Saratoga Stereopticon

In Saratoga, Memorial Day means 'tradition'

By Willys Peck

'Tradition" is one of those words that lends itself to different situations. For instance, there's "tradition" as celebrated in song by Tevya in the musical Fiddler on the Roof, where each member of the family knows what's expected of him or her. As a corollary there's tradition as with customs handed down from generation to generation, such as the annual Memorial Day observance sponsored by the Saratoga Foothill Club.

As traditions go, this is one that has served as a cohesive force in a community of changing residential interests and tastes. Saratoga lost its hallmark Blossom Festival almost 60 years ago, but the traditional Memorial Day observance has lasted well over 70 years. Not only the ceremony itself but its components partake of the town's rich history.

There's the Memorial Arch, where proceedings will begin at 9:30 a.m. on May 29. As has been previously described in this space, the arch was dedicated as a memorial to World War I veterans, six from Saratoga having lost their lives in that conflict. Designed by famed landscape architect Bruce Porter, the arch was the first such World War I memorial in Santa Clara County and was dedicated on Admission Day, 1919, in a plot that was to become known as Blaney Plaza, after Charles D. Blaney, who was instrumental in acquiring the property to develop as an attractive entrance to the Village.

Forty-six years later, the arch appeared doomed when the state realigned Saratoga-Los Gatos Road at its juncture with Saratoga-Sunnyvale Road. I recall appearing before the City Council, on behalf of the Saratoga Historical Foundation, to urge that the city have the arch moved rather than simply destroyed.

"How much do you expect the city to pay for that?" asked then-Mayor Ken Hartman.

"At least as much as it would cost to have it destroyed," I answered.

The upshot was that the city paid $3,750 to Kelly Bros. Cranes & Rigging Inc. of San Jose to have the arch moved to its present location. Much more recently, the arch was painted a light yellow to match the adjoining wall in a well-intentioned civic effort. Fortunately, it has since been repainted to its present white, as befits a memorial structure.

Madronia Cemetery, where the Memorial Day rites will continue on the 29th at 10 a.m., has as rich a history as any burial ground in the state. The story was set out by the late Charles N. Cunningham in a document prepared for the Historical Foundation in 1961.

Saratoga was known as McCartysville when the first burial occurred, in 1854, probably that of a young boy who drowned in what was then Arroyo Quito, now Saratoga Creek. Martin McCarty, who gave his name to the town he laid out, figured the gravesite was on government land and hence up for grabs, as was the land on which he had filed his claim.

The whole scenario was upset when the grantees of the original Quito Grant proved that their boundaries covered a far wider area than originally thought. The cemetery situation was settled when Don Jose Ramon Arguello, chief owner of the Quito Grant, dedicated slightly over two acres to be used as a cemetery by the incipient town, where lawsuits would continue and some settlers wound up paying for their land twice.

It wasn't until 1863 that an organization, the Madronia Cemetery Association, was formed to administer the cemetery, where proper maintenance was an ongoing challenge. The name Madronia was chosen to replicate the Spanish word for madrone, without the necessity of a tilde mark over the "n."

For 64 years the association continued what Cunningham described as a hand-to-mouth existence, what with almost total dependence on volunteer labor and cash gifts to maintain the grounds.

Then, in 1927, state legislation enabled the formation of tax-supported cemetery districts, and this was done in Saratoga, with the boundaries being the same as the school district. In recent years, the boundaries were enlarged to include the city of Monte Sereno and the intervening unincorporated territory.

When you're there for the Memorial Day service, look about you at history inscribed in stone.

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