Cemeteries in Almaden Valley?

[Wilhelm Derksen]

Cemeteries in Almaden Valley? By Art Boudreault

Most of us have thought of our own burial and probably have buried a close relative or friend. When I think of local burials I usually think of Oak Hill Cemetery on Curtner Avenue or the Los Gatos Cemetery on Los Gatos Almaden Road... but are there any cemeteries in Almaden Valley? The unincorporated New Almaden community actually has three cemeteries.

None are currently accepting applications. Their residents do have some interesting history. The first cemeteries established were the Hacienda Cemetery on Bertram Road and the Guadalupe Cemetery on Mine Hill. Later on the Hidalgo Cemetery opened about 1879 when the Guadalupe Cemetery closed.

These cemeteries accepted residents of New Almaden regardless of their ethnic origin. Not much is known of the Guadalupe Cemetery today but the area is kept sacred for those buried there. The Hidalgo Cemetery was used until the homes on Mine Hill were no longer occupied. In 1933, the Corps of Engineers, contracted with Tommy Monahan (Kitty’s cousin), and a funeral director in San Jose, to remove the remains and rebury them at Oak Hill. Even though they believe they moved them all, the Quicksilver County Park Department continues to care for this cemetery as though there are still remains there. The Hacienda Cemetery has the most unusual past, as a road was built through it.

This cemetery also originated in the early 1850s and continued receiving guests until the 1920s. Up until then, the north side of Bertram Road had ended at the horse barn associated with the Casa Grande, and China Sam, also known as Sam the Boss, lived closest to the cemetery on the south side. All was fine until Ben Black, then owner and resident of the Casa Grande, subdivided New Almaden into home lots and bulldozed a road through the cemetery in the spring of 1928. This resulted in a lawsuit brought by Jack Villar and 15 others.

To this day, it is believed that some of our permanent residents still reside under the street. Let me share some more interesting Hacienda nostalgia. The earliest burial was for Amadeo Boria, 30 years old on April 28, 1861. The last burial was for the Moreno brothers, Arturo who was 30 and Frederico who was 22 when they died a month apart in 1913. The eldest resident, Lucia Yturriaga, and ancestor of the Smoot family, lived until she was 76 and was buried on August 7, 1912. In 1898, Bertram Barrett’s arm was buried “here” when he lost his right arm in a hunting accident at the age of 13. There was a controversy over whether the arm should be exhumed and buried with him at Oak Hill. His arm remained.

Juan Nepomugeno Banales’ burial plot included two of his daughters, Josefina and Refugio, and his son-in-law, Robert Bulmore. As my friend Mike Boulland often says, “How can Robert Bulmore have peace in eternity, buried with two wives and a father-in-law?”

The Hacienda Cemetery remained abandoned until 1973 when the historian, Gene Vennum, received title through a tax deed. He purchased the cemetery for $10.00 and proceeded to clean it up and then deeded it to the California Pioneers. The cemetery on Bertram Road had been badly vandalized over the years, tombstones removed, some destroyed, and nature has almost covered the little graveyard with poison oak, trees and native bushes. The California Pioneers discovered where the gravesites are, placed fences around them, identified them and restored the tombstones when they could. Since then, there have been regular pilgrimages to continue to honor those who died during the New Almaden mining era.

The end.