It was the residence of Martin Murphy Jr., who journeyed to California with his family in 1844, as part of the first wagon train to cross the Sierra Nevada.

As the founder of Sunnyvale, Murphy constructed a prefabricated lumber house in the area, which had been transported around Cape Horn in 1849.

[2][3] Martin Murphy Jr. (1807-1884)[4] moved to California with his family in 1844, becoming part of a pioneering wagon train that was the first to cross the Sierra Mountains in 1844.

[5][6][3] In 1849, Murphy Jr. relocated to the Santa Clara Valley and purchased half of the Rancho Pastoria de las Borregas from Mariano Castro for $12,500 (equivalent to $457,800 in 2023) in 1850.

The inscription on the plaque reads: Martin Murphy, Jr., arrived in California with his family in 1844 in the first wagon train to cross the Sierra Nevada.