PHOTO COURTESY OF SCV WATER DISTRICT TAKEN BY 111TH AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY |
From its headwaters in Henry W . Coe State Park , Coyote Creek feeds Coyote Lake — which was impounded in 1934 — and then continues northward following a linear valley formed by the Calaveras Fault . Photos of the narrow gorge where Coyote Creek cuts through a low spot in Coyote Ridge , show the canyon mouth or water gap scoured by floodwater over countless centuries . I ’ m sure that it was recognized as an excellent location for a potential dam if there were not so many seismic faults nearby . The alluvial fan created at this point by the constriction Coyote Creek caused a high spot on the valley floor , which directed the waters of Coyote Creek to flow either to the south , merging with Llagas Creek and the Pajaro River , or to the north , following its current alignment to San Francisco Bay . The coarse sediments of the alluvial fan allowed for the growth an immense oak woodland that extended across the valley floor . Today , only a few remnant valley oaks remain after their removal for firewood and to make way for agriculture and new settlers .
The combination of a perennial source of water , a wildlife corridor and abundance of acorns from the oaks most certainly would have enchanted the Ohlone peoples who first populated the area close to Anderson . Archeologists and historians suggest that the Matalan peoples lived either in a permanent village near the gorge or at least had a seasonal camp alongside the creek . The primary village site for the Matalan is located at Coyote Narrows , according to researchers . Mission records show that the Matalan were brought into Mission Santa Clara beginning in 1777 and Coyote Valley was fully depopulated by the 1790 ’ s — the Ohlone culture was nearly wiped away .
After serving in the Spanish military , Juan Hernandez was granted , in 1835 , two square leagues ( nearly 9,000 acres ) extending across the valley from El Toro to Anderson . While the Hernandez adobe rancho was built near the intersection of today ’ s Hale and Llagas Avenues , it is suspected that one of the
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family members also constructed an adobe home along Coyote Creek just upstream from the gorge at Coyote Ridge . In 1846 , Martin Murphy Sr . purchased the rancho from the Hernandez heirs for his home at the age of 66 . This remarkable family had just completed the first successful crossing of the Sierra by wagon train . The Murphy family initially acquired vast acreages in the valley but the following generations began to allow their lands to be subdivided beginning in the early 1890s . The same is true for Rancho Laguna Seca to the north , owned by the Fisher family , except that land sales started there in the 1850s when Captain Fisher passed away at age 40 . The early partitioning of Rancho Laguna Seca is why the community of Madrone developed about 30 years before Morgan Hill .
Among the early families to settle in the area were the McElroys , the Phegleys , and the Malaguerras who chose to make a new start adjacent the present-day Anderson Dam . The McElroy Ranch lay between the waters of Coyote and Packwood Creeks and consisted of over several hundred acres . The ranch was sold to the Cochrane family in 1869 and they developed one of the finest dairy businesses in the state , selling their cheeses in San Jose and San Francisco . When John Cochrane passed away in 1899 , Mrs . Aphelia Cochrane further developed the ranch to include beef cattle and fruit orchards . Mrs . Cochrane lived in the old Hernandez adobe until 1914 when a new two-story home was built . This is the house now perched above the southern end of Anderson Lake , having been moved just prior to the flooding of the newly-created reservoir . Mrs . Cochrane passed away in 1947 at the age of 104 . Her estate consisted of more than 4,000 acres with 500 of those acres , including the original adobe home , now resting at the bottom of Anderson Lake .
The Phegleys were an early pioneering family in both Morgan Hill and Gilroy . Their framed , two-story
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original home , built around 1870 , still sits near the base of Anderson Dam . The Phegley ’ s ranch was on both sides of Coyote Creek and totaled 240 acres . After the Phegleys left the area , an executive with the Sunsweet growers cooperative built a beautiful Spanish style ‘ casa ’ known today as the Rhoades Ranch , named after Ira O . Rhoades , just across the driveway from the Phegley house . Then , in 1945 , the ranch was subdivided with the Borello family establishing a substantial farming operation ; and 12 acres , including the historic homes and outbuildings , purchased by Dr . Harold Thomas and his family . Dr . Thomas was a well-respected research scientist specializing in strawberry hybrids . His efforts culminated when he founded the Strawberry Institute of California in association with Driscoll ’ s of Watsonville . Looking at the property today , it is difficult to imagine Dr . Thomas with his staff conducting field trials on different strawberry varieties , developed in his lab on the property , right next to Anderson Dam .
The last family that I would like to mention , although there are many others with just as interesting stories , is the Malaguerra family who settled along Coyote Creek in 1861 . The Malaguerras raised eleven children on their 200-acre property on which they farmed one of the valley ’ s first vineyards . In 1869 , the Malaguerras constructed a winery building from the field stones pulled out from the creek channel . While their house burned to the ground in the 1930s , the winery complex is still standing as a part of the Anderson- Coyote Creek County Park .
The Visitor Center at Anderson is located at 19245 Malaguerra Avenue . It has recently been re-modeled and upgraded with a host of new interactive exhibits and history timelines . The new displays offer a wealth of information about the natural history of Anderson and the Coyote Creek watershed . Stop by for a visit and learn more about the dam and the reservoir !
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