Before Silicon Valley, immigrant farmers tended flowers across San Mateo and Santa Clara counties. New research uncovers their history.
Stanford University archaeologist Laura Jones wasn’t looking for flower farms — at least not at first.
She was researching the school’s early land-leasing practices when a retiring colleague gave her some maps of Stanford from the 1950s.
As Jones looked closer, she noticed familiar areas — where Stanford Shopping Center, the school’s research park and graduate student housing are today — shaded in with what seemed like colored pencil…