Forbes Flour Mill

Both bronzes on this wall describe a building that is not quite this one. The state's 1950 tablet calls it all that remains of the four-story stone mill Forbes built in 1854; the Clampers' 1994 plaque has him begin this gristmill in 1850. What stands is the storage annex, added in the fall of 1880. The mill itself came down in stages from 1915. Forbes, a Scot who had been British vice-consul, borrowed $130,000 to build it, some at 3 percent a month, and lost it to a creditor, Gustave Touchard.

What the plaque says

Forbes Flour Mill This is all that remains of the four story stone flour mill built in 1854 by James Alexander Forbes. The town which grew around this building was first called Forbes Mill, then Forbestown, and finally Los Gatos. State Registered Landmark No. 458 Tablet placed by California Centennials Commission in cooperation with Los Gatos Lions Club Dedicated June 10, 1950 Forbes Mill James Alexander Forbes, Scottish immigrant and enterprising businessman, boldly began building this gristmill in 1850. Forbes Mill was producing wheat flour from crops harvested in the southern San Jose area by December of 1855. Ebbing water supplies and increasing debts caused Mr. Forbes to sell his mill including 2,000 acres to Gustave Touchard on December 6, 1858. The headwater was raised 200 feet and a turbine replaced the old waterwheel in 1870. Settlements which thrived on the surrounding lands became known as "Forbestown" and renamed "Los Gatos" in 1887. Dedicated April 30, 1994 Los Gatos Museum Association Mountain Charlie Chapter No. 1850 E Clampus Vitus "Right wrongs nobody"

Where it stands

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