Santa Cruz History

A panoramic photo of the Santa Cruz skyline in 1909

Timeline

Old streetcar wheels at West Cliff Drive & Woodrow Avenue

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

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

The Boardwalk in 1908, as seen from the Pleasure Pier

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