by Lisa Robinson Over seventy years ago in 1949, it was proclaimed that “Santa Cruz County May Be[come a] Christmas Tree Center.” In fact, it wasn’t until 1943, that the first Christmas Tree farm was founded in the Santa Cruz Mountains. It was James P. Loghry’s TipTop Ranch, located onRead More →
By Lisa Robinson One of the beautiful panels that make up of the mural on the side of Johnnie’s Super, created by artist Yeshe Jackson, is of the Sempervirens Falls. There is an important link between the two locations. Sempervirens Falls is so named for the camp that the SempervirensRead More →
By Lisa Robinson William (Bill) Irwin was born in San Francisco, California in 1903, son of painter Hallie Hyde and journalist Will Irwin. In 1904, Hallie and son Bill settled in Brookdale on the chicken ranch of Will’s father David and brother Herman, after whom Irwin Way was named. HeRead More →
By Lisa Robinson In 1870, Feltonite Otis Ashely complained in a letter to the Santa Cruz Sentinel: “We have a county grog-shop at the toll gate on the San Lorenzo Road. We would inquire what runs that institution? The Supervisors compel us to pay one hundred dollars a month forRead More →
by Lisa Robinson Before contact in 1769, the Ohlone people lived and managed the land here. Their total population once numbered 10,000 or more with many villages in and around Santa Cruz. Village populations ranged from 50 to 500. In the smaller seasonal villages, the villagers would take advantage ofRead More →
