Gilroy Yamato Hot Springs
Encyclopedia
Gilroy Yamato Hot Springs, a California Historical Landmark
and on the list of National Register of Historical Places, is a property near Gilroy, California
famed for its mineral hot spring
s and historic development by early settlers and Japanese
immigrants. The earliest extant Italianate
–Victorian style
structures date from the 1870s, and the earliest bathhouse
dates from 1890. Other early structures are a Buddhist shrine
from 1939 and a Japanese garden
teahouse from that same year. The property is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places
. The hot spring's temperature ranges from 99° to 111°F (37° to 44°C). These springs are the site of occurrence of certain extremophile
micro-organisms, that are capable of surviving in extremely hot environments.
approximately ten miles northeast of Gilroy. The locale is associated with the discoveries of Francisco Cantua, while the core landholding of 160 acre (0.6474976 km²) was purchased in 1866 by early settler
s George W. Roop and William F. Olden. Roop could accommodate up to 200 guests per day, and the resort Roop developed achieved rapid fame. In those early times the resort was praised as "the finest springs in the state" (Coffin, 1873). A three-story wood frame hotel from 1874 and a single-story wood frame clubhouse also dating from the 1870s existed. In the last decade of the 19th century, further development took place: The 1890 bathhouse noted above, several 1890s board and batten guest cabins and a wooden kiosk
above one of the hot springs. Notable guests to this historic destination hotel
in the Victorian period included San Francisco Mayor James Phelan
, gold mining magnate Adolph Sutro
, Claus Spreckels
and singer Margaret Alverson Blake.
a redwood water tank was built in 1913 and the first concrete pool for mineral water was installed at this site in 1917. In the early 1920s William and Emily McDonald purchased the property from Roop. More guest cabins were added, bringing the total to 24. The guest cabin Arizona was erected in 1924, but unfortunately it was consumed by fire in 1992. A number of the original guest cabins from the 1920s are still extant, each named after a different state. The cabin names are clearly affixed to the front of each structure for easy identification.
Social activity at Gilroy Hot Springs was intense in this period. Bootleg
liquor and slot machines drew large crowds for birthday parties, Thursday night poker
games, swimming parties, Saturday night dances and local service club socials. Over 500 registrants per day would visit the resort in the peak summer season. The San Francisco Motorcycle Club
had an especially notable outing here in 1920 (Gilroy Advocate, 1920).
Automobile use was rising dramatically in this era, so that a frenzy of tree cutting occurred in the early 1920s all along Gilroy Hot Springs Road to accommodate the burgeoning auto arrivals. Yet at the end of the decade, the Great Depression
caused resort activity to dwindle. Accelerants to the decline were the death of William McDonald and foreclosure by Roop. By 1934 the Gilroy Hot Springs Post Office was closed, and in 1935 the Southern Pacific Railroad
ended its auto stage service to the resort.
, of the Imperial Palace
, who was involved in the Japanese exhibit at the 1939 Golden Gate Exposition at Treasure Island
in San Francisco. Gilroy Hot Springs was a microcosm of the successful struggle of Japanese American
s to attain full ownership in the American Dream
. Unlike other cultures of immigrants who, encountering discrimination, withdrew into enclaves, Japanese settlers fought within the system to obtain a stake. Gilroy Hot Springs became a powerful symbol to Americans of Japanese ancestry
, especially because the hot springs recalled similar physiographic features of their native land (Seido, 1941).
, Sakata and the considerable Japanese American population of Santa Clara County were imprisoned in Internment
Camps. Caucasian
business partners of Sakata carried on the resort operations during the war at a lessened state of grandeur. After release from the Internment Camp, Sakata returned to be an owner and manager of the resort. He demonstrated great nobility of spirit by inviting his fellow Japanese Americans to join him "in the blessing nature created in Hot Springs in our search for the power of healing". Gilroy Hot Springs was an iconic symbol of the courage and grace of Japanese Americans, who sought to restore and recreate within a national pride of the USA, rather to give up and blame. The Post War era
was a time of rebirth and regeneration in terms of spirit as well as physical facilities. It was also a wonderful gathering place where Americans of Japanese ancestry intermingled and relaxed with their Caucasian
counterparts.
s in new code requirements for cabin heating system
s. Thus, he sold the property to Philip S. Grimes, a landscape architect
from Portola Valley. The hotel and clubhouse burned down in 1980. The property was operated as a private resort until 1988, when it was purchased by Fukuyama International, Inc., headquartered in Osaka
, Japan. Fukuyama then launched plans for rehabilitation of the property as a Japanese American cultural and recreation center and secured its standing as a California Historical Landmark
.
In 2003, the property was purchased by the California Department of Parks and Recreation
and added to the Henry W. Coe State Park
. Although it is currently closed to the public until a management plan is implemented, many of the structures have fallen victim to vandalism and the ravages of time and weather.
California Historical Landmark
California Historical Landmarks are buildings, structures, sites, or places in the state of California that have been determined to have statewide historical significance by meeting at least one of the criteria listed below:...
and on the list of National Register of Historical Places, is a property near Gilroy, California
Gilroy, California
Gilroy is the southernmost city in Santa Clara County, California, United States. The population was 48,821 at the 2010 census. Gilroy is well-known for its garlic crop and for the annual Gilroy Garlic Festival, featuring various garlicky foods, including garlic ice cream. Gilroy also produces...
famed for its mineral hot spring
Hot spring
A hot spring is a spring that is produced by the emergence of geothermally heated groundwater from the Earth's crust. There are geothermal hot springs in many locations all over the crust of the earth.-Definitions:...
s and historic development by early settlers and Japanese
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
immigrants. The earliest extant Italianate
Italianate architecture
The Italianate style of architecture was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. In the Italianate style, the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century Italian Renaissance architecture, which had served as inspiration for both Palladianism and...
–Victorian style
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
structures date from the 1870s, and the earliest bathhouse
Public bathing
Public baths originated from a communal need for cleanliness. The term public may confuse some people, as some types of public baths are restricted depending on membership, gender, religious affiliation, or other reasons. As societies have changed, public baths have been replaced as private bathing...
dates from 1890. Other early structures are a Buddhist shrine
Shrine
A shrine is a holy or sacred place, which is dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, daemon or similar figure of awe and respect, at which they are venerated or worshipped. Shrines often contain idols, relics, or other such objects associated with the figure being venerated....
from 1939 and a Japanese garden
Japanese garden
, that is, gardens in traditional Japanese style, can be found at private homes, in neighborhood or city parks, and at historical landmarks such as Buddhist temples, Shinto shrines and old castles....
teahouse from that same year. The property is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
. The hot spring's temperature ranges from 99° to 111°F (37° to 44°C). These springs are the site of occurrence of certain extremophile
Extremophile
An extremophile is an organism that thrives in physically or geochemically extreme conditions that are detrimental to most life on Earth. In contrast, organisms that live in more moderate environments may be termed mesophiles or neutrophiles...
micro-organisms, that are capable of surviving in extremely hot environments.
Setting and early history
The site is benched (?) in a mixed oak forest sloping above Coyote CreekCoyote Creek
Coyote Creek is a river that flows through the Santa Clara Valley in California, United States.-History:Coyote Creek was originally named Arroyo del Coyote by Padre Pedro Font when the de Anza Expedition reached it on Sunday, March 31, 1776....
approximately ten miles northeast of Gilroy. The locale is associated with the discoveries of Francisco Cantua, while the core landholding of 160 acre (0.6474976 km²) was purchased in 1866 by early settler
Settler
A settler is a person who has migrated to an area and established permanent residence there, often to colonize the area. Settlers are generally people who take up residence on land and cultivate it, as opposed to nomads...
s George W. Roop and William F. Olden. Roop could accommodate up to 200 guests per day, and the resort Roop developed achieved rapid fame. In those early times the resort was praised as "the finest springs in the state" (Coffin, 1873). A three-story wood frame hotel from 1874 and a single-story wood frame clubhouse also dating from the 1870s existed. In the last decade of the 19th century, further development took place: The 1890 bathhouse noted above, several 1890s board and batten guest cabins and a wooden kiosk
Kiosk
Kiosk is a small, separated garden pavilion open on some or all sides. Kiosks were common in Persia, India, Pakistan, and in the Ottoman Empire from the 13th century onward...
above one of the hot springs. Notable guests to this historic destination hotel
Destination hotel
A destination hotel is a hotel whose location and amenities make the hotel itself a destination for tourists, rather than merely a convenient place to stay while traveling through or visiting the area for other reasons. Destination hotels are also called destination lodgings and sometimes...
in the Victorian period included San Francisco Mayor James Phelan
James Phelan
James Phelan may refer to:*James Phelan , American college football coach*James Phelan , American literary critic*James Phelan, Sr. , Confederate States of America politician...
, gold mining magnate Adolph Sutro
Adolph Sutro
Adolph Heinrich Joseph Sutro was the 24th mayor of San Francisco, and second Jewish mayor, serving in that office from 1894 until 1896...
, Claus Spreckels
Claus Spreckels
Claus Spreckels, formally Adolph Claus J. Spreckels , , was a major industrialist in Hawai'i during the kingdom, republican and territorial periods of the islands' history...
and singer Margaret Alverson Blake.
The roaring 1920s
Further development took place in this vibrant period in American history. Immediately before the Roaring twentiesRoaring Twenties
The Roaring Twenties is a phrase used to describe the 1920s, principally in North America, but also in London, Berlin and Paris for a period of sustained economic prosperity. The phrase was meant to emphasize the period's social, artistic, and cultural dynamism...
a redwood water tank was built in 1913 and the first concrete pool for mineral water was installed at this site in 1917. In the early 1920s William and Emily McDonald purchased the property from Roop. More guest cabins were added, bringing the total to 24. The guest cabin Arizona was erected in 1924, but unfortunately it was consumed by fire in 1992. A number of the original guest cabins from the 1920s are still extant, each named after a different state. The cabin names are clearly affixed to the front of each structure for easy identification.
Social activity at Gilroy Hot Springs was intense in this period. Bootleg
Rum-running
Rum-running, also known as bootlegging, is the illegal business of transporting alcoholic beverages where such transportation is forbidden by law...
liquor and slot machines drew large crowds for birthday parties, Thursday night poker
Poker
Poker is a family of card games that share betting rules and usually hand rankings. Poker games differ in how the cards are dealt, how hands may be formed, whether the high or low hand wins the pot in a showdown , limits on bet sizes, and how many rounds of betting are allowed.In most modern poker...
games, swimming parties, Saturday night dances and local service club socials. Over 500 registrants per day would visit the resort in the peak summer season. The San Francisco Motorcycle Club
San Francisco Motorcycle Club
The San Francisco Motorcycle Club was founded in San Francisco, California in 1904. It has been in continuous operation since its inception . This makes it the second oldest motorcycle club in the United States, preceded only by the Yonkers MC of Yonkers, New York, founded in 1903.The SFMC has...
had an especially notable outing here in 1920 (Gilroy Advocate, 1920).
Automobile use was rising dramatically in this era, so that a frenzy of tree cutting occurred in the early 1920s all along Gilroy Hot Springs Road to accommodate the burgeoning auto arrivals. Yet at the end of the decade, the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
caused resort activity to dwindle. Accelerants to the decline were the death of William McDonald and foreclosure by Roop. By 1934 the Gilroy Hot Springs Post Office was closed, and in 1935 the Southern Pacific Railroad
Southern Pacific Railroad
The Southern Pacific Transportation Company , earlier Southern Pacific Railroad and Southern Pacific Company, and usually simply called the Southern Pacific or Espee, was an American railroad....
ended its auto stage service to the resort.
Beginning of Japanese influence
On September 15, 1938, "Japanese Capitalist Buys Famed Gilroy Hot Springs Resort" read the headline in the Gilroy Advocate. Kyuzaburo Sakata, a successful local Japanese lettuce grower in Watsonville, announced he would build a Japanese garden to be designed by Nagao SakuraiNagao Sakurai
- Notable designs :*Tea Garden, City of San Mateo.*Nishinomiya Japanese Garden, in the Manito Park and Botanical Gardens, Spokane, Washington, 1967*Zen Garden and area in front of Tea House, both within the Japanese Tea Garden of Golden Gate Park, in San Francisco...
, of the Imperial Palace
Kokyo
is the main residence of the Emperor of Japan. It is a large park-like area located in the Chiyoda area of Tokyo close to Tokyo Station and contains several buildings including the main palace , the emperor left Kyoto Imperial Palace for Tokyo...
, who was involved in the Japanese exhibit at the 1939 Golden Gate Exposition at Treasure Island
Treasure Island
Treasure Island is an adventure novel by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson, narrating a tale of "pirates and buried gold". First published as a book on May 23, 1883, it was originally serialized in the children's magazine Young Folks between 1881–82 under the title Treasure Island; or, the...
in San Francisco. Gilroy Hot Springs was a microcosm of the successful struggle of Japanese American
Japanese American
are American people of Japanese heritage. Japanese Americans have historically been among the three largest Asian American communities, but in recent decades have become the sixth largest group at roughly 1,204,205, including those of mixed-race or mixed-ethnicity...
s to attain full ownership in the American Dream
American Dream
The American Dream is a national ethos of the United States in which freedom includes a promise of the possibility of prosperity and success. In the definition of the American Dream by James Truslow Adams in 1931, "life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each...
. Unlike other cultures of immigrants who, encountering discrimination, withdrew into enclaves, Japanese settlers fought within the system to obtain a stake. Gilroy Hot Springs became a powerful symbol to Americans of Japanese ancestry
Japanese American
are American people of Japanese heritage. Japanese Americans have historically been among the three largest Asian American communities, but in recent decades have become the sixth largest group at roughly 1,204,205, including those of mixed-race or mixed-ethnicity...
, especially because the hot springs recalled similar physiographic features of their native land (Seido, 1941).
World War II and aftermath
After the bombing of Pearl HarborPearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
, Sakata and the considerable Japanese American population of Santa Clara County were imprisoned in Internment
Internment
Internment is the imprisonment or confinement of people, commonly in large groups, without trial. The Oxford English Dictionary gives the meaning as: "The action of 'interning'; confinement within the limits of a country or place." Most modern usage is about individuals, and there is a distinction...
Camps. Caucasian
Caucasian race
The term Caucasian race has been used to denote the general physical type of some or all of the populations of Europe, North Africa, the Horn of Africa, Western Asia , Central Asia and South Asia...
business partners of Sakata carried on the resort operations during the war at a lessened state of grandeur. After release from the Internment Camp, Sakata returned to be an owner and manager of the resort. He demonstrated great nobility of spirit by inviting his fellow Japanese Americans to join him "in the blessing nature created in Hot Springs in our search for the power of healing". Gilroy Hot Springs was an iconic symbol of the courage and grace of Japanese Americans, who sought to restore and recreate within a national pride of the USA, rather to give up and blame. The Post War era
Post-war
A post-war period or postwar period is the interval immediately following the ending of a war and enduring as long as war does not resume. A post-war period can become an interwar period or interbellum when a war between the same parties resumes at a later date...
was a time of rebirth and regeneration in terms of spirit as well as physical facilities. It was also a wonderful gathering place where Americans of Japanese ancestry intermingled and relaxed with their Caucasian
Caucasian race
The term Caucasian race has been used to denote the general physical type of some or all of the populations of Europe, North Africa, the Horn of Africa, Western Asia , Central Asia and South Asia...
counterparts.
Modern era
The sleeping annex was demolished in 1946, and in 1964 Sakata could not afford to meet the bureaucratic demands of county building inspectorBuilding inspector
A building inspection is performed by a person who is employed by either a city, township or county and is usually certified in one or more disciplines, either as a residential or commercial building inspector, a plumbing, electrical or mechanical inspector or other specialty to inspect structures...
s in new code requirements for cabin heating system
Heating system
A heating system is a mechanism for maintaining temperatures at an acceptable level; by using thermal energy within a home, office, or other dwelling. Often part of an HVAC system. A heating system may be centralized or distributed.-See also:...
s. Thus, he sold the property to Philip S. Grimes, a landscape architect
Landscape architect
A landscape architect is a person involved in the planning, design and sometimes direction of a landscape, garden, or distinct space. The professional practice is known as landscape architecture....
from Portola Valley. The hotel and clubhouse burned down in 1980. The property was operated as a private resort until 1988, when it was purchased by Fukuyama International, Inc., headquartered in Osaka
Osaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
, Japan. Fukuyama then launched plans for rehabilitation of the property as a Japanese American cultural and recreation center and secured its standing as a California Historical Landmark
California Historical Landmark
California Historical Landmarks are buildings, structures, sites, or places in the state of California that have been determined to have statewide historical significance by meeting at least one of the criteria listed below:...
.
In 2003, the property was purchased by the California Department of Parks and Recreation
California Department of Parks and Recreation
The California Department of Parks and Recreation, also known as California State Parks, manages the California state parks system. The system administers 278 parks and 1.4 million acres , with over of coastline; of lake and river frontage; nearly 15,000 campsites; and of hiking, biking, and...
and added to the Henry W. Coe State Park
Henry W. Coe State Park
Henry W. Coe State Park is a California state park located in Santa Clara and Stanislaus counties. It contains over 86,000 acres , making it the largest state park in northern California, and the second-largest in the state...
. Although it is currently closed to the public until a management plan is implemented, many of the structures have fallen victim to vandalism and the ravages of time and weather.