Chemeketa Park, California
Encyclopedia
Chemeketa Park is an unincorporated community of approximately 150 homes located in Lexington Hills
, in the Santa Cruz Mountains
in Santa Clara County, California
. The postal designation for Chemeketa Park is "Los Gatos
95033", although it lies approximately five miles South of the official boundaries of the incorporated town of Los Gatos. The community is inside area code 408
.
Nearby communities are Redwood Estates
, Aldercroft Heights, and the ghost town
of Holy City
. Chemeketa Park is accessed off of State Route 17, on Old Santa Cruz Highway along the Big Moody Curve.
from Palo Alto
who had acquired a 63 acres (254,952.2 m²) orchard in the Santa Cruz Mountains. An advertisement in the Sunday, June 20, 1926 edition of the San Jose Mercury Herald
lists a
"pre-opening sale" of lots "as low as $50.00."
Initially, lots were used for vacation cabins. The mountain communities of Chemeketa Park and Redwood Estates, etc., were considered too remote, and too difficult to access, for year-round living. Lots were advertised to Bay Area
families as a summer retreat, far from the stress of city living in San Francisco
or San Jose
.
By the mid-1930s, with the improvement of roads and water systems, many residents began occupying their cabins year-round and combining smaller lots into larger parcels.
. Chemeketa was an original name of Salem and still exists as the name of a community college, a library, and various parks and streets in the Salem and Portland
areas.
When J.B. Balcomb and his wife emigrated from the mid-West to California
, they first stopped through eastern Oregon
where they most likely heard the name. The Native American theme is present throughout Chemeketa Park with street names including "Comanche Trail," "Ogalalla Warpath," "Apache Trail," and "Navajo Trail."
Most of the roads within Chemeketa Park are considered private, and are not maintained by the County. The water system is also privately owned by the community and draws from natural sources and creeks within the Santa Cruz Mountains.
The Chemeketa Park Mutual Water Company was incorporated in 1929. Each property owner is a member and shareholder in the water company and may take part in its management. A five-member board is elected from the membership at an annual meeting each Spring. Board members, who are not paid for their service, meet monthly, with meetings open to all members.
The board is responsible for hiring the water master and bookkeeper and maintaining the roads. Each property owner pays a set fee each month for water and roads. Additionally, the water company owns and maintains a clubhouse that is used for meetings and community events. A separate volunteer group organizes the events, such as bluegrass music
concerts and family picnics. Individual members may also arrange to use the clubhouse for private events.
Lexington Hills, California
Lexington Hills is a census-designated place and an unincorporated area in Santa Clara County, California, United States. The population was 2,421 at the 2010 census. The area is located in the Santa Cruz Mountains, about five miles south of Los Gatos and about north of Santa Cruz...
, in the Santa Cruz Mountains
Santa Cruz Mountains
The Santa Cruz Mountains, part of the Pacific Coast Ranges, are a mountain range in central California, United States. They form a ridge along the San Francisco Peninsula, south of San Francisco, separating the Pacific Ocean from San Francisco Bay and the Santa Clara Valley, and continuing south,...
in Santa Clara County, California
Santa Clara County, California
Santa Clara County is a county located at the southern end of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. As of 2010 it had a population of 1,781,642. The county seat is San Jose. The highly urbanized Santa Clara Valley within Santa Clara County is also known as Silicon Valley...
. The postal designation for Chemeketa Park is "Los Gatos
Los Gatos, California
The Town of Los Gatos is an incorporated town in Santa Clara County, California, United States. The population was 29,413 at the 2010 census. It is located in the San Francisco Bay Area at the southwest corner of San Jose in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains...
95033", although it lies approximately five miles South of the official boundaries of the incorporated town of Los Gatos. The community is inside area code 408
Area code 408
North American area code 408 is a telephone area code in California that covers most of Santa Clara County and includes Gilroy, Morgan Hill, Saratoga, Los Gatos, Monte Sereno, Milpitas, Sunnyvale, Santa Clara, Cupertino, and San Jose. It was created in a 1959 split from area code 415 in a flash-cut...
.
Nearby communities are Redwood Estates
Redwood Estates, California
Redwood Estates is a rural community along State Route 17 in the coastal Santa Cruz Mountains of California, USA. The Census Bureau includes it in a census-designated place named Lexington Hills. It lies inside the confines of Santa Clara County...
, Aldercroft Heights, and the ghost town
Ghost town
A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...
of Holy City
Holy City, California
Holy City is an unincorporated community in Santa Clara County, California. With only one permanent resident, it is arguably a ghost town. The town is located in the Santa Cruz Mountains, off State Route 17 on Old Santa Cruz Highway, at . It is part of the Lexington Hills census-designated place...
. Chemeketa Park is accessed off of State Route 17, on Old Santa Cruz Highway along the Big Moody Curve.
Early history
Chemeketa Park was developed in 1925 and 1926 by J.B. Balcomb, a civil engineerCivil engineer
A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering; the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructures while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing infrastructures that have been neglected.Originally, a...
from Palo Alto
Palo Alto, California
Palo Alto is a California charter city located in the northwest corner of Santa Clara County, in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, United States. The city shares its borders with East Palo Alto, Mountain View, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Stanford, Portola Valley, and Menlo Park. It is...
who had acquired a 63 acres (254,952.2 m²) orchard in the Santa Cruz Mountains. An advertisement in the Sunday, June 20, 1926 edition of the San Jose Mercury Herald
San Jose Mercury News
The San Jose Mercury News is a daily newspaper in San Jose, California. On its web site, however, it calls itself Silicon Valley Mercury News. The paper is owned by MediaNews Group...
lists a
"pre-opening sale" of lots "as low as $50.00."
Initially, lots were used for vacation cabins. The mountain communities of Chemeketa Park and Redwood Estates, etc., were considered too remote, and too difficult to access, for year-round living. Lots were advertised to Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
families as a summer retreat, far from the stress of city living in San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
or San Jose
San Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
.
By the mid-1930s, with the improvement of roads and water systems, many residents began occupying their cabins year-round and combining smaller lots into larger parcels.
The Balcomb Family and Chemeketa Park
J.B. Balcomb was killed in an automobile accident in the summer of 1927. His widow and son continued the sale of lots at Chemeketa Park. Balcombs continued to own property in the development until the mid-1960s.Name derivation
Chemeketa is a Kalapuya Indian word with various meanings attributed to it, including "resting place," "meeting place," "old home," or "old camping ground." The Kalapuya lived in the area now known as the Willamette ValleyWillamette Valley
The Willamette Valley is the most populated region in the state of Oregon of the United States. Located in the state's northwest, the region is surrounded by tall mountain ranges to the east, west and south and the valley's floor is broad, flat and fertile because of Ice Age conditions...
. Chemeketa was an original name of Salem and still exists as the name of a community college, a library, and various parks and streets in the Salem and Portland
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
areas.
When J.B. Balcomb and his wife emigrated from the mid-West to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, they first stopped through eastern Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
where they most likely heard the name. The Native American theme is present throughout Chemeketa Park with street names including "Comanche Trail," "Ogalalla Warpath," "Apache Trail," and "Navajo Trail."
Governance
Chemeketa Park lies in the unincorporated area of Santa Clara County. Districts for local elected representatives are:- 1st Supervisorial (County)
- 15th Congressional (US)
- 21st Assembly (CA)
- 15th Senate (CA)
Most of the roads within Chemeketa Park are considered private, and are not maintained by the County. The water system is also privately owned by the community and draws from natural sources and creeks within the Santa Cruz Mountains.
The Chemeketa Park Mutual Water Company was incorporated in 1929. Each property owner is a member and shareholder in the water company and may take part in its management. A five-member board is elected from the membership at an annual meeting each Spring. Board members, who are not paid for their service, meet monthly, with meetings open to all members.
The board is responsible for hiring the water master and bookkeeper and maintaining the roads. Each property owner pays a set fee each month for water and roads. Additionally, the water company owns and maintains a clubhouse that is used for meetings and community events. A separate volunteer group organizes the events, such as bluegrass music
Bluegrass music
Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and a sub-genre of country music. It has mixed roots in Scottish, English, Welsh and Irish traditional music...
concerts and family picnics. Individual members may also arrange to use the clubhouse for private events.