Emma Prusch and Her Park
Emma Prusch
Born February 12, 1876, Emma Prusch was the daughter of William and Cathrena Prusch. The Prusch family ran a dairy farm on the land that is now Emma Prusch Farm Park. Emma spent her life on the family farm and helped raise her two brothers, Nicholas and William Jr., and her sister, Mathilda. When Emma's father passed away in 1949, she took over the family dairy.
Valley Of Heart's Delight
During the years that Emma lived on her dairy farm, San Jose was a major farming area. Crops such as wheat, followed by grapes, and then fruit orchards, covered most of the valley. The large number of orchards, covered with: fragram blossoms each spring, eamed San Jose the name "Valey Of Heart's Delight."
The Park
In the late 1950s, when Emma was in her early 80s, she thought about the future of her land. Over her lifetime Emma had seen the Santa Clara Valley change from a place of quiet, rural agriculture to a large, busy city. Emma's love for her farm and for agriculture helped her make her choice. Emma Prusch donated her farm to the people of San Jose to be preserved as an agricultural park. Today, Emma Prusch Farm Park provides an important link to the City's past, as part of the Valley of Heart's Delight. All of this is the result of Emma's vision.
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Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture • Parks & Recreational Areas • Settlements & Settlers • Women. A significant historical date for this entry is February 12, 1876.
Location. 37° 20.443′ N, 121° 50.805′ W. Marker is in San Jose, California, in Santa Clara County. It is in Alum Rock. It can be reached from South King Road. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 647 South King Road, San Jose CA 95116, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in California’s San Francisco Bay Area, in Silicon Valley, and on the Coast Ranges. It is also on the American Pacific Coast. Globally, it is in North America, on the Ring of Fire, in the Pacific Rim, in the Western Hemisphere, in the Western World, and in the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain and also Mexicos Alta California.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Guadalupe Mission of San Jose (approx. 0.8 miles away); Chavez Family Home (approx. 1.1 miles away); Cesar E. Chavez (approx. 1.1 miles away); San Jose High School (approx. 1½ miles away); Sakauye Migrant Farm Worker Housing (approx. 1½ miles away); Stevens Ranch Fruit Barn (approx. 1½ miles away); The Gordon House (approx. 1½ miles away); a different marker also named Gordon House (approx. 1½ miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in San Jose.
More about this marker. The marker is located in front of the office in Emma Prusch Farm Park.
Also see . . . Emma Prusch Farm Park Foundation. (Submitted on August 20, 2020.)
Credits. This page was last revised on February 7, 2023. It was originally submitted on August 20, 2020, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. This page has been viewed 2,145 times since then and 113 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on August 20, 2020, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California.
