Los Gatos Weekly-Times

Orchards, vineyards bloom at Forbes Mill

By Kristin Kusumoto

The reasons why the Santa Clara Valley was once called "The Eden of the World" are evident in the "Orchards and Vineyards of Yesteryear" exhibit at Forbes Mill Museum, which runs through September. It's a first for the museum, says curator Mary Foster, who was inspired by her own memory of the valley.

"I wanted people to see what it looked like because I will never forget what it looked like when I first came to this area in the 1940s. It was an ocean of pink and white blossoms and patches of yellow mustard flowers," she recalls.

Foster re-created that vision by recruiting volunteer artists to paint a mural based on photographs and pictures from history books that she shared with them. The mural, the starting point of the exhibit, is a panoramic view of blooming orchards and dormant vineyards.

It is a social documentary as well, in which a family cuts apricots to be dried and a worker dips prunes in lye water. Historic details, such as an old steam engine and the Novitiate Winery in the hills, are also included. Artists Steve Durston, Carol Huboi and Los Gatos muralist John Pugh created the mural with acrylic paint.

"It's an enjoyable history lesson and a chance to bask in the past," Pugh says.

Enhancing the mural is an adjacent kitchen exhibit with items from the Al Smith Ranch, which was located on Winchester Boulevard near where Highway 85 now runs. Smith was the mayor of Los Gatos in 1977-78.

There is a Hoover table, which has a drawer to store flour and sugar, as well as jars of peaches, apricots and pears on its tabletop. Next to that is an Occidental wood stove with a kettle and a crate of firewood at its side. Dried fruits are arranged in another display.

Other displays showcase vineyards, such as Mirassou and Lone Hill. There are also actual bottles of Pinot St. George and table wine.

A clipped newspaper article about David Millington Harwood, the "Man of Mystery" who planted a vineyard in the late 1850s, provides some historical insight, as does the document that chronicles the Mirassou and Pellier families, the founders of Mirassou Vineyards.

Another display, devoted to the Novitiate Winery in the Los Gatos hills, has bottles of Black Rose champagne and Black Muscat, along with a cherry pitter, a scale and a bottle corker.

While "Orchards and Vineyards of Yesteryear" may evoke nostalgia for the valley's beauty, there are also some reminders of the labor it took to produce that beauty.

An assortment of tools from the Joe Cono Ranch are displayed together, including a lantern, a bellows sulphur-sprayer and a lead melting ladle. There are also larger pieces of equipment arranged on the floor between the displays, such as sulphur sprayers and a large saw.

About 50 black-and-white photographs adorn the walls; some images include packaged peaches, wine-tasting rooms, horsepower in the field and aerial views.

Foster says she is now preparing for the museum's next exhibit, titled "The Women of Los Gatos." Forbes Mill Museum, located at 75 Church Street, is open noon to 4 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday. For more information, call 395-7375.

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