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S hortly aer the turn of the 20th century, as a development boom swept across the West, Bay Area entrepreneurs raced to take advantage of the premium locations in our lovely San Lorenzo Valley. anks to a large demand for summer homes by Bay Area families, develop- ments like Bracken Brae and Forest Springs in Boulder Creek, Forest Park and Riverside Park in Ben Lomond and Tangle- wood in Felton sprang up seemingly overnight. ree years aer the 1906 earthquake destroyed the local Southern Pacific tracks, the railroad re- opened with a shortened route which cut the travel time between San Fran- cisco and Santa Cruz to a breezy 2 ½ hours. Big city realty firms booked entire cars on the first run to introduce the public to their new San Lorenzo Valley subdivisions. roughout May 1909, advertising for two of the subdivisions , Wild- wood in Boulder Creek and Glen Arbor in Ben Lomond, filled the San Francisco papers. e joys of Wildwood, the American Realty Co.'s "new summer play- ground," were touted —"Fishing, Camping, Boating, Bathing, Tramp- ing". e tiny lots were available for $15 to $19 and an additional $3 off with the coupon in the ad. e S. F. Chronicle offered 5 Wildwood lots as a subscription prize and the Mack Swain's vaude- ville house in Santa Cruz raffled off others. Clever Glen Arbor mar- keting included a subdivi- sion naming contest. As of May 16, the top vote getter was Heidelberg. Glenn Arbor, then in second place, came from behind to win at the end. Improvements were to include a local railroad depot, electricity as well as telephone and telegraph service. Home sites on corners or beside the San Lorenzo River were priced at $50 but inside lots could be had for as little as $30. When hundreds signed up for June excursions, the overbooked railroad moved the Wildwood trip up and limited it to the 300 passengers. Agent G. H. Wiley celebrated "a tremendous success—300 happy people bought 625 lots among the Red- woods." e following week, an equally large crowd at- tended the Glen Arbor sale and free BBQ. Aer- wards, the party traveled to the Big Tree Grove at Felton for a band concert and dance. Sales manager Lawrence W. Coffee told the press that over two thirds of the remaining bungalow lots (reportedly, 300 lots had previously been sold in 10 days) had been taken up. e promoters of Wild- wood immediately invest- ed their profits in more local real estate, opening up a new tract called "e Knolls" (originally Bell's Addition to Tanglewood) in Felton and laid out "Camp Imperial," along Lompico Creek. Selling the San Lorenzo Valley by Ronnie Trubek and Randall Brown, historical researcher Coming September 12 th ! Magical Creekside Setting in Desirable Ben Lomond Neighborhood Only 4 Days on the Market Sold for $1,546,450 1891 Weston Road, Scotts Valley Ronnie Trubek Ronn REALTOR nn TOR ® n ® nie Trube n - CalBRE #00782879 REALTOR TOR 831) 81 TOR 8 alBRE C 8-4233 831) 818 4233 trubek@aol com rubek@aol.com ww.ronnietrubek.com R REA REA (8 (8 rt rt ww Nine Times "Valley Fave" Press-Banner 2015 Woman of the Year SLV Chamber of Commerce " ar erce Mark your calendar to preview this adorable 3 Br, 2 Ba, 1342 sq ft home. Boasting excellent privacy on 3 sides and fully fenced front and back, you'll love the luscious creek-side setting complete with sounds of trickling water and wildlife viewing. Enjoy the tranquil views from the huge deck, the spa (both with retractable awnings) or the hot & cold outdoor shower. Move right in and enjoy the beautifully remodeled, contemporary style kitchen & bathrooms. Double French doors lead to the master suite while patio doors exit to the private backyard. A brick fireplace wood stove insert keeps the house toasty while a huge skylight brightens the house on fogg y days. Meticulously maintained, this single-story charmer offers a clean termite & septic bill of health. Vehicles? There's plenty of parking in the 1+ car garage, carport and side parking area. Gardeners will be delighted with the raised beds, garden storage shed, 1000 gallon water storage tank & irrigation system making gardening a breeze. See You in September! Happy Home, Happy Buyer Sold for $980,000 12311 Irwin Way, Boulder Creek Represented a Wonderful Seller Sold for $$820,000 126 May Avenue, Santa Cruc Represented an Out-of-Town Seller Sold for $940,000 1330 El Solyo Heights Drive, Felton Vintage Property Loaded with Charm Received Multiple Offers 130 Larkspur Street, Brookdale PENDING conTinues on pg. 6