The Sunnyvale Sun

Letters & Opinions

Many area roads, places named for Capt. Elisha Stephens

By MaryLou Lyon

Capt. Elisha Stephens was of medium height, active, quick, wiry and untiring. He had a distinctive "eagle beak" nose. He never wore a coat, but favored a gray-blue shirt with a large hunting knife in a sheath attached to a wide belt. A large black hat and a kerchief completed his costume. He was photographed only once in his lifetime.

At the request of Phoebe E. McClellan Payne, who wanted a picture of him "just as he was," he cut a collection of tree limbs and wild bushes and had his picture taken by a San Jose photographer in his normal clothes, peering through his "forest."

Later in life, he received a United States pension from his soldiering in the Mexican War. In 1848, at the end of the war, he took up a 160-acre homestead on the east side of the Arroyo de San Joseph Copertino, soon known as Stephens' Creek. Stephens planted parts of his acreage in fruit trees, mission grapes and blackberries, hence the name Blackberry Farm, which he gave to his land. Early county maps show the spelling correctly, although today it is shown as Stevens Creek.

A friend and neighbor was Frank Grant. Stephens gave Grant the wagon in which he had crossed the Sierra--two years before the infamous Donner party--but it was allowed to rot away to rusty iron bits. Grant Road in nearby Los Altos was named after him (and spelled correctly!). Grant often told of being invited to dine with the captain but he always politely refused, knowing what the main course would be. Stephens was skilled at catching rattlesnakes, which were thick on his ranch.

The captain replied with, "You don't know what's good! Ever eat frogs? Rattlesnakes beat frogs all to pieces! Just cut off the snakes' heads, hang 'em on the clothesline and let all the oil run out. I save the oil for my rheumatism. Then you cut the skinned snakes in little chunks, roll the pieces in eggs and bread crumbs and fry them. Beats frogs all to pieces. You don't know what's good, Grant. Stay anyway, Grant; I always got beans on the stove!"

In 1859, Stephens bought 155.57 acres from Jeremiah Clarke of San Francisco. The small portion of the Rancho San Antonio expanded his holdings on "Stevens Creek" to 315.57 acres. In July 1864, he sold his original 160 acres to George W. Mc Cauley. In December 1864, the remaining 155.57 acres were sold to W.T. McClellan.

A handwritten deed of the 155.57 acres in the Santa Clara County Hall of Records covered all of the land from the Old Stevens Creek Road to McClellan Road and from the middle of Stevens Creek to Foothill Boulevard.

The plaques recently erected on Old Highway 40 at the Great China Wall and at Blackberry Farm Golf Course in Cupertino are recent evidence of the importance of Capt. Elisha Stephens to the great westward movement to California that began before the Gold Rush of 1849, bringing so many early pioneers who figured prominently in the course of history of our region and of the state of California.

MaryLou Lyon, 79, taught history and English for 31 years at Homestead High School.