By Aiko Hill
Looking Back, Moving Forward
Although many still consider our town a semirural area, imagine how it looked with chickens and roosters strutting in the alleys of the village. That’s how it was 50 years ago, with some local residents still keeping chickens in their back yards - and it wasn’t always peace and quiet!
Consider the plight of one young lad (the son of the owner of Bob’s Shoe Service) who, during the summer of 1950, came face-to-face with a rooster that lived behind the stores on State Street. The rooster was owned by Mary E. Jacobs, who lived in what was the only residence in the 200 block of State. And while she was certainly concerned for the young man, she was also quite proud of “Duke.” As she explained shortly after the incident, “Duke is actually quite a gentleman, and is only being protective of his hens.”
Mrs. Jacobs also saw the writing on the wall and knew she would have to get rid of her rooster. She seemed to sense that her interview with the local newspaper was a perfect marketing opportunity. Duke’s other qualities, she was quick to point out, were his “wonderful vibrant voice” and his intelligence. “He could be taught tricks,” suggested Mrs. Jacobs. The price? $2.00.
The clucking pugilist aside, the Los Altos chicken population might be described as having saved France - at least in the poultry sense. Evidently, World War II had completely wiped out France’s Houdan chicken population. So, it was Los Altos to the rescue in the form of Mrs. P. T. Hering of 55 Pepper Avenue, who was raising several of the rare breed. Named for the village in which they were originally raised, these black-plumed, leafy-combed birds had a reputation as a high-class table fowl. Their flowing crest also made them one of the better ornamental breeds, and because of a rare fifth toe, baby Houdans were quite a sight with their light, skipping gait.
As a gift to the country, Mrs. Hering sent two setters and 30 eggs by plane to be delivered to the President of the Confederation Nationale De L’Aviculture. He then transported the birds to an estate 30 miles outside Paris. It was everyone’s hope that the chicken breed would be reestablished and flourish in France.
While our tastes seem to have evolved from Houdans to chicken burritos, Los Altos’ place in poultry history is firmly established.
Aiko Hill is a member of the Los Altos History Museum Association. Send comments or suggestions to aikohill@aol.com.
