Aug 26, 2007

Looking Back: The legacy of Lyman J. Burrell

Winery family of early pioneer kept history alive

By Jennifer van der Kleut / COLUMNIST

The name "Burrell" is well known around these parts. Lyman J. Burrell was a true pioneer, one of the first handful of settlers in the area, back in the days before Los Gatos was even Los Gatos.

These days, the legacy of the Burrell family is kept alive in our town's historical archives and in his namesake, the Burrell School Winery in the mountains above downtown.

Lyman J. Burrell was born in Sheffield, Mass. in 1801. At the age of 38, he moved to Ohio to become a farmer. It was there that he met his future wife, Clarissa Wright. Soon, they married, and had three children - daughters Clara and Martha, and son James Birney Burrell.

In 1849, the couple moved to California so Burrell could pursue the quest for gold. By 1853, they had settled in familiar territory -the Santa Cruz Mountains. It wasn't easy getting their belongings up the mountain, considering there weren't any roads or cleared paths yet. They employed a team of four yoke of oxen pulling two wagons to get everything from their iron bed to their pet pig up to their new home. The arduous task took three days.

In those days, there wasn't a neighbor in sight. In fact, the only known settler in the area at the time was his future good friend and business partner, Charles McKiernan - otherwise known as Mountain Charley - got his famous name from a near-fatal tango with a mountain bear.

It wasn't a secret that the Santa Cruz Mountains were home to many a dangerous one, including both bears and lions, which eventually gave our town its name (Los Gatos meaning "the cats" in Spanish).

In personal letters, many of which are mentioned in Los Gatos Public Library Director Peggy Conaway's historical book "Images of America: Los Gatos," Burrell admits, "I knew that bears and lions dwelt here, but I feared them not." Despite his courage, Burrell ended up having his own dangerous encounter with a grizzly during their time in the nearby mountains, but managed to escape relatively unscathed.

A good deal of writing was done by Clarissa, his wife, who documented much of their life on the mountain. The letters reveal that Clarissa was often sick and very frail, making the pioneer life a challenge for her, but her only complaint about their mountain home was how far it was from the nearest market. The letters also tell of the three to four-month vacation she took with her three children around Cape Horn.

Despite being one of the area's first settlers, the Burrell family's biggest contribution to the area was in the fruit industry. McKiernan, Burrell and friend John Martin Schultheis pioneered the local orchard industry back in the mid to late 1800's. It is said that Burrell began planting fruit trees as early as 1856 on his mountain ranch.

When his grandson Frank L. Burrell was born to son James Birney Burrell, was born in Los Gatos in 1873, he remained in the area and spent his childhood working in the family orchards. The venture turned out to be hugely profitable and helped set the stage for Los Gatos to become the frontrunner of the country's fruit industry.

Together, father and son built a machine that picked prunes mechanically and graded them for their size.

Young Frank went on to form his own company, which eventually became the well-known FMC, or Food Machinery Corporation.

Not long after, the old family mountain ranch became home to one of the area's first schoolhouses, Burrell School, boasting the first bell to signal the start and finish of the school day, and the first flagpole.

In 1890, the American flag that flew on that flagpole displayed 44 stars, which soon became 46 later that year when both Idaho and Wyoming became official U.S. states.

More than a century later, the area still has a rich history. In 1973, David and Anne Moulton began developing the Burrell School Winery, its vines growing on the very land that was once home to the namesake family. As the official history of the winery states, "the soil is a mixture of loam and shale due to its close proximity to the San Andreas Fault."

At a 1,600-foot elevation, the winery overlooks the Monterey Bay, providing the ultimate climate for the slow ripening of fine grapes for chardonnay, merlot and pinot noir.

Burrell School also serves its Estate Cabernet Franc, Syrah and Valedictorian Blend, which are made with grapes from its nearby Pichon Vineyard. After harvesting and crushing, the wine is aged for 12 to 18 months in French or American oak barrels, and then for an additional six to 12 months in bottled before being sold or served to the public.

Burrell School wine has won many an award over the years.

The winery, which is open to the public on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., still pays homage to its historical roots, with its tasting room located on the site of the school's original teachers' carriage.


Comments? Email Jennifer van der Kleut at jvanderkleut@gmail.com.

The historic information in this article was compiled from the following sources: the book "Images of America: Los Gatos" by Peggy Conaway; the book "History of Los Gatos: Gem of the Foothills" by George G. Bruntz; "Burrell School History" by the Burrell School Vineyards and Winery; and the archives of Hooked On Los Gatos: The Library and Museum History Project.