Since last year, when construction began at the high school, the painting has found a new home at the History Museum of Los Gatos, along with 15 other pieces of art also owned by the school.

The school, in association with Jade Bradbury, the exhibit's guest curator, is organizing a public reception on Aug. 7 to honor those teachers and administrators who have helped preserve the mural and the other works of art over the years. The honoree list includes Bob Lozano, former art department chairman; his wife, Judy, a former art teacher; retired principal Ted Simonson; and Scott Downs, a former art teacher turned assistant principal.

"They are being honored for their stewardship of the art treasures and for giving back value to the community," Bradbury said. "It is great that the artworks have been preserved. These people have ensured that the works are not lost to memory."

The reception, which will also honor the Los Gatos-Saratoga Joint Union High School District, will be held in Room 501 (formerly A-1) on the school campus, a classroom where many art teachers have taught over the years.

"People always notice it," Principal Doug Ramezane said, referring to the 24-by-6-foot mural.

The artwork, painted by Clay Edgar Spohn in the mid-1930s, depicts Native Americans learning about the harmful effect of using cinnabar on their bodies.

Ramezane said that he hopes the mural will return to the school in 2006.

"How many schools in the country have a mural that is worth thousands of dollars?" asked Patti Hughes, a former assistant principal at the school. She said that the painting is perfect for a school because it depicts the power of knowledge.

Simonson, who was principal of Los Gatos High for nearly five decades, said that the mural had led a nomadic existence for awhile.

"It was there when I arrived in 1951. It was set up near the library doors at first and then moved from one place to the other including a hallway across from the auditorium," he said.

The mural was moved to Santa Clara University in 1976.

"The university spent a considerable amount of money restoring it," Simonson said. The Legend of New Almaden came back to the school in 1979, according to Bradbury.

The mural was originally painted in San Francisco but was transferred to the school in the late 1930s. The painting is a product of the Works Progress Administration/Federal Arts Project that was initiated in 1935 to help artists. The project existed for eight years and provided living wages to nearly 5,000 artists.

The school's other artworks on display at the museum are also a result of the WPA-FAP program.

The reception will be held on Aug. 7 between 3 and 5 p.m. in Room 501 at Los Gatos High School, 20 High School Court. For more information, call 408.348.8800.