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Published on 11/30/1998 All articles from this issue

Readin' writin' and fishin': Adobe Creek trout lure this school boy in the '20s

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Harry Dutton moved to Los Altos with his family in 1918 when he was 4 years old so his father could be close to Stanford University. Dutton said his father, who had studied botany at Stanford, used to walk through the hills near Los Altos exploring new plant species.

Dutton attended Los Altos Grammar School. He told the following story about his escapades when he was 8 from his Portola home in 1998.

School let out at 3 p.m. every day. By 2:45, I was looking out the cloakroom window toward my fishing rod, which I had hidden in the bushes. The minute school was out, I raced over to Adobe Creek and fished for trout. It was loaded with trout. I used worms and a hook. I knew a place where water seeped out right next to the bend by the Retreat House. I would catch all the fish I wanted - maybe 10 or 12.

One day there was a man following me fishing, and he was picking up the trout that I had missed. He had this big bucket with maybe half a dozen trout in it. So I went over to him and said, "Why are you keeping them alive?" He said, "Come with me and I'll show you."

So we went up to the spot they now call El Retiro, which was originally built by the Wellman Coffee people. Wellman would use Adobe Creek trout for his guests' personal fly fishing. His pool was all fresh water with no chlorine. His guests would sit in their chaises and fly cast. I was amazed.

The trout in Adobe Creek were 5 or 6 inches - sometimes one bigger. All these streams were just filled with trout. I would fish all afternoon, until it was time for dinner.

- Courtesy of Donna Shoemaker and the oral history collection at the Los Altos History House