First Palms in Northern California - Another Opinion

The News, August 11, 1917

An intriguing statement: "Never have I been able to discover anyone who knew of the introduction of palms in San Jose until recently. Repeatedly I have been told that they grew neither at Mission Santa Clara nor Mission San Jose before the Americans came and this is probably true."

Louis Prévost is mentioned as having brought the seed first and then B.F. Fox (sic) and then later Mr. John Rock. Several old trees are mentioned. The three oldest are from the Prévost's gardens. Two "on the Porter block" and a palm in front of the McKee house. Mr. Albert Schroeder obtained some from Mazatlan. The Vendome Hotel had some as well as Governor Latham in Menlo Park. "Forty years ago palms were all the rage."

So were who planted the palms planted at Mission San Jose and when?