Monday, March 24, 2025

Zoom lecture on April 23 at 7:00PM

The History of the Kaiser Permanente Quarry and Cement Plant by Ted Atlas, historian. The story begins in 1939 as Henry Kaiser begins to learn about making cement. Just as he knew nothing about making cement and no capability to do so, Henry Kaiser had to go to the library to learn ship building terms and no shipyard, In 1940 the Chemical Engineering Division of the Todd California Shipbuilding Corp., began construction on a magnesium plant adjacent to the Permanente Cement Plant. 2000 men worked around the clock to build the plant which operated until the end of the War.In 1948 Kaiser purchased an aluminum rolling plant, taken from Germany in war reparations, and installed it at Permanente. It was the only plant capable of making aluminum foil west of the Mississippi. Kaiser sponsored the television shows, Hawaiian Eye and Maverick to promote Kaiser Quilted aluminum foil, produced at the Permanente plant, into third in sales behind Reynolds and Alcoa.

Ted Atlas is a native of San Jose and 4th-generation Californian. He returned to San Jose after earning a BA in Geography from UCLA. He is retired from the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Department. While a deputy Sheriff, he was the first School Resource Officer assigned to Saratoga. Concurrent to his full-time career, he worked for 36 years in game day operations at San Francisco 49er games. This led him to write Candlestick Park, an illustrated history of the stadium published by Arcadia Publishing. He continues to write and publish articles of local historical interest.

Click here join to the Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 852 3542 1721
Passcode: 120700


It Is Time for the Saratoga Blossom Festival!!

The Saratoga Blossom Festival will take place on May 17 from 10 to 4. The festival features arts and crafts, live music, City and local organizations, vintage cars and lots of children's activities.

The historic event will have unique crafts from handmade pillows, exotic bath items, one of a kind jewelry, blown glass, handmade cards and more. If you are interested in gardening the Master Gardeners will be on hand to give advice.

Over 8 bands will keep you toe tapping to old time music, jazz, soft rock, cowpoke music and more. The musicians will be located in the orchard and near the Warner Hutton House.

And there's more with an opportunity to see antique cars and talk to the owners. A petting zoo will delight people of all ages. The fire fighters will also have a display and chance to climb on the truck. A tai chi group will show you how to exercise and meditate. And of course, gourmet food trucks will also be on hand.

The Blossom Festival is located in the Heritage Orchard and Civic Center Courtyard at 13777 Fruitvale Avenue in Saratoga. Free parking, free admission and free fun!! Extra parking is at West Valley College parking lot 4.

The Blossom Festival is a historic festival originating in 1900 when this area was known as the Valley of the Heart's Delight and running until WW 2. It was brought back by the Saratoga Historical Foundation 10 years ago and continues to delight the community.

Produced by the Saratoga Historical Foundation with information at www.saratogahistory.com or 408-867-4311.


Talk on Early History of Silicon Valley March 25th

The Saratoga Historical Foundation is sponsoring a lecture by Paul Wesling on "The Origins of Silicon Valley: Why and How It Happened Here" on March 25 at 7:00 PM. The story goes back to the early 1910's, to local ham radio operators trying to break RCA tube patents, angel investors, the sinking of the Titanic, Fred Terman and Stanford University, local invention of high-power tubes, WWII and radar, and the San Francisco Bay Area infrastructure that developed. These factors determined that the semiconductor and IC industries would be located in the Santa Clara Valley and that the Valley would remain the world's innovation center as new technologies emerged -- computers, then software, biotech, virtual reality, autonomous vehicles, and now artificial intelligence -- and it would become the model for innovation worldwide.

Paul Wesling has observed the Valley for decades as an engineer, executive, resident and educator. In this non-technical presentation, he provides the colorful history of technology development that began in Palo Alto, then spread across the Santa Clara Valley during and following WWII.

Click play for a short video introduction to the presentation.

Advance tickets are $10 per person, and can be reserved here: https://tinyurl.com/3f44f3w4. They will also be sold at the door ($15 cash or check), at Immanuel Lutheran Church, 14103 Saratoga Avenue in Saratoga. Doors open at 6:30 PM.

The lecture is sponsored by the Saratoga Historical Foundation, and is also being publicized by the Milpitas, Mountain View and Sunnyvale Historical Societies, the AAUW and ACM, and the Stanford Alumni Club.

The museum is located at 20450 Saratoga-Los Gatos Road in Saratoga. Call 408-867-4311 for more information.


Striking the Iron

The Saratoga History Museum invites the public to see "Striking the Iron" an opportunity to step back in time. The event will take place on Sunday October 20 from 1-4. Admission is free.

A highlight of the event will be three blacksmiths demonstrating the art of blacksmithing on the patio. They will demonstrate and answer questions about blacksmithing. The blacksmith was an indispensable member of the pioneer community in the 1850s. Blacksmiths made and repaired tools used for building and farming, such as plows, scythes, and smaller hand tools. They also fashioned housewares and cooking and laundry utensils, shod horses, repaired wagons, and some crafted wagons and carriages.

Lots to do! Visitors can also visit the 1850's pioneer cottage of the McWilliams House. A costumed docent provides tours of the house. Be sure to take a look at the food utensils used in cooking. Also on hand is the one-room school house with a docent providing a glimpse of what school was like in the 1800s. The McWilliams blacksmith exhibit contains an up close look at hundreds of tools used by blacksmiths and includes interesting audiovisual films on blacksmithing. The museum has a special exhibit called “Did You Know“—with over 100 interesting and sometimes whimsical facts about Saratoga.

Light refreshments will be available.

The museum is located at 20450 Saratoga-Los Gatos Road in Saratoga. Go up to www.saraogahistory.com or call 408-8667-4311 for more information.


Free Activities

Explore our Pioneer Living program for 3rd-5th grades, and take a walk around Saratoga to spot Bats and Other Wildlife using these pictures.

Pioneer Living.

Bats and Other Wildlife in Saratoga.


Take A Moment Out and Read About the History of Saratoga Blacksmiths!

The attached presentation gives a quick overview on the roles of a blacksmith in 1850 as well as the blacksmiths that once worked in Saratoga. The information was given in a presentation to the Saratoga Foothill Club as well as was part of a display in the Saratoga Library lobby.

Click here for the presentation: The History of Saratoga Blacksmiths


Join or DonateJoin or Renew your Membership Today! Or make a Donation!

Support local history and the museum today. The Saratoga Historical Foundation invites you to join, renew your membership or make a dontaion today.

Click on this link to complete your membership application on line.
Click on this link to make a donation on line.


The Saratoga Historical Foundation Museum
The Saratoga Historical Foundation Museum located at Saratoga Historical Park: 20450 Saratoga-Los Gatos Road, Saratoga, CA
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  • 2025 Upcoming Events
  • 7:00PM Mar 25: Talk on Early History of Silicon Valley
  • Zoom Lectures:
  • 7:00PM Apr 23: The History of the Kaiser Permanente Quarry and Cement Plant

Latest recorded lecture video available

You can watch this video, along with past lectures and presentations at the Saratoga Historical Foundation's YouTube channel.

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Community Service
Saratoga High School students looking to fulfill community service requirements can contact Linda Hagelin at the Saratoga History Museum. Please e-mail HERE with the date you can work. The museum is open Friday and Sunday from 1-4PM, Saturday from 10PM to 4PM.


Visit the Museum Gift Shop

Stop by the Museum gift shop and see the new book from Author and Lecturer Robin Chapman: "The Valley of Heart's Delight--the True Tales from Around the Bay. Chapman has written many popular books about the Bay Area-- including "California Apricots-- The Lost Orchards of Silicon Valley. This book promises to be just as interesting and more! It's a compilation of various vignettes of people in Santa Clara's history. It will make a great Christmas gift or just a gift of friendship to someone interested in history. Come on by and purchase a copy. You'll find other books by Robin in our gift shop!!

The Museum Gift Shop has copies of the hard to find Florence Cunningham's "Saratoga's First Hundred Years" along with over 20 other books on local history, postcards, notecards and more.

The gift shop is open Friday and Sunday from 1-4 PM and on Saturdays from 10AM-4PM.


Support the Saratoga Historical Foundation with AmazonSmile

The Saratoga Historical Foundation is now on the AmazonSmile list. Visit www.amazonsmile.com when you want to purchase an item and select the Saratoga Historical Foundation, by doing so, .5% of your purchase will be donated to the Saratoga Historical Foundation. No extra cost to you-- it is part of a program initiated by Amazon to give back to the community.

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