Historical Markers in
Santa Clara County, California

1843 - Rancho de San Luis Gonzaga - 1931 306 Main Street 316 Main Street 395/397 Main Street 398 and 388 Main Street 911 Memorial A Sacred Site Agricultural Heritage Plaques Ainsley House Almadén Vineyards Alum Rock Log Cabin Alviso Amamiyla Midwife House Anderson Lake County Park Antique Entry Gate Are We There Yet? Armistice Oak Tree Site Arroyo de San Joseph Cupertino Asahi Baseball Augustus T. Dowd Austen D. Warburton B.O. Curry Building Bank of America Building Bank of Campbell Bank of Campbell (Farley Building) Bank of Italy Barron House Battle of Santa Clara Bayside Cannery Bell Station Bickur Cholim Birthplace of A.P. Giannini Birthplace of Silicon Valley Birthplace of Silicon Valley Birthplace of “Silicon Valley” Black Walnut Trees Blue and Gold Kennel Club Bonesio Winery Briggs-Stelling Mansion Buffington House Bulmore House Butterfield Overland Stage Calero County Park – Bailey Fellows House California Wesleyan College Camp Mt. Madonna Campbell Farmer's Union Campbell Fire Station Campbell Union Grammar School Campbell Union Grammar School, 1922-64 Campbell Union High School Campbell Water Company Captain Elisha Stephens Captain Harry Love Captain Thomas Fallon Carmelite Monastery – Bond Ranch Carson House Casa Grande Centennial Commemoration of the World's First Broadcasting Station Charles Clifton Spalding House Charles Copeland Morse Residence Charles Henry McKiernan China Camp Chinatown Chitactac-Adams Heritage County Park City Hall Bell & City Hall Cornerstone College of Notre Dame Collins-Scott Winery Community of San Martin Computer History Museum Cornish Pump Country Woman's Club Courtyard Coyote Lake – Harvey Bear Ranch County Park Coyote Post Office D Retort and Condensing System Dashaway Stables Day Tunnel De Anza Expedition De Anza Expedition 1775 - 1776 De Anza Expedition 1775 - 1776 De Anza Expedition 1775 - 1776 De Anza Expedition 1775 – 1776 Del Monte Del Monte Building Del Monte Packing Plant History Development of Motion Pictures DIALOG Online Search System Discover Alviso’s Rich History Dobashi Market Downing Building Dr. Henry Warburton House Dr. John Townsend Dr. Louis H. and Anna M. (Grandma) Bascom Dr. Saxe Office Building Dr. Warburton’s Office Eagles Hall Early People of Mount Umunhum El Palo Nuevo El Senador Mine El Senator Mine Electric Light Tower Electric Light Tower Electrification Electronics Research Laboratory Elim Community Church Emma Prusch and Her Park Empire Firehouse English Camp English Camp School F.E. Cornell’s Country Store Farley Building Farmers Union Building Father Magin Catala Field House Fire House #1 First Church of Christ, Scientist First Commercially Practicable Integrated Circuit First Honeybees in California First Normal School First People / Who Was Robert Antonio Balermino? First RISC Microprocessor First Site of El Pueblo de San Jose de Guadalupe First State Capitol First State Capitol Building First Unitarian Church Forbes Flour Mill Former Ford Assembly Plant Francis J. Smith House Franklin Family Ranch Frederick C. Franck, Jr., Residence From Sea Scouts to Environmental Volunteers Frontier Village Garrod Farms George Donner, Jr. Gilroy Gilroy Carnegie Library Goodrich Quarry Gordon House Gould Rotary Furnace and Condensing System Gran Oriente Filipino Masonic Lodge Grover House Growers National Bank Gubserville H.G. Wade’s Warehouse H.L. Warburton House Hacienda Cemetery Hacienda Cemetery Hacienda Hotel Hacienda Mining Display Hacienda School Hamilton House Hard Rock Miners Harris/Lass House Hayes Mansion Hayes Mansion Headen-Inman House Helping Hand Hall Hendy Ironworks Hendy Stamp Mill / Hendy's "California" Stamp Mill Henry Miller Summer Home Henry Morris Naglee Henry Wade's House Henry's Hi-Life Heritage Park Museum Herring Box School Herrold Radio Broadcasting Station Hichborn House Historic Alum Rock Park Historic Fire Bell Historic Loyola Corners History of Madronia Cemetery History of Tower Well History of Vieira Park Hoeing Table and Cleaning Tank Home of Martin Murphy, Jr. Homesite of Sarah Wallis Hori Midwife House Hostess House Hotel De Anza Hutchinson /Cloud-Smith Store/Samuel Cloud House Huttner House Hyde Cannery Site Ideal Laundry Immigrant House In Memory of Raymond Bernal Junior Incline Tramway International Business Machines : RAMAC J. Pearce Mitchell Park Jackson Drugs Jagel Slough Jamison-Brown House Japanese Kuwabara Hospital Japantown Theater Japantowns Jean Jacques Vioget John Adams Squire House John C. Hutchinson Building John Fatjo House John Page House John Young House Johnson House Joshua Hendy Iron Works Juana Briones Park Juana Briones. This is her park. Juzgado Kawakami Building Keesling’s Shade Trees Ken Ying Low Kersell/Lorente House Kiely House Knox-Goodrich Building Kotani-en La Montagne Boarding House Labor Day Prunes Labor Temple Landrum House Layers of History Letitia Building Lexington Reservoir Lexington Reservoir County Park Location, Location, Location Los Altos Elementary School Lou Henry Hoover House Luis Arguello Home Luis María Peralta Adobe Main Post Office Mancha “Little Trammer“ Battery Locomotive Margaret Caldwell Fox Mariano Castro Adobe Mayfield Fire Bell Mayfield School McCarthy Building Memorial Roses Mercury Storage Vault Methodist-Episcopal Church Military Community Mine Air Compressors Mine Hill Mine Ventilation Fans Mineral Springs Grotto Miners and Settlers Mining Operations Mission Corral Site Mission Santa Clara Mission Santa Clara Veterans Memorial Montgomery Hill Montgomery Maze Moore’s Law Moreland School Morgan Hill United Methodist Church Morgan House Morse Mansion Motion Picture Research Commemoration Mountain Charlie Road Mr. Peckham NASA Ames Research Center New Almaden New Almaden Community Club New Almaden Quicksilver Mine New Almaden Quicksilver Mine New Almaden’s Civil War Crisis New Century Block Ng Shing Gung Nihonmachi Old Adobe Wall / Olive Trees Old City Hall Old Downtown Santa Clara Old Japantown Garage Online Systems and Personal Computing Original Cross O’Brien’s Pacific Hotel Parade of Champions Patchen Patrick Tillman Paul Masson Mountain Winery Pellier Park Pellier Park Pioneering Murphy Family Play Ball! Plaza de Cesar E. Chavez Professor John J. Montgomery Prune Capital of the World Prune Heaven Prune Steamer Pot / Hendy Manhole Cover Rancho San Ysidro / San Ysidro School Remembering Agriculture Rengstorff House Rev. Isaac Owen Robert Menzel House Robert Scott House Roberto – Suñol Adobe Rockin’ M Ranch Rucker School Historical Site 1894 Russell – Robinson House S.E.S. Saint Anthony Catholic Church Saint Clare Sainte Claire Club Salt Ponds San José Academy San Jose Buddhist Church Betsuin San José Diridon Station San Jose High School San Jose Mercury News San Jose Woman's Club Santa Clara Campaign Treaty Site Santa Clara County Courthouse Santa Clara Depot Santa Clara Depot Santa Clara Mission Santa Clara Tower Santa Clara Women's Club Adobe Santa Isabel Shaft Saratoga Saratoga State Bank Saratoga World War I Memorial Saratoga's First School House Scanning the Skies Schmitt-Nickson Homestead Scottish Rite Temple Semiconductor Planar Process and Integrated Circuit Senator Franck House Site September 11, 2001 Serafino Manfre House Settler’s Grove Shaker-Concentrator Shakey: The World's First Mobile Intelligent Robot Shenandoah Plaza Shri Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Site of 21-Mile House Site of English Town ★ CCC Camp Mt. Madonna Site of First Mining in California Site of First Mining Operation in California Site of J.C. Ainsley Packing Company Site of Juana Briones de Miranda Home on Rancho La Purisima Concepcion Site of Martin McCarty's Toll Gate Site of Reduction Works Site of Skeels Hotel Site of the John W. Whisman Home Site of Witness Tree Site of World’s First Broadcasting Station Skip Loader Slettedahl House South Pacific Coast Railroad Southern Pacific Railroad Station SpanishTown SPARC RISC Architecture SPICE St. James Park St. Joseph’s Cathedral St. Joseph’s College Star Steel Windmill Station 8 Steam Dummies & 25 Cents! Stevens Ranch Fruit Barn Sugar Pine (Pinus lambertiana) Sumo Ring Site Taihei Hotel Takalkni Printing Tanizawa Grocery The Ainsley House The Battle of Santa Clara The Bell Tower The Bernal Adobe Site and Bear Tree The Berryessa Adobe The Buena Vista The Burning of San Jose Chinatown "The Cats" The Changing Church The Chiechi House The Crossroads of Mayfield The First Adobe Home in Campbell The Five Sites of Santa Clara de Asís Mission The Floating Gate EEPROM The Flood of 1911 and Broad Gauge Rails The Freedom Tree The Gates of Hell The Gordon Hampton Oak The Granary The Greeninger House The Hauck House The Hostess House War and Veterans Memorial The Juan Bautista de Anza Trail The Miller Estate The Mountain View Train Depot The NASA U-2 Story The Natatorium The Nelson-DeLuz House The Palomar Ballroom The Port and Town of Alviso The Print Shop The Printing Office The Randol Family Home The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The Rossi Retort The Santa Clara Interlocking Control Tower The Second Buddhist Church The Spirit of the Times The Steamboat Jenny Lind Disaster The Teddy Roosevelt Tree The Umbarger House The Walnut Growers Association The Yellow Kid The Zanker House The “Main Tunnel“ Thomas Fallon House Tom & Mary’s Snack Shop & Dr. Watanabe’s Office Tower Bell Town and Gown Town Hall and Jail Site Trinity Episcopal Church Uncle Jim’s Cabin Union Warehouse and Docks United States Post Office Vichy Springs Vintage Sundial Votaw Building W.W. Cozzens House Waiting For The Train Warner Hutton House Water Everywhere Welcome to Alum Rock Park Wesley United Methodist Church William Henry Eddy William Wright Ranch Willow Glen Public Buildings Willow Glen Schools Winchester House Winchester Mystery House Wing’s Chinese Restaurant Wood Road & Jacques Ridge World’s First Broadcasting Station Yasunaga Produce and Transfer Company Yugoslavian Orchardists of Sunnyvale [Morgan Hill] Centennial Project “Alcalde” “The Catch” “Cowboy Jim” Donovan “Eberhard”
The Transcontinental Railroad was completed in Promontory Summit, Utah in 1869, but the western terminus of the railroad was actually in Oakland, California. The railroad made it easier and faster to travel across the country, and helped to spur California's economic growth.
Santa Clara County, located in California's Silicon Valley, has a rich and diverse history that stretches back thousands of years. The region was originally inhabited by the Ohlone Native Americans, who lived along the coast and in the Santa Clara Valley, practicing a hunter-gatherer lifestyle and utilizing the area's abundant resources.

The arrival of Spanish explorers in the late 18th century brought significant changes to the region. In 1777, the Mission Santa Clara de Asís was established as part of the Spanish mission system. The mission played a central role in the development of the area, introducing agriculture, European-style architecture, and Christianity. The mission's influence extended to the establishment of Santa Clara College, now known as Santa Clara University, in 1851.

The California Gold Rush in the mid-19th century had a profound impact on Santa Clara County. The discovery of gold in nearby areas brought a flood of prospectors to the region, leading to a rapid population increase. The county experienced an economic boom as a result, with agriculture, particularly fruit orchards and vineyards, becoming a significant industry.

By the late 20th century, Santa Clara County had transformed into an economic powerhouse, earning the moniker "Silicon Valley." The invention of the microchip and the subsequent growth of the technology industry in the 1960s and 1970s laid the foundation for the region's high-tech success. Companies like Intel, Apple, and Google established their headquarters in Santa Clara County, fueling innovation and leading to advancements in computer technology and electronics.

Today, Santa Clara County continues to be at the forefront of technological advancements, with numerous tech companies, research institutions, and startups calling the region home. Despite the modernization and urban development, the county still retains its natural beauty, with its diverse landscapes, such as the Santa Cruz Mountains and the picturesque coastline, providing a backdrop to its ever-evolving history.

This timeline provides a concise overview of the key events in the history of Santa Clara County, California.

  • 1770 - Spanish explorer, Gaspar de Portolá, discovers the Santa Clara Valley
  • 1777 - The Mission Santa Clara de Asís is established
  • 1822 - Mexico gains independence from Spain, and Santa Clara County becomes part of Mexico
  • 1846 - The Bear Flag Revolt takes place in California, and Santa Clara County becomes part of the United States
  • 1850 - California becomes a state, and Santa Clara County is officially recognized
  • 1851 - San Jose becomes the first incorporated city in the county
  • 1861 - Construction of the western portion of the First Transcontinental Telegraph line is completed, passing through Santa Clara County
  • 1871 - Leland Stanford, one of the "Big Four" railroad tycoons, founds Stanford University in Santa Clara County
  • 1941 - Moffett Federal Airfield is built by the U.S. Navy in Santa Clara County
  • 1955 - The first high-tech company, Shockley Semiconductor Laboratory, is established in Santa Clara County, leading to the area becoming known as Silicon Valley