Hi, Dave: I was able to find some bits and pieces for you today. I started at the corner grocery, asking the man who has owned it for many years and lived here all of his long life if he knew for whom the street was named. He told me that he knew it was named for a person, and he recalled that on the deed to his property he believed the description included a mention of the "Bardue Rancho", which had been part of an original land grant. He didn't have the deed available, so I went across the street to the Aromas Library. Albert and Alzora Snyder were local historians who lived here for many years, and they left their clipping and photograph collection to the local library. In the file marked "Bardue" I found the following two clippings, cut out of the Watsonville Register-Pajaronian. 100 years ago (1893) The Bardue ranch, near the sand cut, has been cut into small tracts and a townsite laid off next to the Southern Pacific track. The new town will be called Aromitas and will be a railroad and post office station. (In handwriting at the bottom of this first clipping, it says "Alzora Snyder researched the post office applications at Washington, D.C., finding that there never was an Aromitas application. On May 19, 1894, there was an application for Aromas, which was granted.") 100 years ago (1887) Louis Loupe of Gilroy has bonded the Bardue Ranch near the sand-cut for $31,000. Louis is coining money in Gilroy, and having confidence in the future development of the Pajaro Valley, he swooped down and bonded a ranch bordering on what will soon be a transcontinental line of railroad. Also in a file, I found the 1973 Civic Directory of Aromas. Here is a quote from the forward to the Directory. "Aromas Inspires Many Legends" "....(T)he Spanish crown created two land grants in the district. The dividing line between the grants of Las Aromita y Agua Caliente and Bolsa del Pajaro was the road now known as Carpinteria. "The union of these two grants in the heart of the little valley was a 'natural'' for settlement. And so, a Mr. Bardue, the stories run, acquired an interest in part of the two grants. The contributions of nature then, as today were prodigal--plenty of timber on the hills, water stores, game, and of course, fabulously fecund soil. "But it was not until the Southern Pacific laid its tracks in the 1870's through Aromas that the settlement by pioneer farmers was given an impetus. One of the first to loom on the horizon was H.F. Blohm, a foreman of a steam shovel gang which cut the pass through the Aromas hills. "The coming of the railroad, naturally enough, opened up the Aromas district for more settlers. In 1888 the land held by Bardue passed into the hands of a company of men from Gilroy. They surveyed the land, placed it on the market and in this way made it possible for a number of American farmers and orchardists to dig stakes." Next, I found an obituary which had been posted in the Watsonville Pajaronian as copied from the San Jose News. Unfortunately, it is not dated. It is for Samuel Rea, and is titled "Founder of Aromas Dies At San Jose". I will post it in a day or so to the Santa Clara County Obit Board. The comment appended was: "(For many years Mr. Rea lived this side of Gilroy and in connection with J.C. Zuck and G.T. Dunlap bought the Bardue ranch near Aromas and laid out the present village of Aromas and the Aromas Rancho. His daughter, Mrs. Ola Rudolph, formerly Mrs. Ola Partridge, is well known in Watsonville, having visited here many times with Mrs. Robert Malarin.--Ed. Pajaronian.)" I made copies of these pages as well as three maps showing the relation of Bardue Street to the County Lines and to the original ranchos, and I will be happy to mail them to you if you want to give me your address. While Mr. Bardue has not been more specifically identified, and it is surprising that his street is actually so short (not to mention barely wide enough for two cars going opposite directions), it seems that the town of Aromas could easily have been named Bardue. I will let you know if I come upon more information about this Mr. Bardue. --Sheila P. In a message dated 2/24/00 9:51:18 PM Pacific Standard Time, dsbardue@camano.net writes: > Hi Sheila, > Wow was I surprised to read you lightening quick response to my > CAMONTER query. Thank you. > In the meantime I've been searching the net for possible sources > on street name records and have still come up with a blank. Do > you suppose I'll have to resort to the old fashioned methods > such as telephone or snail mail? > I figure by your non follow up that you too may have found > street names not so easy to find after all. At home here I would > try my local town hall but I'm sure that even the folks there > would have to ask around to see whose and which files to look > in. > I of course don't know if Aromas HAS a town hall. I actually > live on an island in Island County, WA but the nearest > incorporated town is across a bridge in the next county so I'd > prob'ly have to go to the County Seat of Island County to find > info regarding my island's roads. > Anyway please let me know and thanks again for your efforts. > Dave Bardue > > *********** REPLY SEPARATOR *********** > > On 2/23/00 at 1:24 AM SheleeBebo@aol.com wrote: > > >Hi, Dave: > > > >I can see Bardue Street from here. I will try to find out > tomorrow for whom > >it was named. > > > >--Sheila P. > > > >In a message dated 2/22/00 10:16:49 PM Pacific Standard Time, > >dsbardue@camano.net writes: > > > >> > >> Hi Folks, > >> Does any reader know the Origin of "Bardue" Street in > Aromas, > >> Monterey Co.? I ran across it in some completely unrelated > >> search yesterday. > >> OR . . . . any suggestions as to how to find out for whom > said > >> street was named. > >> > >> My surname is Bardue and I'll bet there's not another street > in > >> the world that bears that name. > >> Thanks, > >> Dave > >> >