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Part II: 1955-1976 Searsville Lake Park, the Clapp and Janes/Beeson years

1957 Nick Van Male and Peter Rich at Jasper Ridge bike bowl

Julie Cain, Historian and Historic Preservation Planner for Heritage Services, Stanford University

Tuesday, November 17, 2020
4:30-5:30 PM PST

ZOOM Meeting (Contact Jorge Ramos jorge.ramos @ stanford.edu for the link)

Part II: 1955-1976 Searsville Lake Park: The Clapp and Janes/Beeson Years

Julie Cain, Historian and Historic Preservation Planner for Heritage Services, Stanford University

This presentation will look at the second and third/final concessionaires. Austin Clapp and his family took over Searsville Lake Park from the Brandstens in 1955 and continued a water sports focus that included water polo and boat drag races. Addison Janes and his partner, Don Beeson, ran the park from 1973 until 1976. Ironically, their great success in revamping the area and making it family friendly again led to the 1976 closure after increased park use led to noise, traffic and trespass complaints from Jasper Ridge personnel and the locals.