planning a display that spans the entire history of
the region, from the earliest Amah Mutsun Indians, up to the
founding of Gilroy, and through the last 150 years. An oral
history, from a broad cross-section of Gilroy residents, can be
accessed now from the society’s webpage, gilroyhistoricalso-
ciety.org/ and viewed on their YouTube channel, including,
among others, stories from Mineko Sakai, Don Christopher,
Bill Spendlove, Sig Sanchez, and Richard Young.
History
The Sesquicentennial:
The City of Gilroy is
150 Years Young
The city of Gilroy, California, has a long
history: 150 years to be exact. On March,
12, 1870, the state legislature officially
incorporated the town of Gilroy. In 2020,
Gilroy will celebrate its Sesquicentennial
anniversary in all corners of its boundaries.
Written & Photographed By Craig Lore
84
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
Gilroy has always been a crossroads, a gateway to the north
and south along the El Camino Real corridor, and east to west
from the San Joaquin Valley over the Diablo Mountains, across
the southern reaches of the Santa Clara Valley, and then west,
up and over the Santa Cruz Mountains to Monterey Bay, along
the route now covered by Hwy 152. That, and its fertile soil
and lush grasslands, made it an ideal place to settle.
The indigenous Amah Mutsun Indians inhabited the
region for thousands of years before Europeans arrived. They
subsisted on fish and wildlife, nuts and berries, and care-
fully managed grasslands, with controlled fires, to encour-
age the growth of edible annuals. The Spanish and Mexican
settlers, who came later, grew grain and raised cattle. After
the Mexican-American war, 1846-48, discouraged miners
and pioneers from across the world and country were drawn
to the fertile valley. They continued to profit from cattle
and grain, but by the late 19th century, farming had largely
displaced cattle ranching: grazing land was planted with
orchards of prunes, cherries, apricots, and vineyards with
wine grapes. In the 1960s, row crops—like tomatoes, sugar
WINTER 2020
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