Permanente Creek Trail, Rancho San Antonio County Park, Santa Clara County, CA, 3/29/2018
A graceful old oak tree grows beside a meadow in one of my favorite parks. Each day, thousands of people walk and run past this scene, and I wonder how many stop to admire the natural beauty here. This meadow is the former campus of St. Joseph's College. Established in 1924 with the primary purpose of training candidates for Catholic Priesthood, the college also educated thousands of young men who entered public service throughout the US and California. Named after St. Joseph of Cupertino, Italy, the large ornate building was architecturally designed to reflect California’s early Spanish influences. Between 5,000 - 6,000 students attended this college until it was destroyed in the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake. Now there remains this coast live oak (Quercus agrifolia) and a large grassy meadow frequented by deer and turkeys.
