| Montgomery Hill Park | |
|---|---|
 View from Montgomery Hill Trail | |
| Type | Hill, trail. |
| Location | Evergreen, San Jose, San Jose, California, United States |
| Area | 10 acres (40,000 m2) |
| Website | San Jose Parks page |
Montgomery Hill, named after John Joseph Montgomery, is a park located in the Evergreen District of San Jose, California. Montgomery Hill overlooks Evergreen Valley College, which has an observatory adjacent to the park.[1] The park contains an unpaved trail system that extends for 1.2 miles along Evergreen Creek and loops along the peak of the hill for around 0.4 miles.[2][3][4] Along the paths are interpretive signs, which cover the history of John Joseph Montgomery, who used the hill to test and launch his glider.
History[edit]
In October, 1911, John Joseph Montgomery and his mechanic Joseph Vierra laid a wooden track on or around what would become Montgomery hill, using it to launch his new monoplane glider, Evergreen, which is named after the Evergreen District. Throughout October 17-31, Montgomery and Vierra had flown the Evergreen successfully 55 times, which Cornelius Reinhardt would take photos using Vierra's camera.[5] On October 31st, Montgomery stalled and crashed the Evergreen, striking his head against an exposed bolt, leading to his death.[6]
In 1960, Richard E. Nieman, along with California State Senator John F. Thompson and a photographer found the hill where Montgomery launched his gliders by comparing the photos taken by Cornelius Reinhardt to the landscape until they found one that looked identical.[5][7] With Thompson's help, on September 12, 1966, the hill was named Montgomery Hill and declared a historical landmark by the County of Santa Clara.[8][5]
The master plan for Montgomery Hill park, leading to the creation of the trails on and around the Hill, was submitted to San Jose's city council on December 17, 1979.[5]
References[edit]
- ^ "Astronomy | Evergreen Valley College". www.evc.edu. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
- ^ "Montgomery Hill". AllTrails.com. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
- ^ "MONTGOMERY HILL TRAIL". City of San Jose. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
- ^ "Montgomery Hill Park". San Jose. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
- ^ a b c d "Montgomery Hill Evergreen Park". sanjoseca.gov. pp. 10–13. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
- ^ "Montgomery Glider "Evergreen" | National Air and Space Museum". airandspace.si.edu. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
- ^ https://secretary.senate.ca.gov/sites/secretary.senate.ca.gov/files/Senators_%20and_%20Officers_%201849_2020.pdf
- ^ "MONTGOMERY HILL". parks.ca.gov. Retrieved 2024-04-20.