Santa Clara’s history is
mostly unwritten
The public archives hold only 2 old photos of Santa Clara. The rest are in attics, shoeboxes and the historical society. Help start the collection.
The story
from WikipediaRead it all ↗Prior to the arrival of Europeans in the 18th century, the Tamien tribe of the Ohlone nation of Indigenous Californians had inhabited the area for several millennia.
The first European to visit the valley was José Francisco Ortega in 1769. The Spanish began to colonize California with 21 missions, and the Mission Santa Clara de Asís was founded in 1777.
The Battle of Santa Clara, one of the last battles of the Conquest of California, was fought between a contingent of Californios, led by Francisco Sánchez, against the invading American forces.
In 1851, Santa Clara College was established on the grounds of the original Mission. In 1852, Santa Clara was incorporated as a town; it became state-chartered by 1862.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Timeline
built from the dates on the items belowStart Santa Clara’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Santa Clara’s history is told.
2 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🔁Retake an old viewPostcardSantaClaraCAMainStCirca19…, c. 1910: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10Famous people from Santa Clara
See all 66 →
Santa Clara, decade by decade
1990s
Then & now
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as Warburton family (c. 1900) and it appears here side by side.
🔁 Retake this view · +15Historic places
National Register · via Wikidata
From Wikimedia Commons (5) and the National Register (1). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.