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Santa Cruz County History Overview



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The Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History is a nonprofit organization that connects people with nature and science. The museum features educational, hands-on exhibits for children, families and adults.

California Local Pin Marker Local History Digest

Meet the Two Finalists for Next Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History Leader

11/14/2024

An introduction to Laura Henkel and Ginger Shulick Porcella, the two candidates under consideration to lead the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History.

KZSC Celebrates 50 Years

10/31/2024

A look at UCSC student led radio station KZSC as it enters its 50th year.

California Local Pin Marker Recent Articles

Good Times logo LOCAL NEWS
Funny Paper

On April Fools Day, 1984, not-yet-a-denizen Thom Zajac was driving over Highway 17 toward Santa Cruz, when he had an epiphany.

Hilltromper Santa Cruz logo LOCAL NEWS
From Santa Cruz to the Stars

UCSC astronomer ‘Dr. X’ talks about the stellar history of the Lick Observatory at SC Museum of Natural History lecture/cocktail-party.

Santa Cruz Local logo LOCAL NEWS
Pajaro Flood Survivors’ Stories Come to Life in New Exhibit

A new audio-visual project collects stories from Pajaro residents displaced by the March 2023 Pajaro River flood. (County of Santa Cruz)
Pajaro’s Floods: A Living Archive

Press Banner logo LOCAL NEWS
Ben Lomond’s Colorful Past Takes Center Stage in History Presentation

On Saturday, Nov. 9, the storied history of Ben Lomond will come to life in an exciting new event at Park Hall Community Center.

KSQD logo LOCAL NEWS
Gary Griggs: “California Catastrophes: The Natural Disaster History of the Golden State”

Gary Griggs, UCSC Distinguished Professor of Earth Sciences tells us about his new book, California Catastrophes: The Natural Disaster History of the Golden State, about the history of disasters in our state and what we can expect in the future.

Hilltromper Santa Cruz logo LOCAL NEWS
Pack Your Trash: How Santa Cruz Surfers Launched a Global Eco Movement

The Pleasure Point Night Fighters sparked the global beach-cleanup movement in the 1960s with a campaign launched around a slogan and the iconic “Pack Your Trash” logo. Also in Santa Cruz, Save Our Shores mentors students on ocean conservancy.

The Pajaronian logo LOCAL NEWS
Woman’s Club Reaches 125th Year

Preparations are underway for the 125th anniversary celebration of the Watsonville Woman’s Club.

Good Times logo LOCAL NEWS
Door to the Past Now Open at Restored Castro Adobe

It was 17 years ago that a group of volunteers began to restore the Rancho San Andreas Castro Adobe, a structure whose endurance over its 176-year lifespan helps paint a picture of California history.

Featured

View of the architectural detail on the Palomar Hotel.
Santa Cruz Online County Historical Resources
History, writ both small and large, has been made in Santa Cruz County. Use these online resources to learn more.
Old Sacramento Historic District Sacramento is an open-air museum of historic buildings.
Capital Collections
Sacramento’s rich past can be explored by visiting its many and varied historical museums.
Access to abortion in California is limited in many areas, though state laws protect a woman’s right to choose.
Abortion Rights in California, Explained
But even in California, access to abortion services in many areas remains limited.
California continues to work on legislation that would make voting easier.
Voting Rites
And more bills are on the way to help you make your mark on Election Day.
Over two weekends last October, residents of Santa Cruz and Watsonville  participated in demonstration rides aboard an electric streetcar on rails.
The ‘Rail Trail’ Movement, Explained
The heated controversy over what to do with abandoned railroad tracks
California transportation history runs from railroads to today’s car culture.
California’s History of Transportation: From Railroads to Highways
The history of transportation in California has shaped the state, from the earliest stagecoach to today’s car culture.
The California mental health crisis is tied to both homelessness and rising crime.
UPDATE: California’s Mental Health Crisis: How We Got Here
The making of Gov. Newsom's plan to help get mentally ill Californians into treatment.
Like ripples in a pond, the hip impulse moved through Santa Cruz and beyond, and continues across generations.
How Did Santa Cruz Get So Hip?
Looking back at the Sixties and Seventies in America's Hippest Little City.
Moss Landing in Monterey Bay is the world’s largest battery storage facility for solar and other renewable energy.
Solar Power and California’s Clean Energy Goals
How the sun is helping push the state toward 100 percent renewable energy.
From nitrates to arsenic to “forever chemicals,” California’s water supply faces a serious pollution threat.
Dirty Water: California Faces a Water Contamination Crisis
In a state that declares water a “human right,” more than 2 percent of its residents have no drinkable water.
The California Supreme Court has defined the state’s legal and political agenda for more than 170 years.
How the California Supreme Court Blazes Legal Trails
From its beginnings in the Gold Rush, the state Supreme Court continues to define the state today.
Among the events commemorated by E Clampus Vitus is the founding of the group’s first California chapter.
Atlas Absurdum
More than 1,400 markers across the state point the way to the past.
How California reclamation districts turned millions of acres of wetlands into fertile agricultural land, starting in the earliest days of the Gold Rush.
Reclamation Districts: Turning ‘Swamps’ Into Farmland
From its earliest days as a state, California has been trying to turn marshes into productive land.
Since the Gold Rush era, land reclamation has cost California 90 percent of its wetlands.
How Land Reclamation Hurts California’s Environment
The hidden price tag of “reclaiming” swamps and marshes as usable land.
Translated from the Greek, “Democracy” means “people power.” How much power do the people have in California?
People Power! What Is Democracy, and How Does It Work in California?
The Goddess of Democracy is alive and well in California, but that hasn’t always been true.
The Baldwin Hills area in South Los Angeles is one region where a state conservancy would keep open land accessible to the public.
California’s 10 State Conservancies: How They Protect Parks and Open Land
Starting in 1976, the legislature began creating agencies to buy up open land, and keep it open.
The 1965 law known as the Williamson Act has been responsible for keeping about half of California's farmland out of the hands of developers.
The Williamson Act: How the Law That Protects California’s Farmland Works
More than half of California farmland is under contracts that prevent its development.
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