A Look Back

The Murdock area lies within West San Jose and borders the cities of Saratoga and Cupertino, in Santa Clara County, California. 

Its historical origins trace back to indigenous land, Spanish colonization, Mexican land grants, and eventually to California’s agricultural and tech transformation. Here’s a chronological overview of its development:

Before European immigration, the region was inhabited by the Ohlone people, particularly the Tamyen group of the Ohlone-speaking tribe. They lived in villages throughout the Santa Clara Valley, sustained by hunting, gathering, and fishing.

• Between 1700 and 1840 the area became part of the Mission Santa Clara de Asís system, where Native Americans were converted to Christianity and engaged as farmhands and laborers.

• Lands between Saratoga Ave and De Anza Blvd were later part of Mexican land grants, including:

  • Rancho Quito (granted in 1841) which covered parts of modern-day Saratoga, Cupertino, and West San Jose.

• In 1850 when California became a U.S. state, land was subdivided and sold to American settlers.

• The area developed into orchard and vineyard farmland (prunes, apricots, and cherries, grapes) as part of the “Valley of Heart’s Delight.”

• A small settlement known as Quito existed in the region, near modern-day Quito and Pollard Road.

• After WWII, this region quickly transitioned from agricultural to suburban residential use to support the rapidly growing population.  .

• Development followed the construction of Highway 85, Interstate 280, and De Anza Blvd (named for explorer Juan Bautista de Anza).

• Tract homes, shopping centers (like Westgate Mall), and schools were developed to serve growing families.

• The rise of Silicon Valley transformed the area into a tech-adjacent residential and commercial hub.

• Employment at the nearby tech companies boosted property values and urban growth in surrounding neighborhoods.

------

Here are some early memories of our neighborhood provided by former resident Dorothy Rheuark. 

When we moved here in February, 1960 there were no freeways, schools, parks, or shopping centers; the closest shopping was at Lawrence Station Road (now Lawrence Expressway) and Stevens Creek. The largest shopping center was Valley Fair. All the land surrounding our housing tract was orchards; primarily prune trees along with some cherry trees.

The first tract of houses built in our neighborhood was what we referred to as "county" houses that were built before 1956. That is the tract that backs up to the current Lynbrook High School on Walbrook. Those houses, years later, were annexed to Saratoga. When they were built local high school students attended school in Campbell. 

The second tract consisted of Johnson Avenue to Bollinger to Harder Street which included Kimberly and Prouty Way. Built in 1956, this tract had three different builders, thus three different styles of homes. The flat tops were built by the same builder as in Cupertino's Rancho Riconada tract, which is on the other side of Bollinger. The Rancho Rinconada tract was fully developed when we moved into our home on Johnson Avenue near Tompkins Drive. Development of the Huntingdon Tract followed our tract, then Live Oak, Regency and others. The flat tops homes in Oaktree tract were still a different builder. 

In 1960 high school students in our tract went to Cupertino High (the original one). School busses picked up students at the corner of Johnson and Prouty Way. Junior high students went to Miller. Hyde Junior High was open but only for Cupertino students on other side of Bollinger. 

My daughter started kindergarten at Dilworth on the first day of the brand new school in 1962. My son started in 1966 at Dilworth for a half year, then they both went to Murdock School when it was built, as Johnson was the divider street for the two schools. They became students at Miller Junior High, then Lynbrook High School. At Lynbrook both my children were involved in many activities; my daughter was a Letter Girl and Honor Student, involved in athletics and well as other activities. My son was also an Honor Student and class president for three years; he served on the Fremont Union High School District board as their Student Representative in his senior year. Both are very successful now in the medical field as a Sr Medical Scientist (daughter) and ENT head and neck surgeon (son).

The first neighborhood association was formed by my former neighbor Bud Harmon. He also organized and started the TOURNAMENT OF BANDS that is held each year at Cupertino High School. Our Neighborhood Association also included the Rancho Riconada tract. Because of this union, we received swimming pool access. 

We broke off from Rancho in the early 1960's and formed our own association. Eventually the association ended as residents stopped participating and people moved away. 

As a Neighborhood Association, we helped in the decision making for development of some of this area: 

• A grocery store at the corner of Kimberly and Johnson on vacant lots at that time. Our association decided against as it was in center of residential area and would add more traffic. That idea developed into a 7-11 at Moorpark and Williams. 

• A Burger King restaurant at the corner of Bollinger and Miller. We voted no because of traffic and safety concerns linked to Hyde Junior High across the street. The restaurant was eventfully built on the corner of Moorpark and Williams. 

• A Little League baseball field at the Murdock Park was considered. It was eventually build near Miller Junior High School. Murdock received tennis courts. 

• An apartment housing development was proposed behind Murdock School/Park against the Expressway. This was rejected because of the congestion and many other issues. 

• A condo development was proposed for Hyde Avenue and Tompkins Drive. We met with the developers and worked out issues with the facing of the condos.

• The redevelopment of the Orchard Farm Center. We met and discussed issues, such as placing trees in the parking lots and set times for truck deliveries to Safeway. 

------

Memories from our son Daryl Rheuark (probably added about 2012)

I vividly remember playing in the orchard across the street from our home on Johnson Avenue. There were dirt clod fights, hide and seek in the mustard, tree houses held together by a few nails with four by fours propped under the limbs. The farmer had a bunch of deer antlers nailed up on the side of their barn. As kids we joked that they were actually the bones of children he had caught messing around near the barn. He used to leave figs lying out on wooden screen frames to dry. Fortunately, we were not that fond of figs, especially the green ones. When the houses and condos went in, the builders had a fenced-in storage lot across from Dilworth. We got a lot of the tree house wood from there, even a large semicircle-shaped plywood piece used to give the depression on the arches above the windows. Since there weren't that many kids around, and hence not that much stolen, no one seemed to mind. You can't do that nowadays.