Complex sentence: Laurel and Wrights declined when the Los Gatos-Santa Cruz railroad closed in early 1940; later that year, Patchen was bypassed and isolated by the construction of Highway 17; since the late 1960s it has been a Christmas tree ranch.
Split into simpler sentences: Laurel and Wrights declined when the Los Gatos-Santa Cruz railroad closed in early 1940. Later in 1940, Patchen was bypassed and isolated by the construction of Highway 17; since the late 1960s it has been a Christmas tree ranch.