At around 10:00 am, the tour will visit the Silva apricot ranch, 891 Piedmont Rd. to see the last working apricot farm in Milpitas. Member and owner Kelly Silva will show us how apricots are cut and processed.

Then around 10:30 am the tour will cross the road to the historic St. John the Baptist Cemetery, 651 Old Piedmont Road. Established in 1902, originally the parish cemetery for St. John the Baptist church in Milpitas, it is the resting place of many pioneer Milpitas families. Joanne Sousa, who has family resting there, will provide information and a walking tour around the cemetery.

For the last stop, at noon, the tour will go up Felter Road to the Big Dog Winery for a wine tasting. There are picnic tables available if you’d like to bring a lunch to enjoy with their award-winning wines and the spectacular view of our Santa Clara Valley.

The Historical Society will be making flyers and maps of the tour that we will need help giving out. For further information on the tour and how you might help, please call Harriett McGuire at 262-7979.

The Milpitas Historical Society will be hosting a Foothills Tour on Saturday, June 26th. If you wish to attend this tour please contact Barbara Bowman at 942-1492.

The first stop will be at the only apricot ranch left in Milpitas which is owned by Society members Kelly and Diana Silva.

You will be able to see first hand how the apricots are picked, cut, sulfured and spread on the ground to dry. This ranch has belonged to the Silva family since the 1800′s, and his son Clarence (Kelly) continues to farm it.

Across the street, our next stop is the gated St. John’s Catholic Cemetery which is closed to the public. St John’s is the resting place of many pioneers who settled in our town. The previous owners were Frederico and Teresa Narvaez who sold the property to Sebina Dias on September 8, 1898 for $625. Four days later on September 12,1898 she sold the property to the Roman Catholic Archbishop of San Francisco for the same price. The first burial according to records was on February 13, 1903. John Joseph Cabral was 55 and a native of Portugal. Other names that may be familiar to members and the community are Borge, Carlo, Coelho, Gomes, Lopes, Mello, Nunes, Pashote, Pedro, Rose, Silova, Silveira, Soares, Pimental and Terra.

Next stop will be Ed Levin Park to get the ranger who will open the gate to the Downing Ranch at Sandy Wool Park. This ranch was once owned by long time rancher George Lucas Downing in the 1800′s. This is still a working ranch and not open to the public. There is an interesting rock formation once used by the Ohlone Indians on a hill at the ranch we may climb up to view.

The public is welcome to attend, the group will meet at Mervyn’s parking lot at 9:45 a.m. and plan to leave at 10 a.m.

It is suggested everyone wear sun screen, a hat, walking shoes and bring a bottle of water.

We will be leaving Big Lots, 200 Serra Way,  at 9:30 a.m. sharp. Please call Barbara at (408) 942-1492 if you wish to attend, so that enough drivers can be arranged. Sorry, but those arriving without calling will have to take their own car if no space is available.