Author Archives: Bruce

MGM Star Van Johnson on the Graham Hill Road set for the film “The Romance Of Rosy Ridge”. The young women are Santa Cruz High School winners in the ticket selling contest for Miss Santa Cruz County of 1947. They … Continue reading →

SANTA CRUZ POST OFFICE. July 1, 1911. As the writing on the photo says, “looking Southwest”. You can see many of the still standing structures along Front Street and over on Pacific Avenue. It was the Plaza Land Office there … Continue reading →

PACIFIC AVENUE December 22, 1955. Remember rain and floods? This was one of our biggest. The photo shows just about where that stupid looking Rittenhouse Building with the empty store front windows sits and sits and sits. That’s where the … Continue reading →

PACIFIC AND COOPER STREETS 1892 at 11:40 am. This is before the Cooperhouse was built and shows the Santa Cruz County Courthouse before the big quake took it down. The Town Clock is in its’ original position atop the Odd … Continue reading →

This great and imposing Hotel Metropole stood about where Eye Q optometrists and Logos Book Store are now at 1111 Pacific Avenue. It was a National Dollar store and also Hal Morris moved Plaza Books there before the 1989 earthquake. … Continue reading →

Early San Lorenzo Park. This is dated 1967 and looks out from the County Building, and looking over Dakota Avenue. photo credit: Covello & Covello Historical photo collection. Additional information always welcome: email bratton@cruzio.com DATELINE April 6, 2015 DATELINE April … Continue reading →

PACIFIC AVENUE AUGUST 23, 1967. Note the four car width of Pacific Avenue and the cars going in both directions!!! Now where the Tea Cup sat, we have Louis Rittenhouses’ Jamba Juice building on the east side and Lulu Carpenters … Continue reading →

UCSC STUDENT VIGIL AGAINST TUITION May 18,1967. Sure, that’s then California Governor Ronald Reagan visiting the UCSC campus. I’m betting that is Vernon Berlin who started KSCO radio holding the microphone on the left. History knows what Reagan thought of … Continue reading →

CALIFORNIA STATE MILITIA FROM CAMP STONEMAN. Here they are marching west in the early morning along Soquel Avenue in the 1890’s . That would be Shopper’s Corner in the lower right, and Branciforte going up to the left. photo credit: … Continue reading →

OUR SANTA CRUZ RAILROAD WHARF AND MUNICIPAL WHARF in 1913. The railroad wharf (on the right) was gone by 1922. The Santa Cruz Canning Company was located at the far end. photo credit: Covello & Covello Historical photo collection. Additional … Continue reading →