The Valley of Heart's Delight
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While Santa Clara has long been an area of abundant riches, historic land use has disrupted its natural resources. Santa Clara County
was originally known as “The Valley of Heart’s Delight” for the abundant miles of apricot, plum, cherry, and pear orchards. In 1940, Santa Clara County’s orchards alone supplied over half of the nation’s supply of apricots and plums. Santa Clara College had used this fertile land in the 1870’s to develop student sustained vineyards, olive trees, orchards, and gardens. Although orchards of “The Valley of Heart’s Delight” have mostly been paved over, remnants of the fruitful region continue to thrive in “Silicon Valley.”
Silicon Valley is now a global resource for advancements in technology
Technology based companies like Apple, Inc., which employ many SCU alumni, have paved over the valley, transforming this region into a globally known center of technology innovation. However, this transformation has created many environmental problems. For example, hazardous waste, or Superfund sites, left behind by tech companies contaminate groundwater and cause harmful human health impacts. Some of these Superfund sites are very close to campus near the Cal Train, Safeway, and SC Police Station!
Additional Information:
Video
http://www.archive.org/details/valley_of_hearts_delight
Map of Superfund Sites
http://www.envirostor.dtsc.ca.gov/public/map.asp?global_id=60000133
Bibliography
McKevitt, Gerald 1979. University of Santa Clara: A History, 1851-1977. Stanford University Press.
Pellow, David N., and Lisa Sun Park.The Silicon Valley of dreams: environmental injustice, immigrant workers, and the high-tech global economy. New York City: New York University Press, 2002. Print.
Sachs, Aaron. “Virtual Ecology: A Brief Environmental History of Silicon Valley.” World Watch (1999): 12-21. Print.
Santa Clara County, California : California lands for wealth, California fruit for health / by Leigh Irvine Irvine, Leigh Hadley, 1863-1942 San Jose, Calif. : San Jose Chamber of Commerce, [1913?]
Santa Clara county, California : “The valley of heart’s delight” / compiled by San Jose Chamber of Commerce ; with the co-operation of Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors San Jose, Calif. : The Chamber of Commerce, 1931
Photos
http://terraformearth.wordpress.com/2008/07/page/2/
Label for Richmond Chase Company Apricots
http://siliconangle.com/files/2011/01/silicon-valley-guy.gif
Handbook for the hip “Silicon Valley Guy”
http://www.svmodern.com/images/scvalley-postcard-about-lrg.jpg
Postcard of orchard and flowers in Santa Clara Valley