Category Archives: Weekly Articles

LIGHTHOUSE POINT 1961. Exactly 6 years before the Chuck Abbott Lighthouse went up. And years before all the Westside development took over.                                                    photo credit: Covello & Covello Historical photo collection. Additional information always welcome: email bratton@cruzio.com DATELINE July 10, … Continue reading →

SANTA CRUZ’S VENETIAN WATER CARNIVAL (1895-1927). Every one of those years, they’d dam up the San Lorenzo River and stage these great spectacles.  It became a very big deal and according to Sheila O’Hare’s Santa Cruz book even Ambrose Bierce … Continue reading →

MISS CALIFORNIA PAGEANT CONTESTANTS, June 1963. Here they are way atop the Palomar Hotel. That’s Miss Tulare (with the camera) and Miss Azusa. Obviously it’s 6:14 p.m. on the Town Clock, in its original location on the Independent Order of … Continue reading →

PACIFIC AND LINCOLN STREETS 1953.  You can tell by the former Bank of America now the New Leaf Market, a wholly owned subsidiary of  New Seasons Market chain. More about New Seasons Markets from their website… “New Seasons Market is … Continue reading →

                                                  DOWNTOWN SANTA CRUZ, Pacific and Cooper Streets April 14, 1894. A huge fire broke out on Pacific and because we had so many wooden buildings it was a catastrophe.  Smart City officials started a fire department that same year … Continue reading →

ORIGINAL SANTA CRUZ HIGH SCHOOL 1895-1913.  This was our first high school. It had about 200 students when it opened. That’s architect William Weeks house on the Left. It was later moved to California Street . Our present high school … Continue reading →

ELEANOR ROOSEVELT VISITS SANTA CRUZ. April 26, 1962.  Now there was a genuine “First Lady”. That’s Santa Cruz mayor Bert Snyder she’s shaking hands with. Erva Bowen is to Eleanor’s right. She was an early activist here and president of … Continue reading →

WALT DISNEY VISITING THE BOARDWALK IN 1962.  Yes, that’s Uncle Walt himself taking a puff while he’s visiting and checking the Boardwalk’s latest rides especially the rail car ride to see what’ll work in Anaheim. Walt was a chain smoker, … Continue reading →

WEST CLIFF DRIVE CIRCA 1960. That’s Bay Street on the far right heading on to West Cliff Drive and Cowell Street way off to the left. This is of course the site of the Dream Inn and The Sea and … Continue reading →

PACIFIC AVENUE AND COOPER STREETS Oct. 16, 1900. If you squint you can see the early offices of The Sentinel Printing Company on the left. You can also see the parade is going north and south at the same time. … Continue reading →