Meet Stephen Payne

By Stephen Payne

Stephen Payne holds a doctorate in Public Historical Studies from UC Santa Barbara, a master’s degree in History from San Jose State University, and a baccalaureate in Anthropology from UC Santa Cruz. Stephen has also taught Santa Clara County and California history courses at local colleges for many years.  

Stephen’s family goes back five generations in Santa Clara County.  The McClellan farm buildings in Steven’s Creek Park belonged to his great, great grandparents, who were settlers in 1849.  In 1852 his great grandfather arrived in the valley, settling in Los Gatos.  In the mid-1870s, the family purchased a farm near Campbell, where Payne Avenue is today.  

Stephen is the author of A Howling Wilderness: A History of the Summit Road Area of the Santa Cruz Mountains, 1850-1906 and several other publications.