OTHER TIDBITS: Well that’s a cop-out! Who the heck was James Alexander Forbes? Well, I’ll tell you! He was originally from Scotland and came to the US in 1831, spending time as well in Uruguay and Argentina, where he joined a battle against Brazil and wound up with a saber wound and a metal plate in his head for the rest of his life!

In California, he married into Mexican citizenship and became the British Vice-Consul for Alta California, later investing in the development of the New Almaden Mine but getting pushed out by his uncle, Alexander! From then on, Mr. Forbes became pretty unscrupulous, borrowing thousands from Jesuit priests, a furniture dealer, and “an old man in Guadalajara” while never paying it back!

He built this mill to capitalize on the demand for flour during the Gold Rush, but he managed it so poorly that by the time he finished it, there were numerous competitors on the market, and the price of flour dropped from $50 a barrel to $5! Mr. Forbes went bankrupt, and the creditor who took over removed all mention of the Forbes name from the mill, so as not to tarnish its value!

This landmark is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places!

• Pay the entrance fee to help maintain trails, signs, structures, and other visitor services!
• Volunteer with the New Museum Los Gatos!
• Become a member of New Museum Los Gatos!
• Be a responsible visitor! Please respect the signs and pathways, and treat all structures and artifacts with respect. They’ve endured a lot to survive into the present. They’ll need our help to make it into the future!

ANNOTATIONS:
The museum isn’t exactly at Church Street, but signs should guide you down the side road to the parking lot!

From Los Angeles: ~344mi (554km) — 5.8hrs
From Sacramento: ~127mi (205km) — 2.2hrs
From San Diego: ~463mi (746km) — 7.8hrs
From San Francisco: ~53mi (86km) — 0.9hrs