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 Santa Cruz  - California - History

The oldest known settlement was in the Scotts Valley area. Extensive archaeological research indicates that people lived here some 12,000 years ago, pre-dating the pyramids of Egypt! These early people lived in small groups, eating seeds and following migratory game.

The Ohlones migrated to the area from the Sierra Nevada's roughly 8,000 years ago. They settled along the coast from Marin to Monterey County and based their livelihood on the abundant marine resources: seals, shellfish, otter, salmon, and birds.

In 1769 the Spanish explorer Don Gaspar de Portola discovered the land area which is now known as the City of Santa Cruz. When he came upon the beautiful flowing river, he named it San Lorenzo in honour of Saint Lawrence. He called the rolling hills above the river Santa Cruz, which means holy cross.

Twenty-two years later, in 1791, Father Fermin de Lasuen established a mission at Santa Cruz, the twelfth mission to be founded in California. Across the San Lorenzo River, in what is now known as East Santa Cruz, Villa de Branciforte was established It was founded by the Spanish as one of three civil settlements or pueblos in California. The other pueblos were San Jose and Los Angeles. Villa de Branciforte later merged with the Mission Santa Cruz community across the river.

By the 1820's Mexico had assumed control of the area and within the next twenty years, Americans began to arrive in great numbers. California became a state in 1849, and Santa Cruz County was created in 1850 as one of the twenty-seven original counties.

By the turn of the century logging, lime processing, agriculture, and commercial fishing industries prospered in the area. Due to its mild climate and scenic beauty Santa Cruz also became a prominent resort community.

Santa Cruz was incorporated in 1866 as a town under the laws of the State of California and received its first charter as a city in 1876. At that lime the city was governed by a Mayor and Common Council consisting of four members. The most ambitious effort to attract the tourist was made by Fred Swanton. When Swanton's 1904 casino burned down in 1906, he responded with a second version which is the one we know today-the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, The Looff Carousel was installed in 1911 and the Giant Dipper roller coaster was added in 1923. 

In 1907, the citizens voted for a new charter designating a Mayor as chief executive and a City Council consisting of seven members. Subsequent charters gave a Mayor and four Commissioners both executive and administrative powers. At that time the city was divided into five departments: Public Affairs, Revenue and Finance, Public Health and Safety, Public Works, and Streets and Parks. The arrival of the railroad made it possible to benefit from the area's natural resources in a completely new way; thus the tourism industry was created. Early conservation efforts, led by Andrew Hill, resulted in the creation of the first state park at Big Basin in 1902.

In 1948, the City of Santa Cruz adopted a new City Charter. This charter established a Council-Manager form of government, with a Mayor and six Council members setting policy for the city and a city manager serving as the chief administrator of those policies. The Charter, with amendments, is still in existence today.

The Museum of Art and History  organization established in 1996 by merging the Art Museum of Santa Cruz County and the History Museum of Santa Cruz County. It is supported by membership support, private donations, planned gifts, grants and a Santa Cruz County grant which helps to maintain the Historical archives, the Evergreen Cemetery  and the Davenport Jail.

The Santa Cruz Mountains has been recognized as a premium wine producing region since the late 1800's when local winegrowers first began to win acclaim for their wines in national and international competitions. Few of these original wineries survived prohibition, but many new wineries have developed since the 1940's.

In 1981 the Santa Cruz Mountains Viticultural Appellation became federally recognized, one of the first American viticultural areas to be defined by geophysical and climatic factors. The appellation encompasses the Santa Cruz Mountain range, from Half Moon Bay in the north, to Mount Madonna in the south. The east and west boundaries are defined by elevation, extending down to 800 feet in the east and 400 feet in the west.

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