Alma, California
Encyclopedia
Alma is a ghost town
in Santa Clara County
in California
, United States
. It lies beneath the waters of the Lexington Reservoir
above Los Gatos
. The location is latitude 37.18N and longitude 121.98W. It was 551 feet (168 meters) above sea level.
There are two different possible origins for the name of the town. The first is that the town was the location of a branch road that led to the New Almaden
mine. The second, and more fanciful, origin is that the town was named after a local prostitute. The original town name registered with the Postal Service
in 1861 was Lexington. It was re-registered as Alma in 1873.
The town was mostly demolished when the James J. Lenihan Dam was constructed there in 1952. Alma, at the time, had a population of less than 100 people. The town was an important rail stop for the logging industry in the Santa Cruz Mountains
as well as a stop for vacationers heading to the coast from the Santa Clara Valley
.
Alma had a stage stop, hotel, saloons, small agricultural operations, general merchandise store, and lumber mills, as well as other establishments. A narrow gauge railroad served Alma from 1880 to 1940. Just north of Alma was the town of Lexington
, which had greatly declined by the time that dam and reservoir were constructed. The next stop south on the railroad was Wrights
, also known as Wrights Station or Wright's Station.
Some foundational structures are only visible when the water levels drop in the reservoir, and some old roads and a bridge dating from 1926. The bridge can only be viewed when the water level is unusually low, such as the summer of 2008 when construction on the dam lowered the water level to 7% capacity. Modern day State Route 17 passes by the reservoir—beneath which lie the former towns of Lexington and Alma.
A U.S. Weather Bureau cooperative weather station in Alma reported average annual rainfall of 22.60 inches (573.5 millimeters).
The college was a Jesuit seminary which opened in 1934. Located in the foothills south of Los Gatos
, it was founded to serve the needs of two Jesuit provinces, California and Oregon.
In February 1969, the school relocated to Berkeley
to become one of the member schools of the Graduate Theological Union
and placing it in close proximity to the University of California
. The Board of Trustees voted to change the name of Alma College to the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley
in June 1969.
Today, the Jesuit School is one of only two Jesuit theological centers in the United States operated by the Society of Jesus. The school intends to be "an international center for the culturally contextualized study of theology and ministry," and admits students from all over the world.
The Jesuit School is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, the American Association of Theological Schools, and by the Vatican Congregation of Catholic Education as an Ecclesiastical Faculty of Theology.
The original college buildings were heavily damaged by the Loma Prieta earthquake
on October 17, 1989. That same year, the Jesuits sold the property for $12 million to Hong Kong Metro Realty, based in Madison, Wisconsin
, and run by Dr. Jun Lee, nephew of Hong Kong casino billionaire Stanley Ho
. Lee sold the land to Arlie Land and Cattle of Cottage Grove, Oregon
in December 1997 for more than $17 million.
The triangular-shaped lower parcel lies between Highway 17 and Bear Creek Road. The irregularly-shaped upper parcels lie on both sides of Bear Creek Road and surround the Presentation Center, a conference and retreat facility run by the Sisters of Presentation. The western portions of the upper parcels are crossed by a network of trails and roads built by the Jesuits, while the southern parcel is the steepest and most heavily wooded part of the land and can't be easily accessed. The two upper parcels stretch nearly to the Santa Cruz County
line.
In 1999, the Mid-peninsula Regional Open Space District signed a contract to acquire the former college site, set on 1071 acres (4.3 km²) of wooded hillsides. The complex agreement, which the Board of Directors approved 7-0 at a March 10 meeting, was the costliest in the district's history and the first open space agreement that included potential development. Officials said it was the district's last chance to get the land, which it had been considering since 1975.
Under the deal, Mid-peninsula agreed to pay $10.5 million for an option on the upper 811 acres (3.3 km²), but the remaining 260 acres (1.1 km²), on the lower property along Highway 17, was considered for possible development of a golf course and up to 50 luxury homes by Arlie Land and Cattle.
Although the property was heavily logged in the late nineteenth century, the district said it is one of the largest and finest second-growth redwood forests remaining in the county. Some redwoods on the property are believed to be 800 to 900 years old.
Ghost town
A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...
in Santa Clara County
Santa Clara County, California
Santa Clara County is a county located at the southern end of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. As of 2010 it had a population of 1,781,642. The county seat is San Jose. The highly urbanized Santa Clara Valley within Santa Clara County is also known as Silicon Valley...
in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It lies beneath the waters of the Lexington Reservoir
Lexington Reservoir
Lexington Reservoir is an artificial lake on the Los Gatos Creek near Los Gatos, California. The James J. Lenihan Dam, a high, thick earthen dam, forms the third-largest reservoir in Santa Clara County.-Background:...
above Los Gatos
Los Gatos, California
The Town of Los Gatos is an incorporated town in Santa Clara County, California, United States. The population was 29,413 at the 2010 census. It is located in the San Francisco Bay Area at the southwest corner of San Jose in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains...
. The location is latitude 37.18N and longitude 121.98W. It was 551 feet (168 meters) above sea level.
There are two different possible origins for the name of the town. The first is that the town was the location of a branch road that led to the New Almaden
New Almaden
The New Almaden quicksilver mine in the Santa Teresa Hills in Santa Clara County, California, United States, is the oldest and most productive quicksilver mine in the U.S. The site was known to the Ohlone Indians for its cinnabar long before a Mexican settler discovered the ores in 1820...
mine. The second, and more fanciful, origin is that the town was named after a local prostitute. The original town name registered with the Postal Service
United States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States...
in 1861 was Lexington. It was re-registered as Alma in 1873.
The town was mostly demolished when the James J. Lenihan Dam was constructed there in 1952. Alma, at the time, had a population of less than 100 people. The town was an important rail stop for the logging industry in the Santa Cruz Mountains
Santa Cruz Mountains
The Santa Cruz Mountains, part of the Pacific Coast Ranges, are a mountain range in central California, United States. They form a ridge along the San Francisco Peninsula, south of San Francisco, separating the Pacific Ocean from San Francisco Bay and the Santa Clara Valley, and continuing south,...
as well as a stop for vacationers heading to the coast from the Santa Clara Valley
Santa Clara Valley
The Santa Clara Valley is a valley just south of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California in the United States. Much of Santa Clara County and its county seat, San José, are in the Santa Clara Valley. The valley was originally known as the Valley of Heart’s Delight for its high concentration...
.
Alma had a stage stop, hotel, saloons, small agricultural operations, general merchandise store, and lumber mills, as well as other establishments. A narrow gauge railroad served Alma from 1880 to 1940. Just north of Alma was the town of Lexington
Lexington, California
Lexington, California is a ghost town in Santa Clara County, now submerged by the Lexington Reservoir. It is located at latitude 34°11'47"N, longitude 121°59'14"W; decimal degrees: latitude 37.19639, longitude -121.98722. Originally located along Los Gatos Creek, the town was 550 feet above sea...
, which had greatly declined by the time that dam and reservoir were constructed. The next stop south on the railroad was Wrights
Wrights, California
Wrights, California is a locale in Santa Clara County, California in the Santa Cruz Mountains, at , near Summit Road, east of State Route 17. It is located on the north bank of Los Gatos Creek....
, also known as Wrights Station or Wright's Station.
Some foundational structures are only visible when the water levels drop in the reservoir, and some old roads and a bridge dating from 1926. The bridge can only be viewed when the water level is unusually low, such as the summer of 2008 when construction on the dam lowered the water level to 7% capacity. Modern day State Route 17 passes by the reservoir—beneath which lie the former towns of Lexington and Alma.
A U.S. Weather Bureau cooperative weather station in Alma reported average annual rainfall of 22.60 inches (573.5 millimeters).
Alma College
Alma College was located west of Alma on Alma College Road, above the Lexington Reservoir, at latitude 371056N, longitude 122000W; decimal degrees: latitude 37.18222, longitude -122.00111.The college was a Jesuit seminary which opened in 1934. Located in the foothills south of Los Gatos
Los Gatos, California
The Town of Los Gatos is an incorporated town in Santa Clara County, California, United States. The population was 29,413 at the 2010 census. It is located in the San Francisco Bay Area at the southwest corner of San Jose in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains...
, it was founded to serve the needs of two Jesuit provinces, California and Oregon.
In February 1969, the school relocated to Berkeley
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
to become one of the member schools of the Graduate Theological Union
Graduate Theological Union
The Graduate Theological Union ' is a consortium of nine independent theological schools, and eleven centers and affiliates. Eight of the theological schools are located in Berkeley, California. The GTU was founded in 1962. It maintains the Graduate Theological Union Library, one of the most...
and placing it in close proximity to the University of California
University of California
The University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...
. The Board of Trustees voted to change the name of Alma College to the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley
Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley
The Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University is a Jesuit Seminary that is a school of Santa Clara University and one of the member colleges of the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California...
in June 1969.
Today, the Jesuit School is one of only two Jesuit theological centers in the United States operated by the Society of Jesus. The school intends to be "an international center for the culturally contextualized study of theology and ministry," and admits students from all over the world.
The Jesuit School is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, the American Association of Theological Schools, and by the Vatican Congregation of Catholic Education as an Ecclesiastical Faculty of Theology.
The original college buildings were heavily damaged by the Loma Prieta earthquake
Loma Prieta earthquake
The Loma Prieta earthquake, also known as the Quake of '89 and the World Series Earthquake, was a major earthquake that struck the San Francisco Bay Area of California on October 17, 1989, at 5:04 p.m. local time...
on October 17, 1989. That same year, the Jesuits sold the property for $12 million to Hong Kong Metro Realty, based in Madison, Wisconsin
Madison, Wisconsin
Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....
, and run by Dr. Jun Lee, nephew of Hong Kong casino billionaire Stanley Ho
Stanley Ho
Stanley Ho, GBM, GLM, GBS, GML, OBE , also known as Ho Hung Sun, Stanley Ho Hung Sun, is an entrepreneur in Hong Kong and Macau. Ho is sometimes nicknamed "The King of Gambling", reflecting the government-granted monopoly he held of the Macau gambling industry for 40 years...
. Lee sold the land to Arlie Land and Cattle of Cottage Grove, Oregon
Cottage Grove, Oregon
Cottage Grove is a city in Lane County, Oregon, United States. It received its name from its first postmaster, G. C. Pierce, in September 1861. Pierce's home at the time was in an oak grove. The population was 9,686 at the 2010 census.-History:...
in December 1997 for more than $17 million.
The triangular-shaped lower parcel lies between Highway 17 and Bear Creek Road. The irregularly-shaped upper parcels lie on both sides of Bear Creek Road and surround the Presentation Center, a conference and retreat facility run by the Sisters of Presentation. The western portions of the upper parcels are crossed by a network of trails and roads built by the Jesuits, while the southern parcel is the steepest and most heavily wooded part of the land and can't be easily accessed. The two upper parcels stretch nearly to the Santa Cruz County
Santa Cruz County, California
Santa Cruz County is a county located on the Pacific coast of the U.S. state of California, on the California Central Coast. The county forms the northern coast of the Monterey Bay. . As of the 2010 U.S. Census, its population was 262,382. The county seat is Santa Cruz...
line.
In 1999, the Mid-peninsula Regional Open Space District signed a contract to acquire the former college site, set on 1071 acres (4.3 km²) of wooded hillsides. The complex agreement, which the Board of Directors approved 7-0 at a March 10 meeting, was the costliest in the district's history and the first open space agreement that included potential development. Officials said it was the district's last chance to get the land, which it had been considering since 1975.
Under the deal, Mid-peninsula agreed to pay $10.5 million for an option on the upper 811 acres (3.3 km²), but the remaining 260 acres (1.1 km²), on the lower property along Highway 17, was considered for possible development of a golf course and up to 50 luxury homes by Arlie Land and Cattle.
Although the property was heavily logged in the late nineteenth century, the district said it is one of the largest and finest second-growth redwood forests remaining in the county. Some redwoods on the property are believed to be 800 to 900 years old.