PLEASANTON’S
URBAN LEGENDS
EXAMINING THE TRUTH BEHIND
SOME OF THE TOWN’S TALL TALES.
BANDITS HIT THE STREETS
Dubbed the “most desperate town in
the West” when it was called Alisal,
the area (later renamed Pleasanton)
was a refuge for desperados in the
1850s and 1860s. But according to
Ken MacLennan, curator of the
Museum on Main, “The degree to
which bandits would come and drink
with the ladies is questionable.” Conclusion:
The lawbreakers laid low.
IT’S A GHOST TOWN!
Locals have long told of strange happenings
in the historic buildings on
Main Street. “People report hearing
strange noises,” says MacLennan,
“and there are stories of hauntings
at the Pleasanton Hotel” (pictured
below), including a 19th-century
murdered prostitute. Investigate on
the museum’s annual Ghost Walks.
A NETWORK OF TUNNELS LIES
BENEATH THE STREETS
“It’s not very likely that they ever
existed,” says MacLennan. While
there are basements with excavations
(including in Gay Nineties Pizza,
which was once the stagecoach
station), a city engineer investigated
in the 1970s and found no tunnels
downtown. Conclusion: False.
Gerard’z
Honeybees
MADE IN THE TRI-VALLEY
TAKE HOME UNIQUE PRODUCTS FROM THESE LOCAL PURVEYORS.
DANVILLE CHOCOLATES
Locals rave about the delights cooked up at this chocolate shop, founded 20
years ago by confectioner Terri Vollmer and now owned by Jacqui Amayo,
who has played a key role in the store’s success. Indulge in the famed dipped
goods (fruit, nuts, pretzels and more). danvillechocolates.com
GERARD’Z HONEYBEES
The century-old family business is based out of Livermore, with hives
throughout the Bay Area and Central Valley. The raw, natural honey comes
in flavors from wildflower to blackberry. gerardzhoneybees.com
Y
E L D MEDLENO COFFEE
GO The purveyors behind this Danville shop pride themselves on quality at every
I L A stage of coffee preparation, including their locally roasted whole beans.
C T: Selections include Colombia Supremo, fair trade Guatemala Huehuetenango
H G and Ethiopia Yirgacheffe. medleno.com
I R ; S E NUUBIA
E B Y This Pleasanton-based artisan chocolatier is the world’s first confectioner
E N O to commit to sourcing wildlife-friendly ingredients—and its chocolates are
H Z award-winningly good, too! At the small shop, customers can pick up chocolates
’ D R purchased online or browse and buy on a whim. nuubiasf.com
A R E G RANCHO MILAGRO OLIVE OIL
F O Livermore’s Rancho Milagro, located on 182 acres in the foothills above the
Y S E town, produces grass-fed beef, vegetables and four varieties of olive trees
T R COU (Frantoio, Hojiblanca, Picual and Coratina). The organically grown olives
are harvested and pressed shortly after they are picked to produce the
: P TO freshest extra-virgin field blends. (Available at fortuneemporium.com)
V I S I T T R I VA L L E Y.COM 9
