In 1952, Santa Cruz Mountain rainwater flowing from the surrounding creeks filled the new reservoir and slowly covered what was left of the once prosperous towns of Lexington, Alma and an old portion of Highway 17. Looking out today across the deep cool water standing behind the Santa Clara Valley Water District's Lexington Dam, only the two town's submerged memories remain.
In 1848 William Hanks and Isaac Branham owned land and established a settlement in this area. They sold to Zechariah Jones who passed the property on to John Henning, who named it "Lexington". The towns of Lexington and Alma, founded in 1862 by Lysander Collins, grew quickly to prominence due to the abundant timber spilling from the flumes of nearby sawmills. Both towns supported the daily existence of hundreds of hard working pioneer families who supplied lumber and produce to the growing California economy
The Santa Cruz Gap Toll Road, incorporating a road earlier built by Charles McKiernan (a.k.a. Mountain Charlie), along with a railroad line linked Alma, Lexington, and the smaller settlements of Patchen, Laurel Wrights and Glenwood to the cities of Santa Cruz and San Jose. The Southern Pacific abandoned its rail line in 1940 due to wash outs in the winter of 1939-1940 and the opening of State Highway 17. Remnants of the toll road, railroad track beds, two tunnels and a few ties are now visible to mountain hikers. The entire shoreline surrounding this reservoir became part of the Santa Clara County Park system in 1958.
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