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Along the bottom of a canyon in the foothills of the Diablo Range on the eastern outskirts of the city of San José flows a stream known historically as “Shistuk” by the local indigenous Tamien People.
The first maps of the area note the stream’s name as “Arroyo Aguaje,” but it was known as “Penitencia Creek” by the early 20th-century residents of San José. The creek and its mineral springs became the foundation for a health resort built by private landowners in the 1850s and 1860s on the floor of the canyon.
Around 1853, early Santa Clara settler John M. Ogan purchased land outside the canyon. He called the area “Alum Rock.” What’s rather ironic is that alum is not actually present in the large rock outcropping in the canyon. In spite of this, the canyon and surrounding area have been known by that name ever since.
In fact, the rock formations are actually composed of thenardite, an anhydrous sodium sulfate mineral that has been commonly mistaken for alum.
There is another black rock in the canyon with an estimated weight of 2,000 tons. This huge rock is entirely different. It’s actually considered one of the largest meteorites in the world.
However, during WWI, it was broken up because it contained manganese, which was used in the war effort.
To be continued….
Everything else is just history
