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That meandering little stream running from Neary Lagoon to reach Monterey Bay at Cowell Beach is Arroyo Santa Cruz, so named by the Spanish exploration party led by Portola in 1769, the first Europeans to visit the northern end of Monterey Bay. The later Franciscan mission, and eventually the American town, both adopted the name first given to the creek.
Over the years, much of the creek has gone underground. (between the lagoon and the beach, and also from California Street to Laurel), or is channelized and hidden behind rows of houses above Mission Street. The name has changed several times: Mill Creek, Majors Creek, Laurel Creek, and today the really uninspiring Laurel Street Brook. There aren't even any signs anywhere. I think we Santa Cruzans should reclaim our heritage and give the creek back its original and historic name.
A caveat: contemporary accounts indicate that, at the time of Vizcaino's arrival, a branch of the San Lorenzo River ran through today's Neary Lagoon, so the Spaniards would have seen Arroyo Santa Cruz ending when it came tumbling down the hill at today's Laurel Street.
Still, I bet the Babbling Brook Inn and Emily's Cafe (two places where you can still see the creek) would support an effort to give us back some of our earliest history. I may have to become a community activist.
