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Description

Remarkable Map and Absract of Title for the Los Gatos Rancho, then owned by Leslie A. Jordan, more commonly known as the Kennedy Tract of El Rancho Rinconada de Los Gatos.

The map shows lands which included one of the earliest apple orchards in the Santa Clara Valley, approximately 1 mile east of the intersection of Highway 17 and Los Gatos-Saratoga Road,covering the area east of Los Gatos Boulevard in the heart of the town. The map is accompanied by an Abstract of Title, which includes a Deed showing the transfer of title to the land from Eugene Cazalis to James F. Kennedy on December 18, 1860, as well as transfers from the Kennedy estate to Charles Stetson and from Stetston to Leslie A. Jordan in July 1897.

James F. Kennedy came to California in 1852 to serve as salesman and commercial agent for a Nursery established by Commodore Stockton. He soon became a prominent Nurseryman in Santa Clara County. He served as the 6th Sheriff of Santa Clara County from October 7, 1861 until his death on February 6, 1864. He also served several terms as President of the Santa Clara Valley Agricultural Society, of which he was one of the founding members in 1854. In 1860, Kennedy relocated his family to an area which would become known as the Kennedy Ranch, near Los Gatos, where he planted a small orchard for family use.

The map shows what was then known as The Kennedy Tract, east of the intersection of Los Gatos Road and Kennedy Road. These roads still exist. The northern boundary of the map corresponds to the current location of Shannon Road. The southern part of the map includes the area around today's Worcester Park. The 28 acres shaded in red on the map correspond to the area which includes Twin Oaks Dr. in the west and Brooke Acres Drive and Brooke Acres Court toward the center portion of the shaded area.

Rancho Rinconada De Los Gatos was a Mexican land grant made in 1839 by Governor Juan Alvarado to Jose Maria Hernandez and Sebastian Fabian Peralta. The grant included the present day towns of Los Gatos and Monte Sereno, along with a large part of Campbell, California. It also included two small sections of what is now San Jose, California, 5 or 6 small sections of unincorporated Santa Clara County, and a small part of Saratoga, California. The name means "corner of the cats" and is derived from the Cougars that are still present in the nearby hills. The "corner" refers to the area betwen the El Sereno and El Sombroso Mountains.

Jose Maria Hernandez and Sebastian Fabian Peralta were granted 6,631 acres in 1839. They built an adobe home in the present location of Vasona Lake Park in Los Gatos, about a quarter mile north of the Kennedy Tract. Approximately 2,000 acres were sold to James Alexander Forbes in 1850, where Forbes built the Forbes Mill.

Condition Description
Minor soiling and discoloration along folds