Los Gatos Weekly-Times file photograph

Los Gatos' old orchards parted for the Los Gatos-San Francisco commute train. The local dentist, Painless Parker, was one of its riders.

Picture from the Past

Los Gatos once knew a holy 'father' and painless dentist

By John S. Baggerly

As the world moves into another century, it seems natural that Los Gatans would wonder if Mother Nature will create another set of self-advertisers like "Father" William Edward Riker of Holy City and Painless Parker, the advertising dentist who boarded the Los Gatos-San Francisco commute train at Azule, not far from his home on Saratoga's Prospect Road.

In the heyday of the Los Gatos-San Francisco commute train, local men knew Parker by sight because he boarded the train at Azule with his neighbor Fremont Older, William Randolph Hearst's battling editor who was mentioned in this space several weeks ago. Older lived at the top of Prospect Road. Parker resided on a rise where Prospect Road leaves the valley floor.

Parker started his dental career--mainly extractions--in New York City and then took to the road, setting up shop on streets throughout the country. With his horse-drawn "office," he would pull up at curb-side and use music to attract a crowd. He gave his patients shots of whiskey to somewhat reduce the pain. Skeptics claimed the music was actually to overlay the moans of patients.

The dentist saved the teeth he pulled on his trips and even made some into necklaces. A bucket containing thousands of teeth is part of the Painless Parker display at Temple University's Dental Museum in Philadelphia

When the dental establishment objected to Parker calling himself "Painless," he went to court and had that made his legal name. The establishment made certain Parker's son Ned never became a dentist in California, so he took his examination in Oregon and became a dentist there.

Painless built one-room cottages for workers on his expansive grounds on Prospect Road. The original home of the Older property, before his home was built, was used to house workers and refugees, including White Russians who escaped the Revolution in their country.

Parker died on Nov. 9, 1952, and is buried at Saratoga's Madronia Cemetery along with such illustrious Saratogans as Rev. "Everlasting Sunshine" Sidney Williams, founder of the Saratoga Blossom Festival.

Riker, a self-anointed "Father," founded Holy City on the old two-lane Los Gatos-Santa Cruz Highway at a spot overlooking a valley. Riker built a complete "service town" with a service station, grocery store and, of course, his own home. Tall biblical messages were posted everywhere.

Many motorists made routine stops at Holy City to replace water in their radiators. The climb out of Los Gatos was that tough! For some older cars, today's Highway 17 isn't much better.

Riker acquired the funds to buy the site for Holy City by convincing his followers to sell their homes and give him the money. He obtained one of the first radio broadcasting licenses in the state to spread his word. Mountain residents disliked Riker's station because it overpowered most of the other stations emanating from the Bay Area.

Riker could be spotted in Los Gatos in his sedan and with his white dog. In the local newspaper's office, he would announce that, after a while, the said dog would stand on his hind legs and press his front paws on the horn. He predicted correctly.

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