January 27, 2005

Hidden jewels abound at Santa Teresa County Park

Rural venue offers nature, history and a tall tale or two

By Jeanne Carbone Lewis
Staff Writer

A hidden jewel is situated in San Jose that few residents are acquainted with. Santa Teresa County Park offers panoramic views, abundant recreation facilities, a chronicle of 6,000 years of history, plus a tall tale or two.

Friends of Santa Teresa Park president (and docent) Mike Boulland spins a tall tale of the park’s colorful past for Glider Elementary School students on a field trip. Photograph by Jeanne C. Lewis

Fall and winter is the perfect time to discover a quiet interlude with nature on 14 miles of trails available for equestrian, hiking or bicycle use nestled within the park’s 1,688 acres.

A passion for the Valley of Heart’s Delight will be quenched with a visit to the Bernal-Gulnac-Joice ranch house and barns complete with turn of the century artifacts and antiques. There, life on a working farm over 100 years ago is brought to life by park interpreters and docents, not to mention legends of bull and bear fights or the spirit of the black robed woman.

If your desire is for a more civilized approach to the natural wonderland, the Santa Teresa Golf Club, an 18-hole championship course on Bernal Road includes modern conveniences of electric carts and restaurant. There’s the Pueblo Day Use area with parking for 170 vehicles and an equestrian staging area. Nearby, a picnic area accommodating 100 people includes barbecue pits for sizzling burgers and hot dogs. Black Mountain Bowmen Archery Club is open for public use. There’s even a three-mile cross-country course.

The beauty of the park is worth a hike from the elevations of 210 feet above sea level at the golf course to 1,155 feet on Coyote Peak. Undisturbed ecological areas overwhelm the eye to California’s rich mixed oak woodlands of coast live oaks, valley oaks, mugwort and miner’s lettuce. Wild oat, ryegrass, foxtail and many wildflower species adorn the hillsides.

Rainfall turns the golden hills a lush green this time of year with white, pink, yellow and purple specks sprinkling the landscape. A waterfall on the Laurel Springs Trail surprises curious hikers. Coyote, bobcats, skunk, black tailed deer, rattle and garter snakes reside at the park while golden eagles and bluebirds nest and patrol the landscape.
Another time and place

A tour of the park’s historic district is well worth a visit. The Bernal-Gulnac-Joice Ranch, dedicated in 2002, is steeped in history and legend. In 1826, Jose Joaquin Bernal founded and christened the site Rancho de Santa Teresa, after the legend of a mysterious woman dressed in black robes who miraculously cured Indians at the spring. The fable dictates that her image may be seen at the base of the spring.

But the saga of the area began long before bull and grizzly fights and Mexicans fandango dances were popular occurrences.

The Muwekma Ohlone Indians inhabited the area more than 6,000 years prior to the arrival of Europeans. A large village was located near Santa Teresa Springs for more than 3,000 years. The Native Americans survived on plentiful game and fish, living a rich culture with a complex social structure.

In 1776, 13-year-old Bernal arrived in California with his family as part of the Juan Baptista De Anza expedition. Growing up near the San Francisco Presidio, he became a soldier. By 1805, he moved to the Pueblo de San Jose and in 1819 retired from the army. In 1826 he settled his family of 11 children near Santa Teresa Springs.

In 1822, the Spanish rule of Mexico ended and large land grants in California were arranged by the Mexican government. In 1834, Bernal petitioned Governor Figueroa for 9,647 acres where he had established a rancho in 1826 (from Santa Teresa Hills to Coyote Creek), including a vineyard, orchard, fields and 2,100 head of cattle with an arena for bear and bull fights.

Five thousand head of cattle were tallowed for their hide each season, leaving a blood soaked killing field that created rich soil for bountiful orchards. In 1837, Bernal died, leaving 78 dependants and an estate to be divided equally among his 10 children and his wife, Maria Sanchez Bernal.

Daughter Dolores Bernal married Don Antonio Sunol, the alcaldae (mayor) of San Jose. The couple took care of the aging mother and continued to operate the ranch. Sunol sold cattle, timber and Indian labor to John Sutter, which helped build Sutter’s Fort and the California Gold Rush. Sunol never collected a dime for the endeavor, as Sutter lost all his money on bad investments and drinking.

In 1844, a battle against Mexico’s Governor Manuel Micheltorena took place in Coyote Valley and the important Peace Treaty of Santa Teresa was signed at Rancho Santa Teresa. This was the first major agreement signed with early Californios that created the colony of California. After the Bear Flag Revolt in 1846, California entered the United States; rendering Mexican and Spanish land grants invalid until certified by a U.S. court.

In 1850, Agostin Bernal, son of Jose Joaquin, petitioned for the Rancho Santa Teresa grant and secured confirmation by the U.S. District Court, but for only 4,460 acres, as the other land was sold for legal fees. It was one of the largest land grants to survive the Mexican era. By the 1870s, the land had been whittled to 400 acres belonging to another son, Bruno Bernal. In 1855, Bruno moved to Monterey, leaving the ranch to his sons Ygnacio, Francisco and Antonio.

Ygnacio, born at the Rancho in 1841, was educated at Santa Clara College and returned to the ranch in 1856 to manage it with Francisco, who had sold most of the original farm. Ygnacio lived at the ranch, converting the land into profitable orchards and acquiring a number of parcels back, including the Bear Tree lot and the original Bernal home site.

His brother Antonio’s zeal for the Wild West led him to institute the bear and bull fights. Grizzlies were captured from the hills above the ranch, tied to trees (the oaks still stand) and a procession of bulls would enter the ring fighting to the death, the grizzly succumbing after the fourth or fifth contest. Revelry of rodeos, barbecues and fandango dancing would ensue.

When California acquired the land grants, the animal fights ceased. An estimated 500 to 700 grizzlies met their untimely end at the ranch. A monument indicates the area where the gruesome spectacle took place.

Ygnacio died in 1906, leaving the property to his widow, Jesusuita and their children. Son Pedro initiated many businesses, including Santa Teresa Springs Water Company, Bernal Quicksilver Mine and Bernal Marl Fertilizer Company. Pedro built his own home, which still stands adjacent to San Ignacio Avenue. He died in 1935 with no heirs.

Bernal-Gulnac-Joice Ranch
Carlos Maria Gulnac married Ygnacio’s sister, Rufina, and in 1858 built a farm house within the rancho that stands today, known as Bernal-Gulnac-Joice Ranch. Their daughter, Susan Gulnac, married Irishman Patrick Joice, a coachman for Congressman Hayes (who built the Hayes Mansion in Edenvale on land purchased from the Bernals).

The historic Bernal-Gulnac-Joice Ranch is a hidden gem on Santa Teresa County Park’s 1,600 acres. Photograph by Jeanne C. Lewis

After the deaths of Pedro and his sister Jacoba Fisher in the 1930s, the Joices ran the land as a cattle ranch. After the demise of James Carlos Joice, Patrick and Susan’s son, the farm was gradually sold and in 1968, most of the remainder purchased to build the Century Oaks Subdivision. In 1980, the Joice family sold the remaining property to IBM.

“Taking a self-guided tour of the Bernal-Gulnac-Joice Ranch here at Santa Teresa Park brings visitors back in time to the realities of living and working in the Santa Clara Valley over 100 years ago,” Santa Clara County Parks and Recreation Department [SCCPRD] Director Lisa Killough said.

“The restored ranch truly presents an idea of what life was like, highlighting the Bernal family’s history and lifestyles as agriculture evolved in the area,” Killough continued. “Teachers will find a visit here to be an excellent and informative experience for their students.”

Tall tales and legends
Through the years, many legends have been passed down of the area. The black robed woman led the Ohlone Indians to the Santa Teresa Spring to cure the tribe of a mysterious illness. A tenant of the Bernal family, Dottie, was allegedly swimming in Santa Teresa Springs when a giant hand pulled her underwater and she drowned. Many still call the spring Dottie’s Pond.

Nearby is an ancient Indian burial ground where skeletons have been discovered. Neighbors have reported strange happenings and ghostly sightings. Night janitors at the nearby Bernal Intermediate School also reported seeing apparitions.

Below the Santa Teresa Springs is an old concrete trough that French saddle maker, Changara, used as a vat to tan hides. Legend dictates he buried 10,000 gold and silver earnings nearby and was killed by bandits before revealing the location of the cache. In 1924, the city of San Jose launched a buried treasure hunt, but Changara’s bullion was never found.

Recently, the Bernal-Gulnac-Joice Ranch received the “Most Haunted” award from Ghost Trackers, a Bay Area-based group that investigates paranormal events. Ghost Trackers documented wood snapping sounds, whisperings, shuffling of cards, footsteps and flashes of light during their night investigation.

Santa Teresa County Park today
The park as it exists today was part of the San Jose Pueblo Lands Tract II, including the Santa Teresa Hills between Los Alamitos Creek in Almaden Valley and Rancho Santa Teresa. In 1910, Luigi Fortini and his family purchased the Rosetto ranch and orchard land in Almaden Valley.

Jeanina Fortini and her husband, Daniel Rosetto, retained a portion of the property that remains in the park today and ran a popular recreational facility called Club 14E from the 1940s to the ‘70s. The county acquired the property in 1991.

The first property purchased for the park occurred in 1956 with the acquisition of the 46-acre Fitzgerald Ranch (the golf course). In 1968, the city of San Jose sold off the Pueblo Tract lands. Today’s Rosetto ranch and Pueblo Day Use areas were purchased from the Bernals by the city. A popular private equestrian facility operated by Buck Norred existed on the north side of the park in the 1970s and ‘80s.

Parks and volunteers working together
Besides the diligent work of the SCCPRD under the leadership of Mark Fredericks and Paul Romero, many volunteer groups participated in creating the park as it is today. San Jose Preservation Action Council and Friends of Santa Teresa Park (FOSTP) were instrumental in protecting the property from development.

The fall and winter months are the perfect time to enjoy the natural beauty of Santa Teresa County Park. And a walk through the Bernal-Gulnac-Joice Ranch historic area brings a deep appreciation of life 100 years ago in the Valley of Heart’s Delight. Grandma Bernal would be proud.

Besides Friends support of the park, the volunteer organization cleans up and maintains many of the trails. The Stiles Ranch Trail was built by volunteers from IBM and the community. The county Historic Heritage Commission provided funds for the restoration of the Bernal-Gulnac-Joice Ranch.

“It is so important to keep history alive,” FOSTP President Mike Boulland remarked as he led Glider Elementary School children on a tour of the park where he volunteers as a docent. “The story of the past is here: From the caveman to the Native Americans and the Mexicans who worked the land. The stories and legends have passed through time by the people. It is the story and history of California.”

SCCPRD park interpreter John Dorrance leads the school groups who tour the park weekly, recounting a child’s life 100 years ago. He’s also involved in movie nights, owl and coyote presentations and day hikes throughout the year.

A chicken coop, built as an Eagle Scout project by Neil Steiner, houses several pullets and is dubbed the “Chicken Hilton.” Steiner’s letter-writing campaign was instrumental in saving the park. Next to the historic house, a garden planted by local 4H member, is covered by wire screens protecting them from hungry deer that roam the area.

Recently, Los Gatos Monte Sereno Saratoga Newcomers Alumni Garden Group members Yvonne Mendy, Gill Colloff and Anne Mortimer presented FOSTP President Mike Boulland with a $125 check for the heritage garden to surround the farm house. 4H members will sow native plants and flowers that would have been planted by Grandma Bernal 100 years ago.

The fall and winter months are the perfect time to enjoy the natural beauty of Santa Teresa County Park. And a walk through the Bernal-Gulnac-Joice Ranch historic area brings a deep appreciation of life 100 years ago in the Valley of Heart’s Delight. Grandma Bernal would be proud.

Park hours are 8 a.m. to sunset daily. Bernal-Gulnac-Joice Ranch is open Friday through Sunday. For more information, or to schedule a tour, call (408) 226-5453 or visit www.parkhere.org.