News & Notes
President ’ s Message
By Pamela Baird MVHA President
This newsletter is published four times a year by the MOUNTAIN VIEW HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION P . O . Box 252 , Mountain View , CA 94042 www . mountainviewhistorical . org
MVHA Board of Directors
President : Pamela Baird Vice-President : Robert Cox Secretary : Jamil Shaikh Treasurer : Emily Ramos Past President : Nicholas Perry Historical Data : Candace Bowers Publicity : Marina Marinovich Membership : IdaRose Sylvester Newsletter : John Cortez Ways & Means : Mark Perry Director-at-Large : Lisa Garcia Director-at-Large : Gil Lane
Newsletter Copy Editor : Cynthia Hanson Newsletter Graphic Designer : Nicholas Perry
MVHA Board of Directors Email : info @ mountainviewhistorical . org Voicemail : ( 650 ) 903-6890
What shows on a map ?
Recently , my husband and I participated in a guided tour of Zion , Bryce , and the North Rim of the Grand
Pamela Baird Canyon national parks . There was a lot of driving , which meant we looked at maps to learn the layout of the parks . We also viewed geological cut-through diagrams to learn about the incredible history of these parks .
As we drove along , I started to think about maps — how they ’ re surveyed and produced , and what they describe . Many civilizations have struggled to create representations of local and faraway topography to facilitate trade , travel , and treaties .
Wikipedia describes cartography as “ the study and practice of making and using maps . Combining science , aesthetics and technique , cartography builds on the premise that reality ( or an imagined reality ) can be modeled in ways that communicate spatial information effectively .”
On a wall in the basement of my maternal grandparents ’ home in southwest Iowa was unusual map of the western United States . It showed the cattle drive trail routes of the West . The map was a solid dark blue with the trails printed in off-white . My grandfather raised cattle , which is probably why it was there . Every time I visited , I would look at the map , with its unusual coloring , and wonder about those cattle drives and where they went . It ’ s odd that none of my six cousins remember that map !
Recently , I was in the History Center at the MV Library doing research for the Wyandotte Park project . There was a 1954 street atlas on one of the tables . In reviewing it I looked at the pages where our townhouse is located . To my surprise , across Middlefield Road ( now the Monte Loma neighborhood ) was the Mountain View Airstrip . I had never heard about this before ! Evidently , the unpaved airstrip was there for about twenty years .
Martha Wallace , a member of the Friends of “ R ” House , recently provided great research on the previous landowners of the Wyandotte Park area . Her careful use of several maps helps clarify the history . This interesting story is included .
A new member of MVHA , Eric Flint , has volunteered to write an article ( and perhaps a regular column ) about using maps for research . He has become quite fascinated about the many resources available . His first article is included in this issue .
It makes one wonder about the layers of history in our area and what we don ’ t know about our immediate surroundings . What can you find ?
— Pamela 2