Category Archives: Concept

Redundant Theme – Orchardists

An overwhelming motif of Evergreen is our orchards. You’re going to see a lot of trees in rows portrayed throughout the Evergreen Mural Walk.

My parents would tell tales of moving in across Stevens Lanes from apricot orchards. In creating the artwork for this project, everyone asked why there weren’t more apricots and prunes. This theme is plain as day to those of us who remember fruit stands and vineyards. Our newer residents may not understanding what was here before we moved in.

Our Evergreen entrepreneur and agriculturalist, Luis Pellier, hatched a plan in 1847 while gold panning to bring the seeds, plants and clippings from his native France and forever change the fruit industry of California. The cost of a single apple was $1.50 at the time, which in 1849 dollars was cost prohibitive. Without our guy, there wouldn’t be the awesome economy in San Jose during the 1800’s. He’s really the father of California’s wine and fruit industries. The Pellier family still lives in Evergreen today.

Gunless lawman and California statesman, Charles White, came to America in 1833, but his son was a popular orchardist and businessman. These are Charles E. White’s orchards to the right.

John Tully would own and operate many orchards throughout Evergreen, as would H.L. Stevens. From the 1850’s forward, Evergreen would blossom with orchards.

The East Side Fruit Growers Association opened in 1893 off Tully Road and McLaughlin Road, serving as a trade association for local farmers across Evergreen and East San Jose. They would join a larger sales organization in 1899.

Otis B. Whaley would also make our list of well-known, well-liked orchardists of Evergreen. Also having served on the Evergreen Elementary School Board of Trustees for 27 years, he would cultivate his orchards in Evergreen from 1911 until he passed in 1947. The third school opened in the Evergreen School District would be named in his honor in 1963.

When railroads off Monterey Road became popularized in shipping fruit back east, the fruit industry would shift focus downtown towards the rails. The East Side association, like others in the Santa Clara Valley, would be acquired by the Santa Clara County Fruit Exchange, a dried fruit co-op opened in 1892, once known as the California Prune and Apricot Growers Association. The plant was located across the street from Del Monte’s Canning Plant. California Prune and Apricot would become Sunsweet and can here until 1915. The Fruit Exchange wouldn’t disband until 1916 after the plant burnt down while leased.

Popular companies like Sunsweet, Del Monte, Sun Garden and Valley of Hearts Delight, Richmond-Chase, would ship Evergreen fruit, dried and canned, around the world. Railroads and later Reid-Hillview would play major roles in exporting Evergreen’s produce. Santa Clara County as a whole was known as the Valley of Heart’s Delight, but Evergreen owns the copyright as its owners still live in town. The town and community of Evergreen would identify as an agricultural hotspot well into the 1950’s.

I have a personal relationship with Evergreen orchards picking fruit and pumpkins from the Cortese fruit stand and orchards. My mother and I made a habit of getting cherries there that never made it home, being snacked on between stoplights. Vincent Cortese would immigrate from Sicily in 1917, and work in the orchards. Vincent would eventually marry an Italian-American lady, purchase his own farm in Evergreen and raise his family with an orchardist tradition and one of civil leadership. The orchards in Evergreen would give way to Evergreen Valley College, but John Cortese, also a lawyer, maintains orchards today. This is a tradition that still bears fruit today.

My continued affections for orchards existed in the various fruit trees in my own backyard as a kid. A love of blossoms and blooms enchanted my childhood. Pies and jams of all kinds came out of our Evergreen kitchen. Apple sauce is a tradition. Our backyard gave us peaches in the Spring, Plums in the Summer and Apples all Fall and Winter long. Lemons, and therefore lemonade, are in abundance at my house. To say I’m drawing from experience would be an understatement.

Orchards have always been in my life as a native of Evergreen. Below are pieces that have and haven’t made the cut, but all include our redundant theme of orchards.

Evergreen today

March 9, 2016Concept, Historical Researchdemographics, evergreen, modern, san joseevergreen

As Wikipedia describes it, Evergreen is the neighborhood between the borders of Tully Road to the north, 101 to the West, San Felipe Road to the South and the East foothills to the East. The artwork will revolve around the people, events and places within this area. I’m portraying Evergreen overtime. It begs the question, what is Evergreen today?

Evergreen is home to 126,146 documented residents with 34,151 households. I phrase it that way because we have a lot of long-term visitors indoors and outdoors. Evergreen is half as dense, people per square mile, as the rest of San Jose or San Jose as a whole. We’re evenly split between men and women. The average household size is 3.7 people. Average household income in $135,206. To say Evergreen is diverse would be an understatement. It’s a melting pot brimming with different culture.

Our gorgeous suburb has an average age of 37.4 – 40.2 years of age. I know you think of Silicon Valley types raising their kids in Evergreen, but the Villages Retirement Community tucked back into San Felipe Road tremendously evens out our median age. The Villages is home to hundreds of old Evergreen families and pioneers. It leads me to believe the bulk here is under 10 years old and over 70 years old.

68.5% of workers in Evergreen are White Collar workers, many of those folks working in the healthy tech economy of the Silicon Valley. Almost 50% of residents have college and graduate degrees. 80% of residents in Evergreen have some college experience. Needless to say, education is an important aspect of the Evergreen community.

Evergreen Elementary School District and Eastside Union High School District have 18 public schools, 12 of which have a 9-10 rating as noted by GreatSchools Ratings. I’d say that’s an excellent percentage. All these schools have 5 or above rating. Evergreen Community College hosts classes for more than 11,000 students.

Evergreen was named for its oak trees, lush rolling hills and sparkling waterways that have existed here throughout time. Though summer and autumn months bring a golden quality to our hills, open spaces and rural areas survive here in Evergreen as it was once a farming community.

Though the Evergreen Mural Walk is aimed at instilling pride into the Evergreen neighborhood by drawing upon its roots, it is a brilliant pocket of diversity and growth today that we should be proud of.

Ranching – a redundant theme

March 8, 2016Artwork, Concept, Historical Researchevergreen

Evergreen has a lot of singularities within its timeline but there are also some overlap in the stories here. We know, and it will be discussed later, about the Valley of Heart’s Delight and orchards that once existed throughout Evergreen. Winemaking makes an appearance in Evergreen in several places. The lesser known and spoken about tradition of civil service and leadership will be portrayed throughout the artwork. A past, present and continued theme and motif you’ll find throughout the Evergreen community is cattle herding and ranching. This will be portrayed in the Evergreen Mural Walk artwork.

The first cattle herders in Evergreen, and in California, would have been Spanish colonialists and missionaries settling the area. Cows aren’t at all indigenous to California so the Native Americans would’ve been introduced to them at this time. Pueblo de San Jose was established in 1777 in between San Francisco and Monterey naval bases. Expeditions in the late 1760’s into Northern California would’ve necessitated cattle and enough food for the journey. The trip from Monterey to San Jose would’ve passed through Watsonville, Gilroy, Evergreen and into the Santa Clara Valley. This would begin the continued ranching culture in Evergreen.

This tradition would be carried by Antonio Chaboya and family into the Mexican Period. Antonio would be granted Rancho Yerba Buena in 1833. In fact, the Chaboyas held rodeos for young stable hands and farm hands which would foster a great relationship between boss and employee, as well as develop their skills on the ranch. Though the Chaboyas maintained ownership into Statehood, squatters would eventually lay claim to the land saying that the property was extravagant grazing lands and the Chaboyas didn’t need, or have right, to all of it. These allegations having the rights to the “American Dream” would empty their coffers and the Chaboyas would part with Rancho Yerba Buena and maintain smaller homesteads.

One of the Rancho Yerba Buena squatters, John Aborn, having journeyed to America in 1833, would also host rodeos. It would be a safe presumption that he, too, herded cattle in Evergreen.

The rodeos were more than a test of one’s riding skills and bravery. What these rodeos would become in a spread out, rural town like Evergreen were an annual community celebration. These would bring neighbors miles apart together and foster great relationships. The Pueblo would become Downtown San Jose. Large farms would exist outside of town or in other small towns.

Henry W. Coe would move into Evergreen in the 1850’s, purchasing portions of neighboring Rancho los Hechos, which is the Hall’s Valley/Mt. Hamilton foothills area. Henry Coe’s ranch would eventually extend through the Evergreen hills and into Gilroy. The Coe Family and herd would maintain these hills for several generations. Structures in Henry W. Coe Park, lands donated by Sada Coe Robison, were on the far end of the property. The cattle would graze here into the 1950’s. Hewlett and Packard families would buy acres of this pristine, untouched grazing last and preserve it for future generations.

The Kettmann family would move into 2 neighboring Evergreen ranches in the 1870’s, harvesting orchards and grain for the most part. Generations of Kettmann farmers would also work a small vineyard on the property. The large German family also maintain a healthy swath of grazing lands in Mt. Hamilton foothills for their sheep herd. The Kettmanns still own the property til this day. The fluffy herd would travel through town from the Kettmann Ranch, near Evergreen Library, and into the Mt. Hamilton property for generations of ranchers. This set of Kettmann brands were donated to EVC for its collection.

Evergreen Valley College has collected most of the ranching brands from the area for its Heritage Room, found in a side room at the Library Facilities. The Heritage Room was curated by Evergreen Times contributor Colleen Cortese. Evergreen Pioneer families would donate to the museum room. Ranching would be a constant in the Evergreen Valley and hills. Here, they’ve displayed the unique brands from each ranch.

Ranching is a tradition upheld by many old time Evergreen families, like the Richmond and Swenson Families, who maintain cattle ranches today. Why do you think Barry wears the hat?

People needed beef, and especially back in the day. The result today is naturally groomed and overall untouched grasslands all over Evergreen. The fact that the Silicon Valley doesn’t look more like San Francisco is incredible to me. Thanks to our civil leadership and awesome Evergreen business people, Downtown San Jose remains densely populated and Evergreen gets a little elbow room, despite development. We have the most beautiful climate, the most Recession proof economy, and open space. To be born here is a miracle. Happy cows indeed.

Research and Design

February 24, 2016Artwork, Concept, Project launchevergreen

I thought I may take a moment to talk about how this project came together. All of these pieces connect to a side and time of Evergreen. I’ve had to strip out the creative portions because I had no idea how rich this history was. It doesn’t need any fluff.

Luckily, I’m from Evergreen, so large portions of this is based on experience. I knew approximately what things were there or important. Like most works today, I started with a Google search. This led to lots of reading of books online and combing through photos. Lots of notes on groundbreaking lawsuits in Evergreen. It helps explain the acceleration of newcomers in the 1860’s. Oh boy. That’s a totally different blog for another time.

I read all of Colleen Cortese’s “Evergreen Pathways” articles published in the Evergreen Times. This experience and googling was really the starting place for my artwork. History San Jose also has a large collection of old photos.

This led me to many libraries across the Bay Area. Can I see this document in person? Can I get a better resolution picture? Is there background information to what I’m seeing here?

I have been coordinating with UC Berkley’s Bancroft Library, SJSU’s California Room and Sourisseau Academy’s Archives, Evergreen Valley College’s Heritage Room and other local resources. They have a lot online, but I suggest going in person. There’s nothing like the smell of old maps.

If you’re looking for newspaper clippings or old resident references specifically, head to the California Room and bring quarters. Set an alarm on your phone to the meter. You don’t want that parking ticket. If you’re looking for amazing old photography, head to Sourisseau Academy next door. Evergreen history, head to the Heritage Room curated by Colleen Cortese. The Italian American Heritage Foundation also had an amazing photo array and library. Everyone has been so gracious with my repeated visits. If you were looking for old relatives, I might do a catalog search at the California Room at the Martin Luther King Library. You might find something cool.

So, finding the original documents to work from wasn’t going to be a problem, as long as I had sentiment to connect them to. This helps substantially in setting the tone and color of the artwork itself.

In order to do that, I had to go collect that feeling. That led me to new people. I sat down face to face with a ton of amazing people, some who are represented within the artwork and those who aren’t. This also allowed the artwork to be tide to people and industries that bring a well rounded story together.

I sat down with educators, ranchers, farmers, vintners, orchardists, veterans, businessmen, authors and politicians. Specifically, I sought out Pioneer Evergreen families. We generally discussed growing up Evergreen or in Evergreen. The overwhelming feeling is that the land provided them with food, wine, friendship, inspiration and joy. They brought continued inspiration through the design process. Through contributing photos and stories, it brought further meaning to the artwork. I think it’ll inspire the audience. What inspired me was the warm, salt of the Earth nature everyone has.

But people can only tell you so much about what came before. Descendants of Pioneers and old time residents could tell you about their parents’ and grandparents’ versions of Evergreen, but what about before the Spanish colonized the area? Where do we confirm materials and accuracy for our Ohlone Tamien Muwekma Native Americans? I headed back to the experts at the SJSU Anthropology Department for some inspiration. I might also reach out to Native Muwekma organizations for an interview.

In addition to connecting with the proper resources and people, I found myself taking long drives and snaking through the Evergreen hills. I was forming a connection to the land and roads. It fuels my engine. There’s nothing like watching a sunset in Evergreen go down. This definitely adds to the artwork, even if it’s just added justification for how beautiful Evergreen really is. This kept me going through the creative process, but also adds further experience to some of the untouched hillsides needed throughout the collection.

I am making my last finishing touches to the artwork, but because it comes from decisive places, it’s easy to write about later. The blog will use all the research and interviews to tell the story along with artwork. Evergreen gets to be my Muse and it’s been a wonderful experience getting in touch with where I’m from.

The Evergreen Timeline

November 6, 2015Artwork, Concept, Project launchevergreen

I started by daydreaming about the perfect project. Something that did something for everyone and representing something I felt good about. I had a lot of success and discovered my signature at the Falafel Drive In. Could I do that somewhere publicly?

The Evergreen Mural Walk is designed to narrate the story of Evergreen overtime. I’m lived here for 30 years now. When conceptualizing this project, I needed to be able to see that there was a steady story and a wealth of images to communicate my style. Could I do a doodley, stimulating project with Evergreen as the theme? Hmmm…..

Where do we start?

First, I started picking up images and laying them out. But for my brainstorming, I like to work with paper. Something I can visualize and move before considering how to create continuity between them. Anyone who’s received a letter from me knows the paper counts. So, I rolled out the robin’s paper and got taping.

Then, I got drawing. This is what I came up this. It’s bold and colorful, like our people. It’s got black and white and sepia elements to honor our past. A ton of brilliant points in Evergreen History, but do these time periods belong commingled or am I looking at something that needs to be linear? Also, did any of these things deserve emphasis over the other? I don’t think so.

So, using my physical timeline, I researched more totally into the Evergreen area. Turns out, Evergreen was always changing throughout time. It was exciting to note because suddenly, I was conceptualizing a much larger project. Not one mural, but a series of murals.

All of the artwork can lucky come from within the research. It’s amazing! There’s so much here from the Village and community of Evergreen. There will be no artistic caterwauling or psychedelic influences here. It needs so supplementation or filler. If it does need filling, we’re going to use fruit and canning imagery. The Evergreen community has cradled heroic, amazing stories. I can’t wait to paint them for you. The more I discover about my neighborhood, the more inspired I am.

The overall vision is to communicate the ever-changing facade of Evergreen and to show off its strengths while bringing everyone together. With 40 distinct murals, I can convey every 10 years with a redundant rolling hill theme. Creating a little pride and generating a little tourism is going to help Evergreen sparkle.

The Legacy of Antonio Chaboya

November 4, 2015Artwork, Concept, Historical Researchantonio, cattle, Chaboya, evergreen, evergreen people, family, generations, horses, indians, livestock, mexican, natives, new Spain, Ohlone, pedro, period, ranching, rancho, Rancho Yerba Buena, territoryevergreen

Antonio Chaboya’s name isn’t really well known throughout San Jose but his land holdings certainly are today. Rancho Yerba Buena, parts at least, stayed in the Chaboya family for over a hundred years. From all accounts, they were exemplary citizens predating the European or American immigrants.

Antonio Chaboya, born in Mexico in 1803, obtained one of the first land patents from the Mexican Government, post-Spanish rule. Antonio and family probably came to the Santa Clara Valley with father, Marcos Chaboya, to colonize the area during the late Spanish Period. With Mexican Independence shortly after, the Spanish Missions were decommissioned and their large land tracts were up for grabs. The Missions once were the source of agriculture for the Spanish. Antonio Chaboya enjoyed one of the largest tracts of land afterwards.

Rancho Yerba Buena raised a huge herd of cattle, hundreds horses and various crops. Antonio Chaboya and his family enjoyed a fairly untouched version of Evergreen, not being able to cultivate it all. Rancho Yerba Buena’s rolling hills were populated with grasslands, creek beds, spearmint and oak trees. Yerba Buena translates to spearmint in Spanish. Rancho Yerba Buena was over 25,000 acres, making it a high maintenance property.

Antonio Chaboya was granted the land originally in 1833 by the Mexican Rule, but had to fight to keep it through the 1860’s in the United States. The Chaboyas and their ranch hands even fought and killed bears on their property. The family hosted an annual rodeo at Rancho Yerba Buena for the young horsemen they employ and of the pueblo. The Chaboyas traded a lot of cowhides with Americans and enjoyed a wealthy lifestyle. The property was left to Antonio’s descendants in his passing in 1865.

After the Mexican American War, Antonio Chaboya again was granted Rancho Yerba Buena by the US Government in 1858, one of the first real estate cases heard over “squatters’ rights”.

Antonio’s brother, Pedro Chaboya, served as one of the first lawmen in the area under Mexican Independence. Pedro Chaboya lead the fight when under Spanish rule to defend the ranchos of the Santa Clara Valley from Native Americans and create some peace for the ranchers. He would maintain a much smaller land patent west of Rancho Yerba Buena, near the present day fairgrounds.

We will discuss Evergreen’s land fights, though we didn’t focus much on it within the artwork itself. Rancho Yerba Buena was over 25,000 acres and hard to scout and watch at all times. As cattle grazed throughout Evergreen, it might have been years until someone came upon a new farm or Native camp popping up. The Chaboyas had to part with Rancho Yerba Buena in sections to provide newcomers the opportunity of the American Dream. With this realization, Downtown Evergreen on San Felipe Road and Aborn Road was the first area densely populated with new farmers.

The Chaboya family would maintain homesteads off of Quimby Road in the center of the former Rancho. Chaboyas would have the last names Shobolo, Shabolla, Chabolla and Chaboya, all being pronounced the same way. Chaboya orchards were a source of pride. The family would marry into other prosperous Mexican and American families. They were a well-liked, hard working bunch in Evergreen into the 1940’s. Then, the trail goes cold.

Little trivia: Yerba Buena and Evergreen are trying to communicate the same things about our community and land. Spearmint is super green, and again the forever green inspires the same. If you get a little mint in your yard, watch out. It’s a nuisance and a weed after a while. Spearmint will make itself quite comfortable in your Evergreen flowerbed, as I know from experience.

The Chaboya/Chabolla story is a crucial one in our timeline because it spans our Native American Evergreen to early California Statehood Evergreen into the 20th century. It wasn’t until the late 1800’s that Americans started purchasing large lots of land from Rancho Yerba Buena. We find them so important, we’ve featured them several times in the Mural Walk. Here’s what I’ve designed to honor the Chaboya Legacy.