Author Archives: Bruce

DOWNTOWN SANTA CRUZ 1920. Here’s the corner of Cedar and Locust Streets. It was the Hotel Santa Cruz back then. Now it’s the Planet Fresh Burrito place. The two story building on the closest corner used to be where Gary … Continue reading →

DAVENPORT 1907. This is the huge construction by the Ocean Shore Railroad of the trestle just below Davenport. It was intended to go to Scott Creek up along Swanton Road. photo credit: Covello & Covello Historical photo collection. Additional information … Continue reading →

KING AND MISSION STREETS JUNE 7, 1957. This is the grand opening of the Flying A Gas station. Complete with clown. Now it’s Five Gables Dentistry where Dr.David Klim has his offices. photo credit: Covello & Covello Historical photo collection. … Continue reading →

THE ONCE POPULAR WRIGLEY PLANT AND PERSONNEL.Newcomers may not be aware that both Wrigley’s gum and Lipton Tea had big time manufacturing plants out on the Westside. Here’s the Wrigley tour staff “Gal Usherettes” provided by Manpower, Inc. on April … Continue reading →

LEASKS DEPARTMENT STORE AT PACIFIC AND CHURCH STREETS January 1952 at 11:10 am. This is now Urban Outfitters and Regal Cinema 9. This grand and traditional Department store went through many iterations from 1892 when Samuel Leask from Scotland opened … Continue reading →

OUR “MOVABLE” EAST SIDE POST OFFICE. How soon we forget that our East Side postoffice never was where it used to be!!!! Here we can see the Official Dedication on February 3 1951 on Seabright Avenue just about where Hart’s … Continue reading →

THE WAX LORD’S LAST SUPPER. That’s probably Katherine Sturbergh and her daughter also named Katherine brushing up himself’s hair on this 3/4 size wax sculpture they made in 1950. We can only see this creation the week before Easter at … Continue reading →

HOLIDAY SPIRIT DOWNTOWN SANTA CRUZ @2 p.m. DECEMBER 1946. The great and grand original St. George Hotel. Then nest door there’s one of our early “not shop local” businesses Montgomery Ward’s Catalog Store. Down the street we had Woolworth’s, J.C. … Continue reading →

ORIGINAL STICKY WICKET, Oct. 25, 1953. This car accident happened on Mar Vista Drive in Aptos, near those four radio station antennas and the Aptos Grange. The Sticky Wicket was our local coffee house of the late 50’s and early … Continue reading →

The Always Lovely Environmentally Sensitive Davenport Cement Plant in 1967. Once it was the Portland Cement Company Plant (1906), and a few other owners ran it for decedes,then Cemex, a Mexico Corporation operated it (2005) and shut it down in … Continue reading →