Skip to main content

Gilroy Hot Springs Road


Gilroy Hot Springs Road is an approximately 6.5-mile highway located in the Diablo Range of southeast Santa Clara County.  The highway begins at the Coyote Lake Reservoir and terminates at the 1921 era Gilroy Hot Springs Road Bridge.  The site of Gilroy Yamato Hot Springs traditionally has been a luxury resort which saw significant Japanese design influence beginning in the late 1930s.  The resort site is now owned by the State Park service and is awaiting restoration.  




Part 1; the history of Gilroy Hot Springs Road

The site of Gilroy Hots Springs was passed during the Second Expedition by Juan Bautista de Anza in 1776.  The expedition camped twice along Coyote Creek in what is now Henry W. Coe State Park while passing through the Diablo Range.  

Gilroy Hot Springs was formally discovered in the early 1860s by Francisco Cantua.  The property the was purchased by California settlers George Roop and William Olden in 1866.  Roop would spur development of a resort which would see a three-story hotel constructed in 1874 along with Italian-Victorian style bathhouse in 1890.  

The site of Gilroy Hot Springs can be seen northeast of Gilroy on the 1882 Bancroft's map of California.  


During 1913 a Redwood water tank was installed at Gilroy Hot Springs.  A truss bridge was constructed over Coyote Creek in 1921 which permitted easier automotive access for visitors.  

Gilroy Hot Springs Road can be seen on the 1921 United States Geological Survey map of the area.  


Gilroy Hot Springs was sold by Roop to Emily and Williams McDonald who would continue to expand the resort.  Gilroy Hot Springs would begin to struggle during the Great Depression.  During 1934 the resort Post Office would close and in 1935 the Southern Pacific Railroad automotive stage service would end.  

Gilroy Hot Springs can be seen along modern Gilroy Hot Springs Road on the 1935 Division of Highways map of Santa Clara County.  The roadway is shown to be considered a major county highway.  


During 1938 Kyuzaburo Sakata a successful farmer from Watsonville purchased Gilroy Hot Springs.  Sakata would announce his intentions to construct a Japanese style garden at the resort which was complete prior to the United States entering World War II.  After the war Sakata would reopen the resort as "Gilroy Yamato Hot Springs" in 1946.  The resort would also become the home of approximately 150 Japanese American citizens who were released from internment camps following the end of the war.  

During 1964 Sakata could not meet Santa Clara County building requirements for heating requirements for the resort cabins.  Sakata would sell Gilroy Yamato Hot Springs in 1966 to Phillip S. Grimes.  During 1980 the resort hotel and clubhouse would burn down.  The facility was again sold in 1988 to Fukuyama International Incorporated.

Fukuyama International Incorporated planned to renovate Gilroy Yamato Hot Springs and successfully petitioned the state to designate it as a historic landmark by 1995.   The State Park system would purchase the property in 2003 as part of Henry W. Coe State Park.  The State Park system presently has not had the budget to restore the resort property but does offer private tours.  



Part 2; a drive on Gilroy Hot Springs Road

Eastbound Gilroy Hot Springs Road begins at the junction of Roop Road and Coyote Reservoir Road.  



Gilroy Hot Springs Road continues east along Coyote Creek and intersects CaƱada Road.  Traffic following the Juan Bautista de Anaz Historic Trail is directed to turn south on CaƱada Road.












Gilroy Hot Springs Road continues east from CaƱada Road to the Hunting Hollow entrance to Henry W. Coe State Park.  






Gilroy Hot Springs Road turns north along with Coyote Creek.  The road ends at the 1921 Gilroy Hot Springs Road Bridge.  






The Gilroy Hot Springs Road Bridge is 120.1 feet long and has a wood road deck.  The structure was rehabilitated in 1993 and now has a metal gate to prevent unauthorized access to Gilroy Yamato Hot Springs.  









Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Abandoned US Route 40 in the Truckee River Canyon

Within the Truckee River Canyon in the Sierra Nevada range numerous abandoned portions of US Route 40 can be found alongside modern Interstate 80.   This segment of highway was opened during 1926 as a bypass of the Dog Valley Grade which carried the early North Lincoln Highway and Victory Highway. The corridor of the Truckee River Canyon State Highway would be assigned as US Route 40 when the US Route System was commissioned during November 1926. During 1958 the segment of Interstate 80 between Boca, California and the Nevada state line was complete. When Interstate 80 opened east of Boca numerous obsolete portions of US Route 40 were abandoned. Some of these abandoned segments have been incorporated into the Tahoe-Pyramid Trail.  Part 1; the history of US Route 40 in the Truckee River Canyon The Truckee River Canyon for centuries has been an established corridor of travel known to native tribes crossing the Sierra Nevada range.  The first documented wagon crossi...

Former US Route 50 and the Pioneer Route Lincoln Highway on Johnson's Pass Road

Johnson's Pass Road is one of the oldest highway corridors in California.  Johnson's Pass was part of the Lake Tahoe Wagon Road as it was completed during 1856 over the Sierra Nevada.  The pass would later be incorporated into the Pioneer Branch of the Lincoln Highway in 1913 and US Route 50 in 1926.  Johnson's Pass Road would be bypassed by a new alignment of US Route 50 over Echo Summit in 1938.  A replacement of the Meyers Grade east of Johnson's Pass would be opened to traffic in 1947.   Johnson's Pass Road remains accessible to traffic and is still signed by the Lincoln Highway Association.  Pictured as the blog cover is the view from the top of Johnson's Pass Road overlooking modern US Route 50 and Lake Tahoe.   Part 1; the history of Johnson's Pass Much of the history of what become the Lake Tahoe Wagon Road is discussed in the  September 1950 California Highways & Public Works  during its Centennial Edition.  The or...

Former California State Route 41 past Bates Station

When California State Route 41 was commissioned during August 1934 it was aligned along the then existing Fresno-Yosemite Road north of the San Joaquin River.  Within the Sierra Nevada foothills of Madera County, the original highway alignment ran past Bates Station via what is now Madera County Road 209, part of eastern Road 406 and Road 207.   Bates Station was a stage station plotted during the early 1880s at what was the intersection of the Coarsegold Road and Stockton-Los Angeles Road.   The modern alignment bypassing Bates Station to the east would be reopened to traffic during late 1939.   Part 1; the history of California State Route 41 past Bates Station Bates Station was featured as one of the many 1875-1899 Madera County era towns in the May 21, 1968, Madera Tribune .  Post Office Service at Bates Station is noted to have been established on November 23, 1883 and ran continuously until October 31, 1903.  The postal name was sourced...