| Almaden Quicksilver County Park is a 4,147 | | | | cross-country meets from schools around the |
| acres (17 km²) park that includes the | | | | area (such as Independence High School or |
| grounds of former mercury ("quicksilver") | | | | Andrew Hill High School) are held at the park |
| mines adjacent to south San Jose, California, | | | | often. |
| USA. The park's elevation varies greatly: the | | | | |
| most used entrances (on the east side of the | | | | Environment |
| park) are less than 600 feet (183 m) above | | | | |
| sea level, while the highest point in the | | | | The steep sides of the canyon demonstrate the |
| park is over 1,700 feet (518 m) above sea | | | | diversity of vegetation native to California. |
| level. | | | | The south-facing slopes primarily consist of |
| | | | grasses, Poison Oak, sagebrush, and |
| The park is owned and managed by the County | | | | occasional live oak trees. The warm sun on |
| of Santa Clara and its grounds also include | | | | the sagebrush lends a sweet smell to the air |
| the Guadalupe Reservoir; adjacent to park is | | | | not found in the suburban Santa Clara Valley. |
| the Almaden Reservoir. The Casa Grande | | | | |
| Almaden Quicksilver Mining Museum is located | | | | The north-facing slopes are dominated by |
| in nearby New Almaden. | | | | trees, including Coast live oak, California |
| | | | bay laurel, madrone, and California buckeye. |
| History of the property | | | | On the canyon floor, in the moist areas along |
| | | | Penitencia Creek, bigleaf maple, white alder, |
| The park's New Almaden Mines were in | | | | and Western Sycamore provide ample shade for |
| operation from 1847 to 1976. The mines were | | | | the abundant ferns. |
| highly important during the California Gold | | | | |
| Rush, since mercury was used to extract gold | | | | Several larger varieties of birds frequent |
| from ore. By the time Santa Clara County | | | | the park, including the Red-tailed Hawk, |
| bought the mines in 1976 and ended | | | | Turkey Vulture, Wild Turkeys, Great Egrets, |
| operations, 83,974,076 pounds (37,388 metric | | | | and California Quail. Larger wildlife |
| tons) of mercury (worth more than US$70 | | | | includes Black-tailed Deer, bobcats, and an |
| million) had been extracted[1]. | | | | occasional mountain lion. There has been an |
| | | | increase in the Mountain lion population in |
| The remains of a variety of structures left | | | | the San Francisco Bay Area and one should |
| over from the 135 years of mining activity, | | | | know how to respond to these animals if |
| including housing for the up to 1,800 miners, | | | | encountered. Please see the mountain lion |
| are scattered about the park, with the | | | | safety tips in the Mountain Lion article. |
| biggest concentration at what was known as | | | | |
| English Camp, established by Cornish miners | | | | History |
| in the 1860s. Some structures were built | | | | |
| later by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and | | | | Alum Rock Park was originally known simply as |
| there is a memorial honoring the Civilian | | | | "the reservation"; it received its current |
| Conservation Corps firefighters that were | | | | name around the turn of the 20th century when |
| stationed there for a time. | | | | people mistook the white powdery appearance |
| | | | of a large rock near its entrance to mean |
| Conversion from mines to park | | | | that it contained alum. |
| | | | |
| In the period 1976 to 1978 the county | | | | The canyon has abundant mineral springs, |
| developed a number of new large parks in | | | | which were touted as beneficial to people's |
| rapid succession including Grant Ranch Park, | | | | health. In the late 1800s and through the |
| Sanborn Park and Almaden Quicksilver County | | | | 1930s, the park was famed throughout the |
| Park. Very soon after buying the mining | | | | country as a health resort. Through those |
| property in 1976, Santa Clara County began | | | | years and as late as the 1970s, the park |
| planning for park usage, in an era where the | | | | featured a natatorium (a huge, heated indoor |
| county parks program was aggressively | | | | swimming pool), dozens of private heated |
| expanding. The county parks director | | | | mineral baths that visitors could rent, a |
| envisioned a historic park where visitors | | | | restaurant, and various other buildings. Many |
| could experience the mining past and also | | | | of the springs were enclosed in stonework |
| enjoy the biodiversity of the natural | | | | grottos, and stone bridges were built across |
| setting. Facilities plans were created[2] and | | | | the creek. An electric railroad brought |
| an Environmental Impact Report was | | | | people from San Jose into the park. |
| prepared[3]. | | | | |
| | | | Grotto stonework around one of many mineral |
| Principal issues assessed in the park | | | | springs |
| proposal were: | | | | |
| | | | Grotto stonework around one of many mineral |
| biological impacts upon habitat by park users | | | | springs |
| | | | |
| water quality impacts to creeks draining the | | | | From 1921 until unknown, the Santa Clara |
| watershed | | | | County Council of the Boy Scouts of America |
| | | | was given exclusive access to 15 acres |
| visual and drainage impacts of road | | | | (61,000 m²) in the park. By the 1960s, the |
| improvements | | | | park attracted so many visitors from the |
| | | | rapidly growing Santa Clara Valley that its |
| historical analysis of mine usage | | | | facilities became overburdened and the |
| | | | natural scenery was damaged. In the 1970s, |
| Alum Rock Park, founded in 1872, was the | | | | the park removed most of the buildings, |
| first municipal park in the U.S. state of | | | | closed off parts of the park, and began |
| California. Located in a canyon in the Diablo | | | | emphasizing the park's natural attractions |
| Range foothills on the east side of San Jose, | | | | rather than its man-made ones. Much of the |
| the 720 acre (2.9 km²) park offers 13 | | | | attractive stonework remains, however, as do |
| miles (21 km) of trails, varying from fairly | | | | old support structures for the railroad. |
| level along Penitencia Creek to sharp | | | | |
| switchbacks climbing to the ridges to the | | | | Due to overuse, some of the springs became |
| South Rim Trail and the North Rim Trail. The | | | | extinct, and surviving ones became very weak, |
| narrow floor of the canyon includes a visitor | | | | producing very little output. |
| center, picnic areas, a playground, and sand | | | | |
| volleyball pits. | | | | Penitencia Creek had a different name until |
| | | | the early 1900s; somehow it began to be |
| The ridge trails offer superb views of Santa | | | | called by the name of a different creek |
| Clara Valley, also known as Silicon Valley, | | | | located to the north of Alum Rock Canyon, |
| and of the canyon in which the park is | | | | which was so-named because monks (possibly |
| located. Trails in the park also connect to | | | | from Mission San Jose) would meditate by its |
| the Bay Area Ridge Trail and the Boccardo | | | | waters. |
| Trail, which leads into part of the Santa | | | | |
| Clara County Open Space Authority's property. | | | | El Niño winter storms caused a landslide |
| | | | that resulted in the closure of the original |
| Equestrians and mountain bikers have access | | | | Alum Rock Avenue entrance in the autumn of |
| to some of the park's trails, while others | | | | 2000; access is currently available only from |
| are reserved for hikers only. High school | | | | Penitencia Creek Road. |