Santa Cruz County History Articles

By Lisa Robinson Imagine driving into Felton across the covered bridge. Before 1938, that was the county road. Signs, attached to the bridge, cautioned drivers of vehicles over 10 tons. “Every time a heavily loaded truck crosses the covered bridge …

Historian explores Big Puzzlements and Calamity Cruz

Historian Derek Whaley Celebrates New Book By Julie Horner Sidetracked: Laurel and Glenwood, by Derek R. Whaley, PhD is the third in the Santa Cruz Trains series of authoritative books about the history of Santa Cruz area trains, tracks, tunnels, …

Dianne Feinstein, California’s longtime senior U.S. senator, has died at age 90, after a legendary career in public life that began in 1961 and took off amidst the turbulent, violent era of San Francisco in the 1970s.

After 33 years as Artistic Director of The Monterey Jazz Festival, Santa Cruz’s Timothy Jackson is stepping back, but not before one more world class explosion of sounds on September 22-24. The Monterey Jazz Festival is known as one of …

California will penalize school boards that ban books based on inclusion of certain groups under a bill the governor is expected to sign into law. But some fear unintended consequences.

Silicon Valley billionaires want to create a new city in Solano County. How have planned cities fared in California? From Lakewood to Irvine to Disney’s new Cotino, there have been many.

As four aging hydroelectric dams are demolished, tribes and communities along the Klamath River wait anxiously to see what the future holds. “Once a river is dammed, is it damned forever?” experts ask.

At 118 years old, The Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History is still evolving

Since the Gold Rush era, land reclamation projects have helped to build California, but they are also damaging the state’s environment for people, plants and animals by eliminating essential wetlands.

Climate change has warmed Pacific Ocean waters, causing storms to rapidly intensify, leading to the first tropical storm watch in Southern California ever as Hurricane Hilary prepares to make landfall.

California has used reclamation districts to turn millions of acres of unusable swamps into fertile agricultural land, starting in the earliest days of the Gold Rush. Here’s how it happened.

Since 1947, California has led the United States in the fight against climate change. Here is a list of some of the steps the state has taken to battle global warming, greenhouse gases and air pollution.

Here are 10 of the most often-heard climate change denial claims and arguments. Do any of them hold any water?

To understand climate change denial, we must go back to the Ronald Reagan presidency and his proposal for the “Star Wars” space-based missile defense system.

Barbie is the most famous California-born toy. But there are other iconic playthings that were created or brought to market here.

Here's how the iconic Barbie doll and its manufacturer, toy giant Mattel, built an industry in Southern California that pours billions into the state’s economy.

By Mark Dolson The San Lorenzo Valley Water District (SLVWD) – and the entire San Lorenzo Valley suffered an enormous loss on June 8, 2023 when District Engineer Josh Wolff experienced a fatal medical emergency at the age of 52 …

Dedicated to commemorating parts of history that sometimes offend the local chamber of commerce, E Clampus Vitus has studded California with plaques.

Pam Marino of Monterey County Weekly reports that the city government there is grappling with a unique problem: How to provide access to the places that make Monterey “the most historic city in California.”