Patchen

The bronze says the post office here was named for a famous racehorse, and the likeliest is George M. Patchen, whose son, nicknamed California Patchen, raced well at San Jose, San Francisco and Sacramento in the 1860s. The Patchen office opened on the stage road in March 1872 and closed in November 1929. The name then outlived the town. In the 1970s a local politician, Albert B. Smith, got it put on the Highway 17 summit as Patchen Pass, over the objections of local historians. Locally, it is still mostly called the Summit.

What the plaque says

Patchen "Mountain Charley" McKiernan, one of earliest residents of the Santa Cruz Mountains, settled near here in 1850. John Martin Schultheis and his wife homesteaded land about a mile from here in 1852. Their home still standing (1950). The Patchen Post Office, named for a famous race horse, was located in this vicinity, 1872-1920's. State Registered Landmark No. 448 Tablet placed by California Centennials Commission Base furnished by Los Gatos Lions Club Dedicated May 20, 1950 Restored by Los Gatos Chapter DAR 1968

Where it stands

More markers nearby

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