The mill burned to the ground in six months, the guy moved away and no one ever came here again. I once drove myself and some college friends for more than four hours on dirty back roads during construction in the gold country in search of Mark Twain's cabin, one of the most forlorn sites in the state. Still, I just had to blow a day to go see the place where he had been writing, creating, making his future.
History is so cool, even when it's replicated bogus history.
Now that we have an RV and a child to impart history to like a friendly flogging, I bought the state parks historical landmarks book, with everything listed by county. I am sad to say that Santa Clara County has done little or nothing to get our heritage listed and preserved. Jose's flour mill in Fremont to the parents' home site. Every spot Fremont pitched camp is given a marker, and of course, Father Serra's Habitat for Missions crusade is commemorated behind every rock and tree statewide. Gaspar de Portola saw through the porthole of the galleon on his way north got a plaque.