Stevens Canyon Ranch - Peninsula Open Space Trust

The property still retains the atmosphere of an earlier age.According to MROSD,one of the oldest and largest oldgrowthredwood trees in SantaClara Valley can be found on theRanch, thriving on the banks of atributary of Stevens Creek. By1900, loggers had cleared thecanyon of timber up toSkyline Boulevard. Loggersspared this massive treebecause it was consideredan imperfect tree and wouldnot have made top qualitylumber. Its towering crownis still visible from severalvantage points along theproperty’s two and a halfmiles of winding trails.For more than acentury, only two familiesowned the property. TheBordis, originally fromFrance, homesteaded theland in the late 1800s.photo © 2004 Robert BueltemanFamily patriarch Bastido Bordipurchased the property in 1881,clearing and cultivating about100 acres. He planted a vineyardand an orchard with pear, appleand plum trees, and started asmall family winery.The original main housestands atop a stone-walled winecellar that continued to operateduring Prohibition, providingwine to dining establishments inMountain View. Some of the oldwine casks are still inside, behindsturdy wooden doors embellishedwith paintings of a pair of dancinggirls — which is said to havesymbolized the location of aspeakeasy in the early 1920s. Theproperty also features a caretaker’scabin and a barn.Longtime neighbor andPOST Board member VinceGarrod worked as a farmhand onthe property inthe early 1950s.“Up in the hills,people wanted tolumber and cut allthe redwoods andbig pines theycould get out,” hesaid. “If there wasany flat, open land,somebody would try to farm it.That’s why the Bordis were there.Otherwise, the rest of the canyonwas too steep and nobody wantedit,” he said.The Jones/GlendenningSaratoga GapOpen Space Preservefamily acquired the propertyfrom the Bordis in the 1950s andcontinued using it as a familyranch. Their descendents updatedthe main home, but the surrounding10 acres of orchards still attestto the agricultural history of thesurrounding Santa ClaraValley, once known as“The Valley of Heart’sDesire.”Ultimately, POSThopes to transfer theproperty to MROSD forlong-term stewardship.“The Glendennings wereone of the originalpioneering families inStevens Canyon RoadSTEVENS CANYONRANCH240 acresSaratoga GapOpen Space Preserve9Stevens Creek County Parkthe valley making their living asfruit ranchers,” said BerniceGlendenning Jones. “We are verypleased that this historic ranchwill be preserved for futuregenerations to enjoy.” ■4 ■ LANDSCAPES