Gilroy

Gilroy. A True Community. , Settlers from many countries came to Gilroy and brought their traditions and skills with them, contributing to Gilroy’s growth and vitality., Germans Adam Riehl founded Gilroy Brewery and was one of Gilroy’s early City Mayors., The Irish were among our earliest settlers and they founded St. Mary’s Catholic Church in 1865., Louis Pellier brought in French fruit tree cuttings leading to an abundance of prunes being grown in the region., Planting of grapes on a large scale began in 1897. In the 1930s, Italian Americans owned all the small wineries in the region., By 1870, three quarters of the agricultural workforce in California was Chinese. In our area, they worked wit the tobacco production. They also played a significant part in building the railroads., Spanish Sig Sanchez: Gentleman, Rancher, Public Servant. Sig Sanchez entered public service in 1953 for a total of 55 years. He served 10 years on the Gilroy City Council, including five years as Mayor, 16 years on the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors, and 30 years on the Board of the Santa Clara Valley Water District., Mexicans Lupe Sanchez was a gentle advocate for education and social justice. Her family provided land for the Santa Clara County Housing Development Corp. to build Gilroy’s first low income housing project. She was active in many civic organizations and named to the Gilroy Hall of Fame in 1991. , Dionisio “Chino” Vasquez right of photo, was instrumental in helping the United Farm Workers movement. He is pictured here on stage at Christmas Hill Park with renowned labor leader, Cesar Chavez. Vasquez also helped develop the first affordable housing project in Gilroy., Portuguese families are known for dairy farming and community celebrations. Immigrants from the Azores continue to carry out the tradition of the :Festa do Espirito Santo” annually., Filipinos worked in agriculture caregiving and service industries., Japanese immigrants were the first to grow large quantities of peppers, strawberries, tomatoes and garlic in the area., Inset Images: , Carnegie Library/Museum, Circa 1910 , Wheeler Hospital, Circa 1929 , Old City Hall, Circa 1905 , Rebekah Children’s Home, Circa 1922 , Christian Church, 1850s, [One of the four panels that make up the marker is missing.]