Timeline
- 1542 — Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo discovers Monterey Bay
- 1769 — Gaspar de Portolà explores the area at the northern end of Monterey Bay
- 1791 — Father Fermin de Lasuen establishes the Santa Cruz Mission near the San Lorenzo River.
- 1848 — California becomes a territory of the United States. The Gold Rush begins.
- 1850 — California granted statehood. Santa Cruz County is formed; one of the original 27 California counties. The population of the County in 1850 was 643, and no bridges existed.1
- 1860 — London Nelson (also known as "Louden" Nelson) passes away and wills his estate to the school children of Santa Cruz, which some historians credit as paying for the first school house built locally on Mission Hill.
- 1866 — Santa Cruz City is incorporated
- 1875 — First railroad connection to Santa Cruz
- 1885 — In July, surfing is introduced to North America by three Hawaiian princes at the River Mouth
- 1902 — Big Basin State Park is created to protect the majestic redwoods from logging. It is the first state park in California.
- 1907 — The Boardwalk is built.
- 1955 — December 22-23 Heavy rains cause floods in Santa Cruz County. Inundates downtown; leads to construction of levees along the San Lorenzo River.
- 1965 — UC Santa Cruz established
- 1968 — Pacific Garden Mall design approved
- 1982 — Heavy rains cause severe floods in Santa Cruz County. Soquel Avenue bridge collapses.
- 1989 — Loma Prieta Earthquake fatally damages most historic downtown buildings; three persons killed by falling debris. Subsequent downtown redesign replaces Pacific Garden Mall with current design.
- 2011 — Tsunami wave (from an earthquake near Japan) enters Santa Cruz Small Craft Harbor. Causes damage.
Early History: The Ohlone and Coastanoans
The people who inhabited what is currently known as the Santa Cruz area for thousands of years before European explorers ever came to the area were the Ohlone. Before Spanish exploration, approximately 10,000 to 20,000 Ohlone tribal members, many of varying tribelets in the area, existed
Spanish Exploration
Establishment of the Santa Cruz Mission
Establishment of Branciforte Villa
Wikipedia Aricle: Branciforte Villa
Gold, War and Statehood
- 1848 — California becomes a territory of the United States. The Gold Rush begins.
- 1850 — California granted statehood. Santa Cruz County is formed; one of the original 27 California counties. The population of the County in 1850 was 643, and no bridges existed.1
- Chinatown Past Chinatowns of Santa Cruz begin in 1850
- Santa Cruz Masonic Lodge No. 38 Founded in 1853.
- First volunteer fire department 1857-60
- The Flatiron Building First built in 1859-60
- 1860 — The population of the City of Santa Cruz included 800 Americans (as opposed to 460 in Watsonville, and the total County population was 4,9442)
- Tiburcio Vásquez was wounded in a local gun battle and escaped in 1870
- Original Town Clock built in 1873
- Santa Cruz City Volunteer Fire Department (later to become the Santa Cruz Fire Department) founded in 1877
- Octagon Building Built in 1882 and used as the Santa Cruz County Hall of Records
- Cooper House The original Cooper House was built after a fire in 1894
- St. George Hotel built after a fire destroys the previous hotel in 1894
The Early 1900's
Tourism Comes to Santa Cruz
- Neptune Casino 1904-1906
- Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk 1907
- Rispin Mansion Built in 1921
- Miss California Pageant 1924-1985
- La Bahia Luxury Suites on Beach Street built in 1926
- Hotel Palomar built downtown in 1928, it is the first building over three stories tall in the area
- Mystery Spot 'Discovered' in 1939, built in 1940
- Tree Circus Axel Erlandson's crazy botanical experiments brought people to Scotts Valley from the 40s to the 60s
- Santa's Village Holiday theme park that operated from 1956 to 1979
Recent History
- Fair Avenue Temple The mysterious Westside landmark was built during WWII
- In 1955 Ansel Adams photographed Salz Tannery
- The Cooper House is sold and opens in 1969 as an art gallery-restaurant-boutique-shopping center
- First public Gay Pride festival held in 1975
- Myth California Pageant 1979-1985
- Loma Prieta Earthquake October 17, 1989
- In 2008, three big wildfires broke out locally, the Summit Fire, the Martin Fire, and the Trabing Fire
- In 2009, two more major wildfires occurred in Santa Cruz County, the Lockheed Fire and the Loma Fire.
- May 1, 2010 - May Day rioters damage downtown businesses
- 2011 Tsunami severely damages the Santa Cruz Harbor
Local Historians and History Writers
- Bruce Bratton He features a local historical photo every week in his on line column
- Geoffrey Dunn
- Sandy Lydon The local historian's website includes some great area facts
References
- 1Santa Cruz County: Parade of the Past, by Margaret Koch, Valley Publishers, Fresno, CA, 1973, page 22.
- 2Santa Cruz County: Parade of the Past, by Margaret Koch, Valley Publishers, Fresno, CA, 1973, page 24.
Related Links
- Wikipedia Article: National Register of Historic Places listings in Santa Cruz County, California
- Covered Bridges
- Lost Towns
- Monster of Monterey Bay
- Train Stations
- Wikipedia Article: Santa Cruz
- Santa Cruz Public Library - Santa Cruz County History http://www.santacruzpl.org/history/ Includes many on-line articles and a large historic photo collection.
- Museum of Art and History
Researchers Anonymous. An informal group of people involved in local history research, sponsored by the Museum of Art and History. Find them on the MAH website at http://www.santacruzmah.org/index.php?page=researchers-anonymous
- Local Books A list of books written about the area
- Local Ghost Stories
- UCSC Campus Folklore
- Mayors of Santa Cruz
- National Registry of Historic Places in Santa Cruz
- Former Post Offices
- Soquel Post Office Mural
- Bizarro Santa Cruz
- http://www.ci.santa-cruz.ca.us/index.aspx?page=369 Historic Preservation in Santa Cruz - Links of Interest
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Comments
2012-05-06 11:26:46 this is my mission and it was cool learning about it!!!!!!!!! —24.7.83.143