Historical Context of the Park Site at Montague and Seely

The 2.1-acre park site would be located along Seely Avenue, just north of Montague Expressway. This is currently referred to as the "Montague and Seely" park site. However, this is a working title until a permanent name is selected. This future park site would result from the approval of a 22-acre mixed-use development project that is currently under review with the Planning Department. The proposed development project includes development of approximately 1,442 residential units, approximately 18,965 square-feet of retail space, and a new public park. However, this presentation focuses on the historical context of the site to help guide the naming of the new park site. More information regarding the naming and park site can be found on the  Department's "Capital Projects" webpage . You may also help us select a new name for the site by participating in the ranked choice voting  survey  which closes at midnight on Sunday, August 13th at 8:00 PM.

This story map examines both the historical context of the surrounding streets and the the history of the parcels.

Three major streets surround the park: Montague Expressway, Trimble Road, and Seely Avenue. These three  streets  were named for prominent landowners in the area.

Montague Expressway was named after  Wilford Weed Montague  (1827 - 1920), a wealthy entrepreneur who established the San Francisco-based  W.W Montague & Company  in 1857, selling hardware, stoves, and metals. Montague was prominent in political and industrial circles. He is best know in Santa Clara County for establishing a 400-acre "Riverside Ranch" along the banks of the Guadalupe River and the Santa Clara-Alviso Road. The property was developed as a show-place, complete with an artificial lake, extensive gardens, and thorough-bred horses. During the Civil War period he built a 15-room mansion for his bride, known as the "Riverside Farm Home."

Trimble Road appears to be named for  John Trimble , a farmer, rancher, miner, and Milpitas pioneer. Trimble served in the  Mexican-American War  under  General Kearney  and came to California in 1849 from Missouri. He farmed and ranched in Santa Clara County with Samuel Q. Boughton and Robert Bailey at Berryessa from 1850 to 1857. He later purchased 250 acres and raised fruit, berries, and grain. He also served as President of the  Santa Clara County Pioneers .

Seely Avenue appears to be named for  Charles Seely . Charles and Selina Southern Seely purchased the 120-acre parcel on which the park site is located in the 1880s. Charles was born in New York in 1830 and married Selina Southern in Iowa in 1849. They had eight children. Charles later married Mildred "Elizabeth" in 1895 and had one son, Edward Seely.

This historical context briefly covers the history of the park site and surrounding parcels from the mid 1880s to the present day.

The park parcel was originally part of the 120-acre Brigg's farm owned by  Joseph W. Briggs and his wife Mary J. Oldes . The two married in 1854 in Ohio and moved to Santa Clara County in 1873. Briggs planted extensive orchards and small fruit vines.

In the 1880s Charles and Selina Seely purchased the 120-acre farm from Joseph Briggs and built the "Seely House" (picture above). Charles died in 1907. Elizabeth continued living in the home with her son Edward and Edgar. Edward inherited the property after Elizabeth's death in 1927.

 Yuwakichi Sakauye , born in Wakayama-Ken Prefecture, Japan in 1874, immigrated to the United States in 1900. In 1907 Yuwakichi and Tamee Sakauye purchased 20 acres of land from Charles Seely, located to the west of the Seely property. The land purchase occurred prior to the passage of the  1913 Alien Land Law , which prohibited land ownership by Asian immigrants and Asian-Americans and was particularly aimed at limiting the presence and permanence of Japanese-Americans in  California, among other states . By purchasing land prior to the prohibitions, Yuwakichi became one of the few Japanese-American landowners in the area.

In 1902 Yuwakichi Sakauye helped found the NKS Company, which established a large sharecropping business that leased a few acres of land to individual families to farm, thereby establishing a cluster of Japanese-American farms. Between the 1920s and 1930s Nikkei farmers in Santa Clara took on a growing role in agriculture, centered around Trimble Road, North First Street, Alviso, Agnew, and Berryessa. Yuwakichi's proceeds from the NKS Company allowed him to purchase the 20 acres of land from the Seely's.

The Sakauye family built a barn in 1910 and the "Sakauye House" in 1920. In 1912, Yuwakichi and Tamee had  Eiichi , their first of five children, followed by Kenji, Kimiko, Ayako, and Isao. Between 1945 and 1947 Yuwakichi Sakauye purchased the rest of the farm from Edward Seely, after the family's return from Heart Mountain Internment Camp in Wyoming. In 1956, Eiichi inherited the Sakauye property after his father's death. In the 1970s, Eiichi leased a few acres of land to A.J. Tsukuda, a previously retired farmer. Eiichi helped Tsukuda build the Tsukuda fruit stand which currently occupies the site.

Eiichi and his brother together engineered a  pear-sorting  machine for sorting pears on the farm.

In the spring of 1942, the Sakauye family was interned at  Heart Mountain Relocation Center , a Japanese-American internment camp during World War II. Since the Sakauye's owned their land in Santa Clara Valley, they were able to offer neighboring internee families some security by storing their belongings on the Sakauye property.

 At Heart Mountain, Eiichi utilized his skills and knowledge in soil engineering, irrigation and seeds to efficiently farm the barren and harsh landscape . He became actively involved in life at Heart Mountain, where he served as the Assistant Superintendent of Agriculture, as well as serving as Block Manager, Activities Coordinator, Weather Bureau Observer, and Post Master.

Eiichi began documenting life at Heart Mountain Internment Camp via photographs and video, which later lead to the publication of a photo essay that raised awareness of the experiences of Japanese-Americans in internment camps.

Eiichi immersed himself in farming and local activism after returning from Heart Mountain. His book documenting life in Heart Mountain, entitled, "Heart Mountain A Reflection of the Heart Mountain Relocation Center A Photo Essay" was published in 2000. The book utilized the photo and video footage that he captured while interned at Heart Mountain. His images were used in a national television documentary series called " Pride and Shame ." The episode aired on January 3, 1965.

Upon returning from Heart Mountain, Eiichi became civically engaged in his community. He served on the Santa Clara County Historical Heritage Commission and the Jefferson School Board of Education. He also worked with the Santa Clara Valley Water District and the County Agricultural Commission. He was also a member of the Japanese American Citizen League (JACL), the California Pioneers, and the Santa Clara County Pear Association.

He helped found the  Japanese American Museum of San Jose (JAMSJ)  and the Milpitas Historical Museum. He purchased and donated the house that the JAMSJ museum now sits in. The photo above shows Eiichi driving his tractor to its permanent home at the JAMSJ museum.

World War I - The Sakauye's looked after the Seely farm and cared for Edward Seely's ailing mother, Elizabeth, while Edward Seely served in the military. World War II Japanese-American Internment - Edward Seely looked after the Sakauye farm, occupied the farm and put the farm in his name to protect it from vandalism, and returned it to Yuwakichi Sakauye after the internment ended. After Seely's passing, Eiichi visited his friend's grave and placed flowers on it on a regular basis.