Palo Alto Historical Association

hide random home screenshot http://www.commerce.digital.com/palo-alto/historical-assoc/home.html (World Wide Web Directory, 06/1995)
The name Palo Alto, which is Spanish for "tall tree" or "tall pole", was the name given to a huge twin redwood tree that was found growing on the banks of San Francisquito Creek by Captain Gaspar de Portola in November 1769. A proper Spanish description of this unusual twin-trunked tree would have been Los Palos Altos. It is fortunate that the plural name was not used, because a fierce winter storm in the late 1880's blew down one of the twin trunks.

The tree became an increasingly conspicuous landmark as decades of logging deforested the surrounding area. The tree is still alive, and is the symbol of the City of Palo Alto. It has been outfitted with a sprinkler pipe to keep its foliage moist, it is inspected yearly for damage, and it is the centerpiece of a small city park.

The Palo Alto Historical Association is a nonprofit association dedicated to collecting, organizing, and preserving materials pertaining to the history and heritage of Palo Alto, and to spread information about Palo Alto's history by means of programs, displays, and its official publication, The Tall Tree.

The Palo Alto Historical Association and its board of directors are working with Digital Equipment Corporation to provide information about the history of Palo Alto and Silicon Valley.

We have published a book and numerous booklets:

And we also have a collection of biographies of important figures in the history of Palo Alto:
See also the City of Palo Alto and the Palo Alto Chamber of Commerce home pages
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