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Casa Grande, constructed in 1854,
was the residence of the manager of the New Almaden Mining
Company
Photograph by Judith Silva, courtesy of the City of Santa
Clara |
Nestled in a canyon 11 miles south of San Jose between the Pueblo
Hills and the spurs of the Santa Cruz Mountains sits the tiny
village of New Almaden, the once world famous quicksilver mining
community that evolved on Jose Reyes Berreyesa's Rancho San Vicente
during the early 1850s. This National Historic Landmark district
was California's first mining operation--started in 1845, before
the major Gold Rush of 1849. Mexican settler Antonio Sunol discovered
ore deposits here in the 1820s, identified as quicksilver by Mexican
Army officer Andreas Castillero in 1845. Named for the famous
Almaden mercury-producing mines in Spain, New Almaden attracted
a world-wide interest during the Gold Rush, since mercury was
the primary reduction agent of gold and silver. New Almaden became
the most prominent quicksilver mine under the operation of Quicksilver
Mining Company in the Western Hemisphere. Today, the New Almaden
district encompasses the hacienda, homes of the mining community
families along the banks of Alamitos Creek, and the Cinnabar Hills
where the actual mining operation took place. Important California
property laws stemmed from decades of litigation over mining ownership
and interests at this site.
Images of the Carson-Perham house,
St. Anthony's Church and a typical employee cottage
Photographs by Judith Silva, courtesy of the City of Santa
Clara |
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The Hacienda along Alamitos Creek was developed into an attractive
showplace; it was the gateway to the mines that lay in the hills
a half mile down the tree lined Almaden Road. The hacienda included
Casa Grande (21350 Almaden Road), the manager's imposing residence,
as well as neat rows of cottages owned by the company and rented
to supervisory personnel for a nominal fee. Casa Grande was constructed
in 1854, under the direction of the mine's general manager, Henry
Halleck, who used the building until 1920 as a personal and official
residence for the New Almaden Mining Company. John McLaren, of Golden
Gate Park fame, assisted in designing the five acres of formally
landscaped grounds around the house, which included a picturesque
lagoon. A two-teacher school was built in the 1860s on a flat near
Casa Grande. Enrollment came chiefly from the Hacienda along with
some children from nearby ranches. One of the oldest buildings in
the district is the Carson-Perham Adobe, built between 1848 and
1850 by Mexican miners, and later the home of George Carson, the
mine company bookkeeper, postmaster, telegraph operator, and Wells
Fargo agent. Constance Perham lived in the adobe house for many
years and established a private museum there in 1949, the collections
of which were purchased in 1983 by Santa Clara County.
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Today the New Almaden Quicksilver
Mining Museum depicts the lives of the vanished mining towns
Photograph by Judith Silva, courtesy of the City of Santa
Clara |
The mine and its villages flourished under the 20-year directorship
of James Randol, who took over as general manager in 1870 when
S. F. Butterworth retired. Under Randol's orderly discipline the
community became a mining town unlike any other in the state,
somewhat resembling a beneficent feudal society. The residents'
health, wealth, cultural and social lives were taken care of by
company-sponsored organizations that the progressive but authoritarian
Randol set up. After his retirement in 1892 the mine began to
decline. Ore yield dropped off by more than half by the turn of
the century. In 1912 the Quicksilver Mining Company declared bankruptcy
and closed the mine. The hill camps became deserted with only
a few old timers staying on in the company houses along the creek
at the Hacienda. In 1974 the County of Santa Clara purchased the
hills area for development as a county park. It was also the inspiration
for the creation of a County Historic District Zoning Ordinance
to assure preservation of the mining town. In 1997, the New Almaden
Quicksilver Mining Museum was established in Casa Grande. The
museum exhibits the collection of Constance Perham, showing blacksmith
workings, the history of mercury mining, and the lifestyles of
mining communities at New Almaden.
The town of New Almaden is located south of San Jose, off
the Almaden Expressway. The Museum
is located at 21350 Almaden Rd. and is open Friday, Saturday &
Sunday, except for major holidays, 10:00am to 4:00pm (from September-June
Friday hours are limited to 12:00pm to 4:00pm). There is no fee
for admission, and a walking tour is available. Please call 408-323-1107
for further information, or to arrange a special group or school
tour. The Almaden
Quicksilver county park, open from 8:00am to sunset, encompasses
the mining landscape and several historic buildings.
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