E. O. Huttlinger moved to Los Altos from New York in the 1920s because it was the only place he could afford. He recalled his early memories of Los Altos in an interview with the Historical Commission in May, 1979.
Mrs. Winchester of the Winchester Rifle people owned some 100 acres around University Avenue. The Southern Pacific Railroad wanted to run a line to Los Gatos, then over the mountains to Santa Cruz and to Gilroy. She wouldn't grant a right of way, so a subsidiary of the Southern Pacific - the InterUrban - bought the whole 100 acres from her and then sold the Southern Pacific a right of way through it. The executives of the Southern Pacific, notably the Shoups, bought the remaining acres and laid out the town site.
The Los Altos Land Company sold the lots. Some of the lots were even given as prizes at moving picture shows in San Francisco. So that was the real beginning of Los Altos.
The Shoup family was the founding first generation, and was part of what I call the second generation. I moved here in the middle 1920s. After the war, I studied and worked in real estate, and also became involved in a few community projects.
One of the stories which I believe you might not know is how much Mr. Arthur Fowle did for Los Altos. He realized we needed a civic center area.
The city council asked some of the real estate people to appraise various properties. The council finally decided that the 10-acre Gilbert Smith orchards on San Antonio Road would be ideal.
Smith, who built the house on that land that's now History House Museum, agreed to sell the orchard to the city for $115,000, retaining a life tenancy in their home as long as either he or his wife lived. In the meantime the rest of the land would be available for city hall use. A councilman said, "Ridiculous! We can't fund that kind of money. That guy Smith has nothing but apricot trees over there, and we won't pay a penny over $100,000 for his land!"
Well, Mr. Arthur Fowle heard about all the moaning and groaning. He came down to the council, took out his checkbook and wrote a check for $15,000 on the spot. He said "Now you go buy that Smith property before the damn land is sold to somebody else!" That is how the civic center property was acquired by the city of Los Altos, by the goodness of Mr. Arthur Fowle. That kind of thing was typical of the early Los Altans. They were a wonderful bunch of people.
I have to tell you, I've lived here through a lot of political moaning and groaning here, but alongside that, I've sure had myself some awful good times!
Adapted by Donna Shoemaker for the Association of the Los Altos Historical Museum. E-mail LAHistoryHouse@aol.com