The Portland daily press., 1883-06-20
The Mountain Home of John
Browns Widow.


Correspondence San Francisco Chronicle.l
On the summit of the highest mountain
opposite the hotel, and about three miles
away as the crow flies, is the home of the
widow of old John Brown. To reach it by
the road from Saratoga is long tramp up
steep mountain road, but the visitor is re-
paid by a succession of views, each more pan.
oramic than its predecessor, until at the
summit The entire Santa Clare Valley from
below Los Gatos, as well as half of San
Francisco Bay, is spread out like great
map before him. On the way up one passes
by a fifteen-year-old vineyard loaded with
grapes, one of the first that can be seen In
these foothills. Further up the road IS
curved out Of the side of the mountain, and
is fringed on either side by dense growth
of madrone. manzanita, yerba santa, grease
wood, and pepper-wood, all in one confused
tangle-the dreaded chaparral, which is no
thorougbfare without an ak or good Ratchet
This road was built by three men,. each OF
whom took up 100 acres near the summit.
If done by days work it could not have cost
less than $4,000 or $4,000 One has aban-
doned his place, about one mile this side OF
the Brown homestead. The orchard is
grown up to chaparral as high as ones head
while some almond trees are making des-
perate struggle for existence. This place
commands the finest view of any on the
mountain, but the land Is poor and In bad
shape for cultivation. More than a mile
further one comes to the very summit of
the mountain, on which is perched the Brown
place. About ten acres are cleared and set
out in fruit, the majority being French
prunes. The house-a story-and-a-half frame
structure, painted white, with front and
side porch--fronts the east. All that saves
1t from hopeless loneliness is the outlook oy-
er the valley, which is simply superb. Below,
looking as though one might reach It with
stone, Is the village of Saratoga, while across
The valley is the San Jose road, with the
Santa Cruz road leading off almost at right
angles to IL. The great valley ranches look
like truck gardens, while the mountains of
the Coast range form the background of the
picture. Turning ones back ON this view of
the outer world, and the little farm is seen
to possess many homelike features In spite
of its loneliness; but "life and thought have
passed away from the home" 1t is desert
ed for the summer, the only occupant of the
premises being the family cat In semicir
Gle about the front of the house is row of
bushes, and there are other evidences of
taste for ornament, which Is unfortunately
not common in country homes. The place
is pathetic In its testimony to the hard work
that has been expended in bringing 1t to its
present shape. The land is good-a deep,
rich loan, with occasional streaks of gravel;
but 1t has cost much effort to wrest this
small bit of ten acres or more from the
Ia al I'D hat a
young fruit trees, and there is thrifty
kitchen garden of green peas, beets and let
tuce. In time, with much work, it may be
converted into good ranch, but it is not
pleasant task to contemplate.
The house, as it originally stood, consisted
of three rooms and an attic. An addition
has been made of kitchen and bedroom
to the rear, and this is implanted. Here
lived until recently the widow Brown, her
married daughter, aud her son-in-law Fnb-
llnger, and their four little children. A
neigh Dor, who had removed their household
effects to the village of Saratoga on Wednes-
day last, explained the removal in this