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The Bernal-Gulnac-Joice Ranch
(formerly called the Joice-Bernal Ranch) was dedicated on June 29,
2002. It is the centerpiece of the Santa Teresa Historic District in
Santa Teresa County Park. The ranch
house and barn have been restored and turned into interpretive centers.
The
area has a long and colorful history dating back thousands of years to
the
Ohlone Indians and to the early Mexican settlers of the 1800's, when it
was
part of the 10,000 acre Rancho Santa Teresa. The parks department has
been
developing an interpretive program to help teach visitors about the
area's
history. It's a fascinating story filled with tales of explorers,
soldiers,
settlers, ranchers, farmers, bandits, miners, ghosts, and treasure
hunters.
On March 8, 2003, a group of Girl Scouts came to tour Rancho Santa
Teresa.
They were given a tour of the historic ranch area by park interpretive
staff,
headed by John Dorrance, and by park volunteers. Here are some pictures
of
that tour, showing the kinds of activities available at the ranch.
(Click on the thumbnails below to see a larger
picture, click on the Back button of your browser to return)
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| Kids petting the official park bunny rabbit. This
rabbit and a smaller one live in cages in the barn. |
The girls are getting ready for a hoop race, something
kids did for fun in the early days represented by the ranch |
The girls are rolling and racing barrel hoops with
sticks. The object is to roll the hoop along a course without touching
it with your hands. |
John Dorrance gives a talk about the Bernal family and
their ranch's history. He talks about the legend of Changara's treasure. |
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| The group stops in the field below Santa Teresa Spring
to hear how this
killing field for livestock was turned into one of the richest fruit
orchards
in the valley. |
The group heads up to Santa Teresa Spring. They hear
about the legend of the black-robed woman, which led to the naming of
the spring after St. Teresa of Avila |
John talks about the history of the spring and how the
Bernal family bottled the spring water for sale downtown. Later, they
climb up to view the
spring itself. |
Below the spring, the group hears about the bull and
bear fights that were held to entertain ranch customers |
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| Back in the field below the spring, John talks about
how the Bernals mined marl in these hills for fertilizer. This became
one of the few marl mines in the world. |
The group heads back towards the ranch house. |
John leads a group into the historic ranch house. The
house has been restored and contains turn-of-the-century antiques and
artifacts. |
Inside the house, John demonstrates an early form of
entertainment: a spinning wheel used to view "movies." |
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| The girls learn how to
wash clothes the old-fashioned way, with plungers and a washboard. |
Here the girls use a
more modern washing machine with a rocking, hand-operated agitator and
roller wringers. |
After washing and
wringing out the clothes, the girls hang them out to dry on the
solar-powered clothes dryer. |
One of the volunteers
talks about the
chickens in the "Chicken Hilton." |
The Bernal-Gulnac-Joice Ranch is located in South San Jose at the
intersection of Camino Verde and Manila Drive. To get there, take the
Cottle Road off-ramp from Hwy 85, go south on Cottle to Curie. Turn
left on Curie, then right on
Camino Verde. Park along the street next to the ranch. The historic
area
grounds are open daily from 8:00 am to sunset. The ranch house and barn
are
open for tours and interpretive activities on Saturdays from 12 to 6
pm.
They are also available for tours by appointment and when staff people
are
available. There is no charge for entry or tours. The barn contains
exhibits
on the area's history. It also contains saddles and blacksmithing
equipment.
Facilities include picnic tables, a drinking fountain, and a restroom
outside.
Check the map board for announcements of events. Call (408)
226-5453
for more information.
Links:
Pictures taken on 3/8/2003
Created on 4/1/03, updated 6/13/03 by Ronald Horii
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