Santa Cruz County History Digest

Cabrillo College officials have been seeking community input since July 2020 on whether to change or keep the college’s name. A report was expected this spring, but the task force is postponing the decision to fall 2022.

U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland has formally declared “squaw” a derogatory term. Haaland is ordering a federal panel charged with naming geographic places to eliminate racist terms from federal use.

More than two dozen people gathered Nov. 9 at Watsonville Aptos Santa Cruz Adult Education to mark the dedication of a wing in the facility to Rhea DeHart, who died in 2019 at the age of 96.

Amah Mutsun Tribal Band leader Valentin Lopez talks about his thoughts on mission bells, Cabrillo College and more.

Dozens of community members gathered on Sept. 30 to share views on the potential rebranding of Santa Cruz’s community college. Feedback was mixed on the plan to rename the school and distance it from explorer Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo’s colonist history.

When it looked like historic Henflings Tavern in Ben Lomond would shutter back in 2018, resident bartender Erin Miller and husband Josh saw an opportunity. And they’ve managed to keep the the iconic live music venue up and running.

The Mansion House, a centerpiece of Watsonville’s historic downtown, will turn 150 this year. Built in an era when horse-drawn carriages and motor coaches shared unpaved roads, it was a luxurious stopover for visitors.

Moreland Notre Dame School students gave thanks to Watsonville emergency responders at its annual ceremony to recognize the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. They honored the first responders who were killed in the attacks and also those who carry the torch of emergency rescue and intervention.

After 10 years of research and interviews, retired professor Traci Bliss has published “Big Basin Redwood Forest: California’s Oldest State Park,” a book that focuses on the efforts of women in the early 1900s to preserve the redwoods.

Workers performing power infrastructure upgrades in July at Santa Cruz High School discovered human remains at an archeological site that halted the project until archeologists and tribal members could investigate.

The Santa Cruz Surfing Museum marked 35 years of history by inducting four historic boards into its collection—all of which have ties to the area.

One of the few adobes left in the Monterey Bay area, Castro Adobe’s two-story hacienda overlooking the Pajaro Valley was built between 1848-49 by Juan Jose Castro, son of an original member of the Juan Bautista de Anza Expedition.

August 1958. The Scotts Valley Barn was practically empty on the night the residents were invited to learn about the upcoming water election.

In the wake of Santa Cruz finally getting London Nelson’s name right on the community center named after him, writer Geoffrey Dunn digs into the man’s enduring legacy.

Though it’s gone through multiple owners, renovations, fires, and the pandemic, the Brookdale Lodge resort complex endures.

A Watsonville High School graduate who founded the Institute of Marine Sciences at UCSC, William T. Doyle, died April 21 at his home in Santa Cruz.

A professor emeritus of literature and art history, Harry Berger passed away at age 96. He taught for nearly 30 years at UCSC and wrote books on topics ranging from Dutch paintings to Plato’s Republic to Shakespeare.

It all started when Dr. Francis M. Kittredge moved west during the gold rush of 1849 and settled in Santa Cruz the following year.

More than just the namesake of Brooks Road in Ben Lomond, this turn of the century retired high school principal helped lay the groundwork for civic improvements enjoyed by locals to this day.

Known as one of the more distinct and beautiful examples of architecture in the county, the Piedmont Court, located at the base of High Street in Santa Cruz, also has a fascinating history.

The story of the filming of the 1915 William Hart moving picture "The Primal Lure" in Felton.

The project to restore a local cultural treasure takes shape in the Watsonville High School cafeteria.

Local archeologist and history buff Sarah Brewer explores the history of the railroad tunnels linking Los Gatos with Felton.

Santa Cruz resident Jami Cassady—daughter of former San Jose resident Neal Cassady, the man who inspired Jack Kerouac’s “On the Road”—is carrying her dad’s legacy into the 21st century with a new book, “The Joan Anderson Letter.”

Learn about James King and Mary Carpenter, immigrants from Missouri and among the first settlers of the upper San Lorenzo Valley.

"2020 Hindsight" is a collaborative effort led by local photographer Shmuel Thaler, resulting in an 82 page book of gorgeous photos looking back at a tumultuous year.

A charming pocket history of Felton through an exploration of the placement and naming of its streets and roads.

The story of the original homestead claims upon which the community of Boulder Creek is situated, featuring a famous female Civil War hero.

Learn about Addison Newell, homesteader and farmer from the 1860's after whom the creek and road are named.

The summer of 1904 was hot and dry in the Santa Cruz Mountains. A gripping history of the Big Fire which transformed the landscape from "...perpetual springtime ... to a blackened and ashy waste".

Arriving in Boulder Creek in 1867, the twins Oscar and Harmon worked hard establishing homesteads, lumber mills and other enterprises throughout the area.

An exploration of the history behind a couple of local landmarks and some of the characters from turn of the century Boulder Creek.