History Pages - Table of Contents


Note: The numbered posts are a more-or-less sequential and chronological survey of Santa Cruz County history, while un-numbered entries are either digressions or wider-time range subjects. All pages prior to May 21, 2015 appeared originally in Santa Cruz Patch, and are listed in order of their original publication dates.




  • June 4, 2016 - Santa Cruz electricity timeline
  • March 14, 2016 - 45a - The Italians
  • December 4, 2015 - Santa Cruz Water System Timeline
  • September 17, 2015 - 11a - Pioneer German-Speakers of Santa Cruz County
  • June 13, 2015 - 52 - 1888 "Birds Eye" View of Santa Cruz
  • May 21, 2015 - 51 - Downtown expanded south in the 1880s
  • January, 2014 - 50 - Beach Hill: 1870-99 (updated Mar. 17, 2015)
  • Dec. 14, 2013 - 49 - The Rise and Fall of Swanton House: 1883-87 (updated Mar. 12, 2015) 
  • Nov. 3, 2013 - 48 - Santa Cruz in 1882: Water Street gets a New Bridge (updated Mar. 10, 2015)
  • Oct. 2, 2013 - 47 - Santa Cruz gets an Octagon: downtown in the early 1880s (updated Feb. 28, 2015)
  • 46 - 1877 Santa Cruz birds eye view (updated Feb. 26, 2015)
  • July 3, 2014 - 45 - 1876 Santa Cruz Painting Shows Many Changes (updated Feb. 21, 2015)
    A large oil painting called View of Santa Cruz, 1876, shows changes since the first city-wide view of 1870.
  • June 2 - America’s Least Favorite Architectural Style? Brutal!
    The late 1960s saw the construction of the Santa Cruz County Government Center, in an architectural style called "brutalism" [this post was out of the historical sequence]
  • June 2 - 44 - Remembering (some of) the Presidents in Santa Cruz (updated Feb. 16, 2015)
    Street names are (or used to be) a common way for cities to memorialize notable persons. It's interesting to note which past US presidents are remembered in Santa Cruz.
  • May 8 - 43 - Petroleum in Santa Cruz County: Then and Now (updated Feb. 13, 2015)
    Though rarely a local issue now, petroleum has a long and interesting history in Santa Cruz County.
  • May 8 - A "Bird's Eye" View of Santa Cruz in 1870
    This article has been superseded by a Prezi presentation and accompanying notes.
  • Mar. 8 - 42 - Go, Team, Go: The First Team Sport in Santa Cruz, ca. 1880 (updated Feb. 3, 2015) 
  • Feb. 19 - 41 - Southern Pacific Took Over Santa Cruz County Railroads in the 1880s (updated Jan. 30, 2015) 
  • Jan. 27, 2013 - 40 - Approaching the Gilded Age: Santa Cruz in the 1880s (updated Jan 27, 2015)
  • Dec. 18 - 39 - What's in a Name? Adventures in Spelling (updated Jan. 24, 2015)
  • Dec. 12 - 38 - End of the Line: Last Stagecoach to Santa Cruz (updated Jan, 23, 2015)
  • Nov. 15 - 37 - How the Trains Came to Santa Cruz - Part 4 (updated Jan, 18, 2015)
  • Oct. 28 - 36 - Bridges to Somewhere: Eastside Santa Cruz in the 1870s (updated Jan, 17, 2015)
  • Sep.  8 - 35 - Gentrification: Downtown in the 1870s (updated Jan. 1, 2015)
  • Aug.  8 - 34 - Santa Cruz Looks Back - From 1879 (updated Dec. 31, 2014)
  • Jul.  19 - 33 - When Santa Cruz Had Four Wharfs (updated Jan. 8, 2015)
  • Jun.  26 - 32 - Santa Cruz Once Had a Chinatown (updated Dec. 27, 2014)
  • Jun.  11 - 31 - Paris on the San Lorenzo: Santa Cruz in the 1870s (updated Dec. 26, 2014)
  • May 26 - 30 - How the Town Became a City: Santa Cruz, 1876 (updated Dec. 20, 2014)
  • May   8 - Holy Cross Vandalism Damages Historical Relic (updated Dec. 13, 2014)
  • May   1 - 29 - How the Trains came to Santa Cruz - Part 3 (updated Dec. 12, 2014)
  • Apr. 20 - 28 - How the Trains Came to Santa Cruz - Part 2 (updated Dec. 10, 2014)
  • Apr.   9 - 27 - How the Trains Came to Santa Cruz - part 1 (updated Dec. 8, 2014)
  • Mar. 22 - 26 - The Quiet Years (updated Dec. 7, 2014)

    • Names on the Signs in Santa Cruz     blog (2012):
    Names on the Signs in Santa Cruz blog (2011):
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