Submerged Ghost Towns Re-emerge

"As the water level has dropped, brick foundations, fence posts, tree stumps, parts of rock walls, even concrete steps that once were attached to homes and barns in the forgotten 19th century towns of Lexington and Alma have re-emerged along the lake's western edges.

'This is probably only about the third or fourth time since 1952 that you can see it,' said Bill Wulf, 69, a historian in Santa Clara who roamed the two towns as a boy.

'A lot of history took place there. Lexington was where the first sawmill was in Santa Clara County, in 1847, before the Gold Rush started. All their loggers left for the gold fields and it shut down for a while.'

Also visible now is the road bed from the original Highway 17, an echo from a bygone era."