Meet Stephen Payne
The Howling Wilderness
Stephen Payne holds a doctorate in Public Historical Studies from UC Santa Barbara, a master’s degree in History from San Jose State University, and a baccalaureate in Anthropology from UC Santa Cruz. Stephen has also taught Santa Clara County and California history courses at local colleges for many years. Stephen’s family goes back five generations in Santa Clara County. The McClellan farm buildings in Steven’s Creek Park belonged to his great, great grandparents, who were settlers in 1849. In 1852 his great grandfather arrived in the valley, settling in Los Gatos. In the mid-1870s, the family purchased a farm near Campbell, where Payne Avenue is today.
Meet Paul Karz
Speaker & Trail Guide
My name is Paul Karz, and I have served as a Senior Interpretive Aide with California State Parks for the past eight years. Prior to joining State Parks staff, I spent more than 30 years in private industry as an Operations Manager with Intel Corporation and Texas Instruments. Throughout much of that time, I also volunteered as a State Parks docent, developing a lasting commitment to public history and community engagement. I am a Vietnam combat veteran, and following six years of military service, I earned a degree in Communications from California State University, Stanislaus.
Big Basin Expands
California State Parks and Sempervirens Fund announce the permanent addition of the 153-acre NoraBella property, the Gateway to Big Basin, to expand California's oldest state park. “The land, habitats, waterways, and redwoods at NoraBella have been through so much over more than a century—from clearcutting, to being treated like a junkyard, to the CZU wildfire—and it feels like redemption to finally secure the forest’s future as part of Big Basin,” said Sempervirens Fund Executive Director Sara Barth.
John Weldon Lyndon
By Debra Staab
The life of J.W. Lyndon truly epitomizes the “rags to riches” story. John Weldon Lyndon, the eldest of seven children, was born in Quebec, Canada in 1836. The family moved to Vermont in the early 1850s, and at age 23, John struck out alone for California with only 65 cents in his pocket. After arriving in San Francisco in 1859, John made his way to San Jose and then to Lexington where he found work. His first job was as a grocery clerk, and not long after that he started his own general store, which included the sale of groceries and lumber. Within a few years, he started buying land, including a 160 acre parcel on Black Road. After the Civil War ended in 1866, John’s brother James joined him in Lexington, where he established a lumber yard. In 1894, James was elected Sheriff of Santa Clara County.
Logging in the Augmentaion
By Debra Staab
Aptos Creek springs forth from the southwestern slope of Santa Rosalia Mountain and flows south nearly 10 miles until it enters Monterey Bay at Seacliff State Beach. The word “Aptos” is believed to derive from Spanish settlers’ 1796 interpretation of the Ohlone word “Outos” as used to name their village at the confluence of Aptos and Valencia Creeks. Nature’s bounty is plentiful in the watershed which supports numerous species of flora and fauna. Native Americans tended to live on the edges of the forest which they entered to hunt, fish, and forage. It is estimated that there were nearly 200,000 acres of old-growth forest in the Santa Cruz Mountains including Coast Redwoods, Douglas Fir, and mixed hardwoods. The largest Redwoods reached colossal heights of 350 feet with unbelievably large trunks ranging from eight to 28 feet in diameter. The Ohlone showed great wisdom in caring for their environment including occasional controlled burns to purify the land and stimulate new growth.
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