Oil in the Belwood Area of Los Gatos

Los Gatos is a great place to live, but the early explorers must have been truly thrilled when oil was discovered at Moody Gulch and later in areas that are now part of the Town of Los Gatos. A few weeks ago, this blog covered the topic of the old oil pump that can be seen in a parking lot on Los Gatos Boulevard. My husband, Jim Handy, became intrigued by this topic and once again is providing a guest blog here, this time on the Belwood connection to oil. (Jim's previous contribution was April 22nd, when he posted on Harwood Road being a meridian.)

Oil in Belwood?  Guest post by Jim Handy

A USGS map found in 2000 shows that there was an "old oil well" near the intersection of Harwood and Belridge*.  This map was drawn about 100 years ago, and there was oil exploration here as early as the 1860s, so there's no telling when it was drilled.  In those days citizens weren't as circumspect about telling the state what they were up to as they are today.

Workshop: A Hidden Treasure
in the Village Lane Area of Los Gatos

Los Gatos is a town of about 30,000 people (around 18,000 registered voters) and about 40 hair salons. Additionally, there are places in Los Gatos for nails and others for a massage.

Truly, Los Gatos is a great place to be pampered. Maybe that is why so many people seem happy as they stroll the downtown!

With no shortage of choices, the difficulty isn't whether or not to go to Los Gatos for that perfect haircut, but only where to go in Los Gatos for that perfect haircut.  The whole gamut exists here in terms of the type of "do" available and the environment in which to get it done.

For the last five or seven years, my stylist has been "J", who runs Work Shop in the Village Lane area of Los Gatos.  J is a down to earth guy who's been doing hair for more than a decade. He's easy to pass the time with, but even more, he does a wonderful job.

Elsa and Shane work alongside J in this offbeat, non-stuffy salon where the decor is anything but standard "California fare". If you are expecting to hear Bocelli and see a Tuscan theme (neither of which do I mind), you'll be surprised. It's more like a Dia de Los Muertos scheme, purple and metallic silver paint, and kidney shaped mirrors at the stations. It's fun, but nevermind the decor. These folks are friendly, skilled, and will make you look your best when you step out the door. The atmosphere is lighthearted, but the attention to detail is not. Finally, you won't feel like you raided your kids' college fund to have your hair done, either.

I can't recommend J or Work Shop highly enough. (And no, this is not a paid endorsement. It's just something I wanted to post since I've been so happy with J's work for so many years.) It's not the kind of place you are likely to just stumble upon - it's a bit off the beaten path in the Village Lane area of Los Gatos.

So the location raises a question: since Village Lane used to be where the old Los Gatos Cemetery existed, is the place haunted?

There are plenty of Village Lane shops that certainly are.

"There are no bodies under this shop", says J with certainty. Asked how he knows - after all, utility workers and others occassionally still bump into coffins when excavating some of the area - J replies that the area under Work Shop has been excavated for a parking garage.

While I love to hear ghost stories, especially local ones in Los Gatos, I have to say, in closing, that the only surprises you'll have at Work Shop are pleasant ones.

Free Music In & Near Los Gatos Starting Tomorrow Evening

What To Do With The Last Big Orchard
in Los Gatos?

Most days, I drive pretty close to the large old orchard that hugs Highway 17 on one side, Lark Avenue on another, and Los Gatos Boulevard on yet another. It is one of the few open spaces left which is privately owned.

It's big. It is a goldmine.

In a town where land is worth about a million dollars an acre (less if roads and services are needed or if the slope is steep), these 40 acres, the Yuki Farms property, are worth more than just a small fortune.

I've often wondered what is to become of them: housing? a strip mall? another high-end car dealership?

Apparently I'm not the only one wondering.

What Will Happen to the Land near Office Depot?

Los Gatos Skatepark Gaining Support

Do You Have a Los Gatos Ghost Story to Share?

Do you have any stories about ghosts in Los Gatos? I would like to hear them. I'm collecting ghost stories to share on my Live in Los Gatos blog. And maybe someday I will put together a book on the area's haunted places.

So you may be wondering, how did this strange hobby began? (My teens wish I just did needlepoint, or something "normal" instead.)

A few years ago, I began to casually collect local ghost stories because they intrigued me. Next I began to read some books on the subject..then more books. At my office, my manager asked me to share some of them just before Halloween in 2003. To my amazement, the agents in my office loved the stories of Los Gatos's haunted spots...then several discreetly came up to me and told me their own stories of encounters with a ghost.

That's usually how it works - people don't usually share their stories about ghosts unless they think you believe. No one wants to be made fun of.

My interest grew further after a couple of personal experiences and then I began a page on one of my websites devoted to the topic of Haunted Real Estate, and I also got a URL dedicated to the page too: http://www.HauntedRealEstate.com.

At Halloween, and all through October, reporters started contacted me. Then the focus expanded and I had them phoning and emailing me about stigmatized properties too. It's as if this thing took on a life of its own.

I haven't sold haunted houses, I kept telling them: I just collect the stories, I read a lot. But I also started assembling information on disclosure laws around the country, about folks who were good at "ghostbusting" or exorcizing a house, places where you could do a ghost tour, haunted hotels... you name it.

And I added an RSS feed on ghost stories.

Frances Flynn Thorsen of RealTown.com asked me to write an article on ghosts. I agreed to do it (though my husband was a little concerned it might scare away potential clients who'd think I was crazy), and "Haunted Real Estate: A Primer for Real Estate Agents" was well received.

Now? It is still expanding, as if self-propelled. In the last month, I had two different people (whom I don't know) email me about wanting to sell their haunted homes. Neither one, of course, is in Silicon Valley. Who'd have thought my hobby would lead here? So it seems I need a spot dedicated to "haunted houses for sale" or something along those lines on the site.

My "page" needs more space. Sometime in the next year, I think it will need to branch out from a single, long page on my ValleyOfHeartsDelight.com website into its own website.

Meanwhile, I'm blogging on Los Gatos and part of that effort is to include ghost stories from around the town. I have discussed the most prominent ones so far: The Opera House, Trevese Restaurant (formerly The Chart House and Chart's), Border's Bookstore in Old Town, Village Lane (the old cemetery - did they move ALL the bodies?) and Forbes Mill.

I know there are others because sometimes I get calls. A few months ago, a young woman phoned me and wanted to know where, exactly, the old cemetery was located  because her new boyfriend refused to stay with her overnight due to a matronly ghost with an attitude that he didn't belong there. (Her place was not on the old graveyard, but near it. I saw a "for rent" sign outside of her home within two weeks of her phone call to me.)

Some places I really have to wonder about: the Main Street Bridge (there was a lynching there) is one of them. Where was the town's jail? Did the town do executions (lynching aside)? If so, where? What about the mortuary turned single family house on Main Street? (Not the former Chart House.) Anything doing there? I read something on a message board about a ghost off either Guadalupe Mines Road or Hicks Road - any truth to that? Your input would be much appreciated!

So, residents and friends of Los Gatos, I want to ask for your input: where are the haunted places in our fair town? Please call or email me in confidence. I want your story and I won't blow your cover!