 |
| Landmark #1017 | Santa Clara County | Visited: August 28, 2016 | Plaque? YES! 🙂 |
| What is it? | The ruins of a 19th century hot spring resort! |
| What makes it historical? | THE GUIDE SAYS: Under the guidance of the George Roop and William McDonald families during the years of 1865 of Francisco Cantua’s discovery to the 1930s, Gilroy Hot Springs was a popular health and family resort oriented around a single hot mineral spring located near Coyote Creek. In 1938 the resort was purchased by H.K. Sakata, a successful Japanese American farmer from Watsonville. Renamed the Gilroy Yamato Hot Springs, it was the only Japanese-American owned commercial hot springs in California. The resort served as a recreational and spiritual center for Japanese-Americans before World War II and briefly as a hostel after the war for those returning from internment camps.
OTHER TIDBITS: At inception, the Gilroy-Yamato Hot Springs were very remote, at the end of a 3-hour train ride from San Francisco to Gilroy and a 3-hour buggy ride into the mountains! Folks would come out here to soak in the pool, shoot holes in trees, or compete with each other to reach the top of the hill across the ravine! During Prohibition, its remoteness made it a haven for bootleg liquor and the shenanigans that came with it! Kyuzaburo Sakata had made his fortune in lettuce farming, despite WWII-era restrictions on Japanese-American land ownership. When he bought the hot springs, he had originally meant to turn them into a Japanese garden, designed by noteworthy creator of Japanese gardens along the west coast, Nagao Sakurai. Then Mr. Sakata and his son were taken to an internment camp in Poston, Arizona three years after buying the hot springs, and they were unable to return to their home until after the war. Despite the long time away from home, the Sakata family resumed work on the resort, where both folks of Japanese and European descent came to relax together. But times and building codes changed at a faster pace than the Sakatas could match. They sold the resort to architect, Phillip Grimes, who sold it to Osaka-based Fukuyama International, Inc, who, according to the ranger, were unable to complete restoration of the resort due to backlash from all the folks who had moved in along the narrow road leading to the resort. Long after World War II ended, they were still setting up signs along the road expressing their desire that the “Japs” stay out! Many of the original buildings have burned down or been vandalized. The ranger told me that they find lots of beer bottles near the last remaining pool, but he also pointed out that this pool where the vagabonds had been soaking was at the bottom of the resort’s septic leach field! This landmark is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places! |
| How can I Help the Helpers? | HERE’S HOW:
|
| Where is this place? | LISTED DIRECTIONS: 9.5 mi NE of junction of New Ave and Roop Rd on Hot Springs Rd Gilroy, CA 95020 ANNOTATIONS: From Los Angeles: ~317mi (511km) — 5.3hrs |
| When should I go? | The hot springs are generally closed off to the public, so you’ll have to make a reservation when you want to visit! |
