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Santa Cruz County History - Articles
Browsing Local History Articles tagged "tourism"
Capitola Hotel's Heyday, by
Ross Eric Gibson
In only 25 years, Capitola went from an 1869 campground to home of one of the top seven coastal resort ... [Read more]
Blessed with a picturesque mountain setting, abundant natural resources, and an equitable climate, the San Lorenzo Watershed has long attracted ... [Read more]
Mountain Paradise, Mount Hermon has Bohemian Roots, by
Ross Eric Gibson
The hallowed grounds of Mount Hermon's Christian retreat have a colorful past. In 1841 the redwood preserve hosted California's first ... [Read more]
Resorts in the Summit Road Area, 1850-1906, by
Stephen Michael Payne
Hotel de Redwood, the first hotel in the Summit area of the Santa Cruz Mountains, was built in 1859, at ... [Read more]
Santa Cruz has a Long History of Convention Business, by
Ross Eric Gibson
With studies under way to possibly reintroduce the convention industry to Santa Cruz, it might be well to recall its ... [Read more]
Sea Beach Hotel and Its Gardens were Equal Landmarks, by
Ross Eric Gibson
In the 1890s, the castle-like Sea Beach Hotel was listed among the state's top seven coastal resorts, in a sprawling ... [Read more]
The Spirit of Aptos: 116-Year-Old Hotel to Become Landmark, by
Ross Eric Gibson
The ghosts of the 116-year-old Aptos Bayview Hotel have been good hosts, only said to move things around on occasion. ... [Read more]
The St. George was a Center of Culture and Art, by
Ross Eric Gibson
The original St. George Hotel rose out of the ashes of an 1894 fire, then perished in a 1990 fire. ... [Read more]
Vanished Resort's Glory Days Recalled, by
Ross Eric Gibson
An overgrown, two-tiered fountain near the south entrance to Ben Lomond stands as a relic of the glory days of ... [Read more]
San Lorenzo Once was Full of Fish: The River was Santa Cruz's No. 2 Tourist Draw, by
Ross Eric Gibson
Before flood-control measures were taken by the Army Corps of Engineers in 1959, the San Lorenzo River was Santa Cruz's ... [Read more]
Overview, by
Susan Lehmann
Years before the gold rush of 1849 brought about the transformation of California, several American adventurers had recognized the potential ... [Read more]
Resort and Recreation Development: Waterfront, beach, and boardwalk, by
Susan Lehmann
The late 1800s brought a major change in the economic base of Santa Cruz County. Intense lumbering had all but ... [Read more]
Resort and Recreation Development: Surfing, other recreational sites, by
Susan Lehmann
Although the Boardwalk was the primary commercial endeavor to capitalize on tourism at the beach, no history of Santa Cruz ... [Read more]
A First in Hot Bathing -- How a War and a Divorce Figured in the Birth of the Boardwalk in 1868, by
Ross Eric Gibson
[Read more]
Fred W. Swanton grew up in Santa Cruz and attended Heald's Business College in San Francisco. His career was that ... [Read more]
By October of 1906, Fred Swanton began construction of a new casino designed by local architect, William Weeks. The photo ... [Read more]
Tent City was located on Beach Street, opposite the Casino. It provided less expensive accommodations than those available at the ... [Read more]
Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk: Survival of the Funnest, by
Andrew Schiffrin
Pacific Ocean Park in Santa Monica, Nu-Pike in Long Beach, Playland in San Francisco, Belmont Park in San Diego - ... [Read more]
The Santa Cruz Venetian Carnival, by
Frank Norris
There was a glare of sunshine, and the air had a different [Read more]
Water Carnival was Social Event of the Season in 1890s, by
Ross Eric Gibson
In 1894, fire gutted the heart of downtown Santa Cruz north and south of Cooper Street. City fathers decided to ... [Read more]
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Explore Santa Cruz County History!
Edited by Keith and Dee Kraft
We took a boat to Alviso. Uncle Elihu Anthony met us there with two horses and a rockaway, [7] and brought us over the mountains by way of San Jose and Soquel to his home on Water Street.
We ..." [More]
Excerpted from My Early Childhood Memories: Part Two
