Santa Cruz County CA Archives History - Books .....Chapter X Other Towns - Conclusion 1893 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ca/cafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher cagwarchives@gmail.com January 12, 2007, 1:05 am Book Title: Memorial And Biographical History Of The Coast Counties Of Central California. CHAPTER X. OTHER TOWNS-CONCLUSION. WATSONVILLE, now the second town in importance in the county, was laid out in 1852 by J. H. Watson, the pioneer, after whom it was named, and by D. S. Gregory. The population of Watsonville, in 1880, was about 1,800, and in 1890 it was reported by the census at 2,149. In 1892 it probably is not less than 2,500, probably more. It is locatad [sic] at the junction of the Pajaro and Corralitos streams, about twenty miles east of the county-seat. It was incorporated in 1868. Its public schools, including a high school, are excellent. The churches, benevolent societies, etc., are well represented. Watson ville is on the Southern Pacific railway line, Santa Cruz division, and is the terminus of the Pajaro Valley or Moro Cojo narrow gauge railroad, and is in the midst of a very fertile region. Its railroad facilities, its nearness to tide-water, and its important and growing manufacturing interests, make it already an active business center, and such it must continue to be in the future. The town supports three newspapers. It is supplied with abundance of excellent water, brought in pipes some eight miles, from Corralitos creek, to two reservoirs two miles from town, which hold 2,500,000 gallons. At the point of division the pipe is 290 feet above the town, at the reservoir, ninety feet. Size of pipe above reservoir is fifteen inches, and below, eight inches. The water-works, which were constructed in 1878, and the electric-light works, which supply the town with light, are owned by a private company. Felton and Boulder creek are thriving towns north of Santa Cruz, on the San Lorenzo river, and stations on the narrow-gauge railroad. The population of Felton in 1890 was 259, and of Boulder, 489. Capitola, four miles southeast of Santa Cruz, and Aptos, eight miles, both fronting on the bay of Monterey, are delightful and prosperous seaside resorts. Aptos is located near the mouth of the creek of the same name. In fact, there are many points in Santa Cruz county which have become, in late years, very popular as summer resorts. Annual encampments of the National Guard of California are held at the city of Santa Cruz. A local journal gives the following graphic and suggestive epitome of attractions east and west of Santa Cruz: ALONG THE SHORE LINE. SANTA CRUZ WESTWARD-West Cliff Drive -From Santa Cruz Beach to Moore's Beach, two and half miles. Attractions - Lighthouse at northern headland of Monterey bay; fine museum of curios; Phelan park; coast line of Pacific ocean, with sculptured cliffs and dashing surf Vue de l'eau, terminus on cliff of electric railway; natural bridges and wonderful natural aquaria at Moore's beach, with mussel, clam and abalone gathering, and ample space for picnics and camp fires-Garfield park and Tabernacle; the State resort of Christian or Campbellite Church one, and a half miles. COAST ROAD-Extension of mission street to county line and from there to Pescadero, a stage coach line of thirty-five miles from Santa Cruz. Attractions- Coast Road; creameries; dairy ranches; exceptionally fine natural bridge on ocean shore of Wilder's ranch, six miles; a succession of fine creeks, taking their rise in the Santa Cruz mountains and emptying into the Pacific ocean, teeming with spotted and salmon trout; magnificent groves of laurel with century-old trees, under which are the finest camping grounds in the world; a paradise for the sportsman, the health and pleasure seeker; Pescadero is noted for its unique pebble beach and fine fishing. SANTA CRUZ EASTWARD-East Cliff Drive -Already finished some two miles along the bay coast and soon to be continued to Capitola, five miles. Attractions-Skirting the San Lorenzo river and the bay shore, with constantly changing panorama of magnificent mountain foot-hill, and marine views; numerous beautiful suburbs, East Cliff; Seabright; a collection of picturesque summer cottages, with fine bathing beach; Seabright park; Twin lakes, beautiful resort of State Baptist association situated between Lake Seabright and Lake Schwan and possessing fine beaches; still and surf bathing, station on broad-gauge road, pretty church, numerous cottages, hotel, walks and drives, one mile from Santa Cruz, with access by steam and horse cars; Santa Maria del Mar, fine and extensive grounds of seaside resort of the Catholic Ladies' Aid Society, magnificently laid out in broad streets and fine lots, large hotel nearly finished; thousands of trees and shrubs planted the past year, grand views, fine beach for bathing and driving, wonderful cliff sculpture; Corcoran's lagoon, picturesque sheet of salt water, etc.; constant succession of beaches, rocky points, where surf fishing is good, mussel, clam and abalone gathering, fine ranches, cultivated to the water's edge; Fair-view; mouth of Soquel creek; Capitola, popular bathing resort, with large summer population, hotels, cottages and bathing houses, grove, railway station, post office, beautiful surrounding country, wharf for vessels and steamers. APTOS- Picturesque village; magnificent groves of live-oaks, growing almost to water's edge; wharf, romantic walks, rustic-dance pavilion and admirable picnic grounds, railway station, schools, hotels, express, postoffice, etc. CAMP GOODALL-Mouth of Pajaro river, which is the boundary between Santa Cruz and Monterey counties; broad beach; race and driving track. THE FOOTHILL SLOPE. Between the foot of the Santa Cruz range and the bay of Monterey there lies a belt of rolling foot-hill land, sloping toward the bay in which there are miles of the most productive land, through which no less than thirty living streams find their way ocean ward, and where the mountain canons spread out into broad valleys teeming with fruits and flowers grains and vegetables of phenomenal size, magnificent quality and immense yields. In Father Crespi's diary of the Portala expedition in 1769, mention is made of the redwood trees, which the party saw on the Santa Cruz mountains. He says "these trees are unlike anything seen in Spain;" and because of their color, they named them "palo colorado." The value of the inexhaustible forests of these trees in California is literally beyond computation. Although considerable inroads have been made on the redwoods of the Santa Cruz mountains, yet they are by no means exhausted. As a source of revenue to the county, they are better than a placer gold mine, because not so easily worked out. Santa Cruz lighthouse or Point Santa Cruz, 600 feet from the extremity of Bluff Point at the entrance of Santa Cruz harbor, was established in 1869. It is nineteen and three-quarter miles from Point Pinos. This light is a fixed red, of the fifth order, and is visible eight and one-half nautical miles. The light is sixty-nine feet above sea level. Santa Cruz has excellent railroad facilities, being connected with San Francisco and intermediate towns by means of the two divisions of the Southern Pacific Company, the broad-gauge and the narrow-gauge lines. The steamers of the Pacific Coast Steamship Company stop regularly at Santa Cruz. The contrast between the Santa Cruz of today, and the Santa Cruz of the mission era is striking. Then, there were comparatively few Europeans or "people of reason," as the Spaniards so aptly expressed it, living at Santa Cruz, or in Alta California, though many bands of Indians, both tame and wild, were to be seen. The mission was the center of activity, with the little villa (village) of Branciforte as a side show. Nature was wild, as it had been for unknown centuries, with only very small areas in the immediate vicinage of the mission subject to cultivation* Now, civilization, with all the word implies, with its wealth of homos and schools, and churches, and industries with their warehouses and wharves and manufactories and railways, and endless other institutions, are visible on every side, seeming almost to have changed the very face of Nature, and yet we know that nature was substantially the same, in this goodly region known as Santa Cruz, then as now. Then, the fertile soil and other natural resources, including the blessed climate (for its climate is one of its natural resources), were what they are now. But it is not necessary to enlarge on this wondrous change. All that is required is to suggest the outlines of the contrasted eras, and the imaginations of the present and future denizens of Santa Cruz can readily fill in the details of the picture. Additional Comments: Extracted from: Memorial and Biographical History of the Coast Counties of Central California. Illustrated. Containing a History of this Important Section of the Pacific Coast from the Earliest Period of its Discovery to the Present Time, together with Glimpses of its Auspicious Future; Illustrations and Full-Page Portraits of some of its Eminent Men, and Biographical Mention of many of its Pioneers, and Prominent Citizens of To-day. HENRY D. BARROWS, Editor of the Historical Department. LUTHER A. INGERSOLL, Editor of the Biographical Department. "A people that take no pride in the noble achievements of remote ancestors will never achieve anything worthy to be remembered with pride by remote descendants."-Macaulay. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ca/santacruz/history/1893/memorial/chapterx202gms.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/cafiles/ File size: 9.9 Kb