A. In 1775, Juan Bautista de Anza identified a site for a mission in Santa Clara along the banks of the river he named the Guadalupe. He returned in 1776 with 240 settlers including families who founded the Pueblo of San Jose. De Anza's 1400 mile route from Mexico to this area is a National Historic Trail. This trail includes Mission Santa Clara and the Berryessa Adobe as interpretive sites.
B. Santa Clara Valley has always been one of the most naturally beautiful regions of the world. Its mild climate and fertile soil created an area rich in the resources needed to sustain life. Once, grasslands and oak groves dotted the valley floor and were home to deer, bear, elk, and antelope. Many small streams, edged by willows and sycamores, wound their way to the San Francisco Bay filled with fish and waterfowl.
C. Santa Clara in 2002 is very different from the small town that was incorporated in 1852. The orchards are gone, replaced by homes, schools, places of worship, shopping centers, and industry. Beautiful parks and public facilities add to the City's quality of life. In 2001,
Santa Clara was named an All-America City. It may be larger, but Santa Clara still exhibits much of the same small town community feeling of the "Valley of Heart's Delight."
D. The first human inhabitants arrived in Santa Clara Valley about 10,000 years ago. By 800 - 1100 A.D. these Native Americans evolved into the group of people we call the Ohlone. They lived in tribal communities compromised of one or more villages. Each village consisted of 50 to
100 people living in family houses with the chief living in the largest. The Santa Clara area was a tribal district that contained
three large villages.
E. Mexico ruled this area from 1822, when it took control from Spain, until the end of the Mexican-American War in 1848. Its culture has always had a significant impact on California life. The common border and the vigorous agriculture business attracted Mexican immigrants to the
Valley. By 2002, one out of every 10 residents of Santa Clara was of Mexican descent.
F. Ohlone homes were made of branches covered with a thatch of tule reeds. The Ohlone people were hunters and gatherers who used bows. Snares and traps for hunting and reed boats for fishing. Acorns from abundant oak trees provided their staple food. The acorns and seeds they gathers were stored and cooked in baskets. They traded with other California tribal groups for stone tools and abalone shells.
The final location is nothing special. It's the journey to the final location that is your reward. I had better locations scoped out, but they were all too near the other nearby caches. In fact, I found this location walking from one to the other. It was a challenge to fit the cache between the two of them. The magnetic micro is sign only, bring your own pen.
Note: This cache could have been called a puzzle, but I didn't want to scare non-puzzle people off. The final coordinates can easily be determined by adventuring from the above posted coordinates.