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A History of Los Altos Weddings

Sponsored Post Over the years, Los Altos has changed a lot and so have Los Altos weddings. What started as small-scale orchard-town gatherings at the start of the 20th century has now become more modern affairs that can be part elegant, part casual. For couples seeking the perfect backdrop, a Los Altos wedding in the Bay Area can be simply…
April 30, 2026
Blog

Every Street Name Tells a Story: Paul Kuckein’s Legacy

Los Altos History Museum has been deprived of one of its stalwart and influential members with the passing of Paul Kuckein on August 31, 2025.   Paul dedicated hundreds of hours of volunteer work to the Museum over the past several years. In January 2023, he inaugurated an original project, “History of Los Altos Street Names,” which he researched independently…
November 5, 2025
Blog

When Chill Fails and Rain Falls: Nature’s Toll on the Apricot Orchard 

For a long time, my family members have talked about the uncertainties of agriculture. You can do everything right and then nature throws a curveball. You figure out what happened then pick yourself up and try again. Last winter, nature pitched three curveballs in the Civic Center Apricot Orchard. Although there was a short freeze, the total chill hours were…
May 29, 2025
Blog

Orchard Historical Integrity

What are the defining features of the Los Altos Heritage Orchard? Is it the Blenheim apricots? Might it be the number of trees or the acreage? Or is it how the orchard was tended when J. Gilbert Smith sold the land to the City in 1954? Now we have a professional benchmark in the recently released report titled “Los Altos…
March 6, 2025
Blog

The Museum’s Commitment to Heritage Orchard Preservation

Los Altos History Museum remains dedicated to our multi-year plan to rehabilitate the Los Altos Heritage Orchard. The Museum’s Orchard Commons Committee was formed in 2019 to preserve this Historical Landmark, ultimately with the goal of transforming it into a source of civic pride by its 75th anniversary in 2027. In 2023, the City contracted the Museum to care for…
July 1, 2024
Blog

Best Volunteer Job Ever!

I love working in the Los Altos Heritage Orchard because it brings up so many happy memories as a child growing up in Los Altos Hills; I lived with my family in an apricot orchard. I’d run from tree to tree through the yellow mustard, and couldn’t wait to devour fresh apricots straight from the trees in July. Dad made…
May 2, 2024
Blog

A letter from Elisabeth Ward

Dear Members of Los Altos History Museum, For the last seven years, I’ve had the privilege of being the Executive Director of the Los Altos History Museum. The time has flown by because of the quality of the people with whom I have interacted. As you all know, this area is extraordinary for having intelligent, hard-working, creative, and optimistic residents. I…
April 2, 2024
Blog

New Trees for Heritage Orchard

My gaze dances along straight rows of new saplings that fill in the gaps between existing apricot trees. Each sapling is tucked within a compost-rich basin, encircled by a spiral dripline at the trunk’s base. The Orchardscapes crew used a Bobcat loader to blanket the soil with arbor mulch spread along as many rows of trees as possible between rains,…
January 31, 2024
Blog

Teen Docents Promote Inclusivity with Mandarin Tours

At Los Altos History Museum, we constantly look for innovative ways to engage with our audience and make history accessible to all. The establishment of the Teen Docent Program is one such approach. Not only do these teen volunteers bring youthful energy and fresh perspectives, but they also represent a connection to the future, helping to fulfill our mission of…
January 4, 2024
Blog

Dancing Through Time with Helen Foerster

As a history major at San Jose State University, I've been drawn to the lives of ordinary people rather than focusing on monarchs or generals. I find a deep connection in exploring the diaries, letters, and community meeting notes of regular individuals. There's something powerful about understanding the lives of those who came before us as everyday people. Los Altos History Museum’s Oral History Project takes this…
December 6, 2023
Blog

Frank Berry: Los Altos’ First Ophthalmologist

Although I’m a San Diego native who has only lived in the Bay Area for the past two years, interning for Los Altos History Museum has given me the opportunity to get to know the city of Los Altos almost as well as I know the city I grew up in. The Museum’s Oral History Committee works tirelessly to preserve the history of Los Altos through the eyes…
November 30, 2023
Blog

Wish Come True

A fluttering yellow ribbon with the message “Drip Irrigation” caught my eye in the Los Altos Heritage Orchard. In December, a volunteer tied this wish to the apricot tree that we planted in memory of Phil Doetsch, our former orchardist who taught me so much. Now, that wish is coming true as we install a new drip irrigation system, and my heart sings as so many join…
October 5, 2023

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