That's something many people say when they visit Coe Park for the first time.
And it's a natural observation, since most of the buildings
at the western entrance to the park were constructed during the years when Henry W. Coe, Jr., and
his family lived and worked on the
Pine Ridge Ranch, from about 1900 until 1953.
In 1953 Sada Coe donated the ranch to Santa Clara County so that it could be
preserved as park lands. In 1958 the ranch became a part of the state park
system.
Your visit to the park will probably start at the Visitor
Center on the west side of the park. That's where you pay your fees
for day use parking, for camping, and for backpacking.
Sada Coe donated the funds required to construct the Visitor Center, which was
completed in 1971. Today, the Visitor Center serves as the park headquarters and
office, as a museum and interpretive center for visitors, as a training center for
park volunteers, and as the headquarters for the Pine Ridge Association.
The association, in cooperation with the state, is in the process of raising funds to
expand the Visitor Center. Plans include a larger, more comfortable
auditorium, more space for natural history displays, handicapped access, and a deck
that will run along the entire length of the back of the building.
