Published in the February 18-March 3, 2015 issue of Morgan Hill Life
By Mike Monroe
Mike Monroe
The Scottish writer Robert Louis Stevenson has a family connection to the South Valley region.
Long before the cultural invasion of California by the Spanish, Mexicans, Americans and then the rest of the world, the Amah/Ohlone people traveled a pathway that followed the course of a meandering creek we now call Little Arthur. From its confluence with Uvas Creek near the Chitactac-Adams County Park, the stream descends through a small valley covered with oaks and rock outcroppings at the base of Mount Madonna. The first inhabitants developed a trail cutting through one of the folds in the Santa Cruz Mountains to visit and trade their neighbors in the area that’s now Aptos and Watsonville. And looking at a map of the area, you can understand why Chictactac was such a large and important village location for the Amah as many Indian paths connected and disbursed from this permanent camp.
Redwood Retreat Road curves alongside Little Arthur Creek for a couple of miles. It then affords the traveler a choice to either go up the old Mt. Madonna Road to Corralitos or continue toward Redwood Retreat, which is adjacent to Fernwood Cellars Winery at the end of the public road. In the late 1700s when the Spanish missionaries removed the people of Chictactac to either the Santa Cruz or San Juan Bautista missions, the area became part of a Spanish land grant. Later, the Mexican owners sold the ranch to the Martin Murphy family who came in the first overland pioneer group to California, arriving here in 1845.
In 1863, the Sanders family from Nova Scotia purchased nearly 200 acres of the land with plans for a vacation resort set among the redwoods. The Sanders originally intended to try their luck at the gold diggings, but their interest in metaphysics and meditation led them to develop a getaway destination with a 20-room hotel, cabins, campsites, clubhouse, swimming pool and tennis courts. They also farmed the land and planted orchards and vegetable gardens for their family and guests. The prune shed was also put to use for weekend dances when it wasn’t drying season.
Among the guests who came to the Redwood Retreat Resort was Fanny Osborne Stevenson the recently widowed wife of Robert Louis Stevenson after the Scottish author of “Treasure Island” died in 1894. She planned a large home in San Francisco but, to get away from the city for nature breaks, she would go camping among the redwoods with just her maid for companionship. According to her biography written by Nellie Sanchez: “Mrs. Stevenson delighted in the outings … camping in a shady little valley about 10 miles from Gilroy and soon the place won her heart completely. She decided to purchase a small ranch for a permanent summer home and after the spring rains her family moved down to take up a delightful out-of-door life.”
She purchased a 40-acre ranch property from the Sanders family just before 1900 in an area called Murphy’s Canyon. In 1902 she built her rustic bungalow, naming it Vanumanutagi, which is a Samoan word meaning “Vale of the Singing Birds.” Wilburn Sanders served as the caretaker and foreman of the ranch for many years.
One of her most famous literary friends, Frank Norris, was a camping guest and she encouraged him and Mrs. Norris with their young daughter to build on a section of her property. That’s how the author of “The Octopus” and the “The Pit” came to put up a redwood log cabin not far from Mrs. Stevenson’s house. He planned to use the tranquil setting for writing the third installment of a trilogy of a novels which was to be called “The Wolf.”
Unfortunately, Norris died suddenly in 1902 at the age of 32 from an infection caused by a burst appendix. Mrs. Stevenson was personally heartbroken and directed Sanders to build a curved stone bench near the cabin site as a memorial to her friend. The inscription on it reads: “Frank Norris -1870-1902- Simpleness and Gentleness and Humor and Clean Mirth.”
As always, there will be a great many stories to share about our wonderful home in the Valley of Heart’s Delight. I cannot express how much fun it is for me to read books about our local history. Mr. Ian Sanders and Mr. Michael Brookman have provided masterful resources in their “Views of Morgan Hill” and the Claudia Salewske book “Gilroy – Images of America” is a treasure with great pictures and insightful background. I hope to see you at Chitactac-Adams Sunday March 8.
Keep on sauntering.
Mike Monroe is a business owner and naturalist. He is a docent for Santa Clara County Parks.
