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    Forbes Flour Mill

    Forbes Flour Mill

    2.4(5 reviews)
    0.2 mi

    Happened upon Forbes Flour Mill while I was walking through Vasona Park walking towards Los Gatos…read more It's nestled behind some houses. "Honestly I have no idea exactly where I was, lol" The mill building is very cool, old rustic looking, size wise it's unimpressive. But it was kind of cool that I happen upon it. The back side of the building looks like homeless people might be squatting there. Overall it's definitely not a place that I would seek out to visit but if you're on the Vasona trail it's worth the walk to check it out.

    "The past is a stepping stone, not a millstone."―Robert Plant…read more As you make your way along the Los Gatos Creek Trail, between Vasona and Lexington, you may notice an old, random stone building. This stone structure is the remains of what once was a four-story Grain Mill* built by Scotsman James Alexander Forbes in 1852. It served as an important part of the Valley because, as a thriving agricultural community, Mills were integral. The town that sprouted up around the Mill was first called Forbes Mill, then Forbestown and ultimately what we know nowadays as Los Gatos. While Mr Forbes knew a lot about real estate and filling needs, he unfortunately knew nothing about Flour Milling and the Mill went into Bankruptcy. It was passed around for a while before a stock company, headed by W. S. McMurtry and J. W. McMillen, finally made it successful. They Milled Flour there until 1887 when it became a Power Plant for Multiple companies including serving as a PG&E substation. The Mill itself was finally torn down sometime between 1915 and 1929, and the Annex served as a PG&E storehouse until they abandoned it. In 1971 it became a Youth Center for the town of Los Gatos before finally settling in as The History Museum of Los Gatos (https://goo.gl/GdSGKd). Today the Annex sits abandoned and empty, as the Museum has founds some new digs, and a new name (https://goo.gl/HRkx74). Hopefully they'll find another use for it, but in the meantime you can still admire it for its cool stone architecture, and as an integral part of our Valley's history. *This building is not actually part of the original Mill, but a storage annex that was added on in 1850.

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    Forbes Flour Mill - Cool stone facade

    Cool stone facade

    Forbes Flour Mill - Plaques

    Plaques

    Forbes Flour Mill

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    La Canada Building - landmarks - Updated June 2026

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