Mark the 25th of March on your calendar, PDA, or forearm. On that day, the Ancient and Honorable Order of E Clampus Vitus (ECV) will be in Alviso for a monument dedication, and everyone is invited, even Alvisophobes. The plaque will commemorate the port and town of Alviso. Yes, Alviso was a port, and though it was illegally subsumed into San Jose in 1968, it is for all practical purposes still a town, in appearance like a Mexican village (not counting a few rows of $700,000 townhouses).
The Mountain Charlie Chapter No. 1850 will commence the ceremony at high noon at the Alviso Marina County Park (the abandoned marina), and don’t expect the Mercury News to be there. ECV, despite investing time, money, and merriment on countless worthy historical sites in the bay area, has received scant notice from San Jose’s dominant press. My secret San Jose source, Deep Gullet, tells me that it is because ECV incorporates adult beverages into their post-ceremony fandangos—they drink beer. And the Mercury News, powdered wigs quivering with indignation, does not approve. Indeed, if the Merc reports on this story, I will eat my stovepipe hat.
I had a chance to meet a few “Clampers” when I was doing a story for the august weekly Metro and found the people and organization to be righteous, friendly, and most satisfactory. I met Noble Grand Humbug Herman “Bubba” Bitner, aka “RedDog,” Jack “Jackrabbit” Furlow, and Clampatriarch Patrick “Aloycious” Sweeny, who explained to me that the leader of an E Clampus Vitus chapter is called Noble Grand Humbug. One can be Humbug for only one year, after which one becomes Clampatriarch for a year, and then Dead Salmon. I asked what comes after Dead Salmon and was told, “Nothing. Once you’re a Dead Salmon, that’s it.”
This will be the second ECV plaque in Alviso by my count. A spectacular plaque can be found at the Alviso Yacht Club building, commemorating same. The Mercury News should think deeply on the motto “Right Wrongs Nobody,” and start writing feature stories celebrating the honorable order of E Clampus Vitus, Mountain Charlie chapter.
Amen.
Fine Article written by David Plantnikof:
www.yerbabuena1.com/news.htm
Official Mountain Charlie website:
www.mountaincharlie1850.org/index.html
Alviso Yacht Club ECV plaque:
www.sanjose.com/underbelly/unbelly/Alviso/alviso11.html
Eric,
Just wondering… does ECV accept albinos as members?
I support the Scott Herhold for public communications manager.
It is always better to have an elephant in the tent urinating out, that to have him outside urinating in. . .
As for the slogan “Right Wrong Nobody”, try making a political decision for the “right” reasons. Profiles in Courage wasn’t written by a bunch of guys who make the wrong decision.
Of course, they only hurt themselves, who writes these pithy little myths.
Eric,
For years I would see those “ECV” stickers on cars and wonder what they were. I do think it was an article in the Mercury that finally introduced me to this organization.
From what I’ve read about these guys, I think they’d prefer not to have the Mercury cover their events!
to answer a few questions
yes we take albinos, and any other man who is humble, intrested in their heritage and is asked to join.
The mercury or anybody else can attened the plaquings we do, if nobody shows up we don’t care either. it’s the act we are performing for our western heritage we care about.
and beer is ok, we aren’t Shriners or Elks, we can only afford beer.
Good to here from you Eric and thanks for the mention.
NGH #33 Steve Wilson
Kudos to Eric Carlson for mentioning this great event set for 3/25/06 in Alviso. The Rotary Club of Alviso is happy to be a strong supporter of this project. Here is the text of the monument:
http://www.mountaincharlie1850.org/pl_alviso_port_town.html
E Clampus Vitus has a wonderful program for creating and installing historical markers, plaques, and monuments all around this area.
Everyone is welcome!
It’s good to see Alviso brought back into the public consciousness occasionally – especially if it’s being honored for something. That little marsh has a lot of stories to tell. Too bad the Merc won’t listen.
Hey San Jose Inside …
Instead of talking about plaques in Alviso how about some rea issues???
Cindy Chavez and Karyn Sinunu have the same political consultant!!! Can you smell the coverup when the DA’s office says Cindy had nothing to do with a major labor issue at City Hall???
As for the garbage scandal…hasn’t anyone figured out that Ron Gonzales can’t afford Alan Ruby??? Top Criminal Defense attorneys charge $50K up front!!! If Gonzales didn’t take a second on his house, someone should check the Teamsters pension fund for missing dough!!!
FREE ALVISO from San Jose
Alviso should be it’s own city again.
FREE ALVISO from the evil clutches and policies of San Jose politics.
Alviso citizen
There is a provision in the California constitution that would allow Alviso to, once again, be an independent city (town) (village) or what ever. Don’t know the section but remember reading about it in grade school umm-tee-umm years ago.
Hope springs eternal in the hearts of Clampers and others who know that “Right Wrongs Nobody”…
There is no “Alviso Yacht Club”.
Check out the link…
http://www.sanjose.com/underbelly/unbelly/Alviso/alviso11.html
South Bay Yacht Club is one of the oldest yacht clubs in the bay and deserves to be called by its correct name.
San Francisco seems to be turning down the chance to dock the USS IOWA and the great flow of cash this would bring to the city. We could pull it on down to Alviso. Alviso would become a destination!!!
Free Alviso from the Albinos of San Jose. Mayor Albino has ruined the town.
Free Alviso from the evil clutches of the suburban sprawl, that we call San Jose.
Free Alviso, for your day will come, when you are not just the end pipe to all the poop from San Jose.
Free Alviso, so that the citizens can run their town free from “the capital of nothing”
Alviso will be free some day.
Taxi Lady (#12) is on to something. The USS IOWA would be a financial boon for Alviso, and could tie up at the South Bay Yacht Club (see Old Salt, I got it right) on the Alviso Slough. Some re-work and dredging of the Alviso Slough might be in order, or of the salt evaporation ponds. Houses of ill-repute could be built on the historical sites of old houses of ill-repute. They would have to close down at 2PM of course, as Alviso is in the San Jose city limits.
I agree with the Iowa idea – Alviso could even keep the guns perpetually trained on San Jose City Hall to keep things in check. That might even out the balance of power somewhat.
What fun. I’m looking forward to the dedication and hope to bring a small bunch of marker-hunters and bikers along, armed with mascots. I have admired the Clampers for their humour and for taking history both seriously and un-seriously. Shame I can’t join.
Enjoyed the article you posted. Cheers.
Linda G
http://www.markeroni.com
Markeroni, the Gentle Art of Landmark-Snarfing
First of all, sounds like a fun and special dedication event to attends and will be forwarding an email blast message to several organizations here in Alviso.
Second, after living here for 40 years and becoming an Alviso Community Activist for 12 years. Lately, you get the impression that the City of San Jose in collaboration with the Santa Clara Valley Water District would love Alviso to flood out again. But the residents of will stay here for the duration of our lives, for generation to generation, “I guarantee it.”
It is unfortunate that Federal and State agencies don’t get 110% involved to; “Protect, Prevent and Preserve,” our SMALL, quiant, unique, loveable little town, by keep it’s historcal value from Flood Control and returning back it’s Restoration and Recreation at the Alviso Marina/Bay for boaters, tourists, cyclists, bird watchers, Alvisians to appreciate and love watching what we have here, “Gold,”
Yes, Alviso is my little piece of gold, clutched between my hands, filled with riches of family, friends, business owners, active members, new home owners, tourists, etc, etc, etc.
Enjoy Alviso while you still can. With the rapid increase in drug dealing, drug use, gang violence, and violent crime, it’s only a matter of time before it becomes the next “East Palo Alto.”
Its time to start a FREE ALVISO from San Jose campaign. I am sure no one at City Hall would care if Alviso became an independent city/town again.
That way Alvisians can decide their town’s future, on development, government, police, fire, etc.
Besides San Jose unjustly did take control of Alviso without even a consensus from the community.
FREE ALVISO
Oh Eric, Ithought you knew better. I was going to correct you about the proper name of the yacht club in Alviso but I see that someone has already done that. Yes it is the South Bay Yacht Club, not the Alviso Yacht Club. To my knowledge there never has been an Alviso Yacht Club.
The SBYC has been around since 1888 and was officially named the South Bay Yacht Club in 1896. The historic yacht club building was built in 1903. Due to a levee realignment in the 1980’s when the club house was moved to its present location at the corner of Hope (new Hope) and Catherine Sts. I was at the dedication of the plaque at the SBYC and the plaque was moved along with the yacht club.
At the time of the first plaque, I didn’t know about my distant grandfather Joseph Zumwalt who is credited with bring the rituals of ECV to California back in 1849. I am looking forward to another plaquing in Alviso.
Satisfactory
Russ (Kin of Z) Robinson
Staff Commodore and Historian
South Bay Yacht Club
I remember back in 1968 all of the posturing going on in advance of the election to annex Alviso. I recall one City Hall person (identity long forgotten, but most likely one of Dutch’s henchmen) advising the Mercury that Alviso would one day be “the Sausalito of the South Bay.”
That was nearly 40 years ago. Sausalito it ain’t, and that’s not entirely a bad thing. I appreciate the funky and isolated ambiance of Alviso myself, but the Sausalito statement is an example of the empty promises that were made to the people of Alviso.
I grew up next door to someone who was very close to Dutch and very involved in the Alviso deal. This person ended up resigning from their city job years later as a result of investigations into various wrong-doings. Knowing this person was involved, there’s never been any question in my mind that the Alviso election was messed with. As I recall, the final tally was 189 to 180 in favor of annexation. It was probably pretty easy to fake 9 extra votes back in those days, the ballots likely were not of the punchcard variety, and there wasn’t anyone in Alviso, not even Amelia Vahl, who had the clout or David vs. Goliath ability to get that vote thrown out due to fraud.
I guess the big question here is about what Alviso might look like today if it hadn’t been annexed. Would it be paved over with tract homes, suffering a far worse fate than it has under SJ control? Considering the overall lack of visionaries who have held high offices in SJ going back many decades, I think the odds are high that nobody with any preservation focus would have been in charge of Alviso had it not been annexed. Maybe the fact that Alviso has gone largely ignored by SJ over the decades hasn’t been such a bad thing, as the center of town still retains much of the same character as it did prior to 1968. One would hope that at this point in time, any attempt to obliterate Alviso and create some kind of contrived and sterile family oriented bayside community would not get off the ground.
Hi Eric,
I was just wondering how long you’d been living in the San Jose area and if you’d
lived in Southern CA prior to moving North?
Thanks,
Kathi