The History of Gilroy, California
Before Incorporation
One of the first wagon trains to successfully cross the continental divide and make it to California left Council Bluffs Iowa in 1843. That winter (1843-1844) the settlers made their way over Donner Summit, five years before the Donner party. Among the 1843 settlers was the Martin family who were the first Americans to settle in the Gilroy area.
Gilroy received its start in 1850 as a stage stop along the San Jose to Monterey Road. During this time the Gilroy area was a growing agricultural area and In the 1870's Gilroy became known as the tobacco capitol of the United States. During the 1920's and 1930's Gilroy became known as the Prune Capitol of California but later gave way to the current title Garlic Capital of the World.
The Gilroy Hot Springs were discovered in 1865 and developed into one of the top resorts on the west coast offering swimming, mineral baths, mud baths, massage, and health drinks along with hiking, fishing, and hunting.
What's in a name?
The Gilroy area was once know as Pleasant Valley and then San Ysidro but In 1867 when the community petitioned for incorporation as a city, they changed the name of San Ysidro to Gilroy in honor of John Gilroy the California pioneer who had settled there.
In 1813, 18-year-old John Cameron, from Inverness, Scotland, boarded the merchant ship Isaac Todd, owned by the Northwest Company and bound for an outpost on the Columbia River. After months of voyaging from England, Cameron and his friend "Deaf Jimmy" jumped off the ship in Monterey (Another version of the story says that they were left at the port to recuperate from scurvy.). Concerned that he'd be tracked down by the Royal Navy, John assumed his mother's maiden name of Gilroy.
In order to remain in California, John Gilroy became a citizen by swearing his allegiance to Spain and being baptized in the Carmel Mission near Monterey. He eventually hiked over the Gavilan Mountains to the Mission of San Juan Bautista, where he stayed for several months before making his way into the southern part of the Santa Clara Valley. Here, the young man reached a Spanish settlement of several adobe houses called Rancho San Ysidro.
Gilroy worked at the ranch making barrels for transporting tallow. He was the first to use redwood lumber from the Mt. Madonna region, and the high tannic acid in the wood worked well in preventing the growth of mold and mildew in the tallow. John met a beautiful and winsome Spanish woman named Maria Clara de la Ascencion Ortega. She was the daughter of the rancho's owner, Lieutenant Jose Ortega, who, as the scout of Portola's exploration party in 1769, was the first European to view the Santa Clara Valley.
Clara fell madly in love with the rugged John Gilroy and married him on Easter 1821. He settled in the South Valley region to work as a soap maker and millwright, thus becoming California's first permanent English-speaking resident. Although he was fluent in both English and Spanish, one source described his Scotch accent as so heavy few people could understand him when he spoke in his native tongue.
By 1850, the adobe settlement became an important link in the crossroads of El Camino Real and Pachecho Pass Road which led to the San Jouquin Valley. Gold-Rush settlers began to refer to the area as Pleasant Valley because the climate and natural beauty was so agreeable. As commerce came through, a small village developed around what is now Lewis Street in the downtown area of Gilroy. It was known as San Ysidro after the Ortega rancho.
As pioneers came to the area, they liked its warm climate and built their homes here.
John had become an important member of the community and served as the Alcalde, a position roughly equivalent to mayor. One myth describes Gilroy as having a weakness for gambling and drinking, and as his debts rose, more and more of his wife's land and possessions were sold to pay them off. The story goes he died in poverty.
City of Gilroy Incorporated
The City of Gilroy was incorporated on March 12, 1870. The first newspaper was the Gilroy Advocate and was published as a weekly from 1868 to 1946. The first school in the area was established in 1852 in the San Ysidro area and a public high school was established in 1876.
Historical Fact
-Built in 1857, the Christian Church at 160 Fifth Street is the oldest wood framed church in Santa Clara County in continuous use.
-Old City Hall was completed in 1906
ADDITIONAL INFO