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Research Forum Exploration of Local History
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| Frank Perry |
 Posted: Sat Apr 21, 2007 4:22 pm |
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Joined: 12 Apr 2007
Posts: 24
Location: Santa Cruz
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| I pass this along to anyone who is interested: The Santa Cruz Surf, December 6, 1906, referred to Santa Cruz as "Surf City" in a headline about an ostrich farm being established here (page 1). |
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| Steve Williams |
| Posted: Sun Apr 22, 2007 12:08 pm |
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Tech Admin
Joined: 31 Mar 2007
Posts: 5
Location: Scotts Valley, CA
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When an article entitled "Settling the Surf City debate through 80-year-old news article", citing an old "Surf City" reference and the battle between Santa Cruz and Huntington Beach, appeared in the Sentinel a year and a half ago, my curiosity was piqued. So I did some poking around, found some old newspaper articles and sent a note off to Shanna McCord of the Sentinel, who wrote the article. No reply, but the email I wrote outlines several Surf City references:
Quote: Subject: "Surf City" article - found reference as early as 1904
From: Steve Williams <sdwilliams>
To: Shanna McCord <smccord>
Date: Nov 29 2005
Dear Shanna,
I read your "Surf City" article of a week and a half ago, and was interested in the Surf City newspaper reference found in the San Jose Mercury. Having access to an online newspaper archive, I decided to search for the term. The archive includes a large collection of old Oakland Tribune newspapers, within which I quickly found over 60 references to "Surf City" and "Santa Cruz". I will outline a sample of what I found. You may pass this along to anyone who is interested.
On the sports page of the July 4th, 1904 edition of the Oakland Tribune, it is reported that the Alameda Cricket Club trounced "the Surf City players" on their home turf at Santa Cruz.
In the September 8th, 1907 Sunday morning edition of the Tribune, an articles headline reads "KING HILARITY AT SANTA CRUZ - Second Annual Mardi Gras Surpasses All Events of Surf City." As with most of the articles found, this one uses Surf City as a descriptive term for Santa Cruz: "... celebration in the surf city is being observed with great pomp and splendor ..."
December 12th, 1907: "Teachers To Take Part In Program At Meeting To Occur In Santa Cruz. Commodious Quarters Secured At Surf City Hotels"
March 20th, 1908, basketball is played "in the Surf City."
April 3rd, 1913, reports a novice relay race will be contested by, among other clubs, the "Surf City Wheelmen of Santa Cruz."
April 27th, 1919: "Summer activity at the surf city does not start until the middle of June."
June 1st, 1924: a one day trip "can be made in a day with plenty of time to bask in the sun on the beach at the Surf City..."
March 24th, 1929: Bret Hart may have stayed in an 1847 cottage with "the first 'bay window' that the surf city ever boasted."
May 21st, 1961: "And Surf City folk still point with pride to the 1907 seashore contribution of Fred Swanton."
A few references to Surf City in other papers:
April 10th, 1913: The Reno, Nevada State Journal reports on an incident from San Jose: "The family [De Laveaga] is well known and owns considerable holdings up and down the peninsula, as well as the exclusive De La Veaga Heights in Santa Cruz and other Surf City holdings."
January 5th, 1958: Washington State's Pasco's Try-City Herald: "Now the Surf City is winning fame as California winter resort."
March 28th, 1974: Van Nuys Valley News: reports that the Ventura County Kiwanis members visited the Surf City Club in Santa Cruz.
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Stephen Williams
Scotts Valley |
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| Frank Perry |
| Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2007 5:23 pm |
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Joined: 12 Apr 2007
Posts: 24
Location: Santa Cruz
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| Steve, this is great. You have done some great research. Thank you for sharing it. |
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| Vaughn Aubuchon |
| Posted: Fri Dec 28, 2007 3:06 pm |
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Joined: 13 Dec 2007
Posts: 2
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| Vaughn Aubuchon |
| Posted: Fri Jan 04, 2008 12:46 am |
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Joined: 13 Dec 2007
Posts: 2
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| Frank Perry |
| Posted: Sat Nov 21, 2009 3:29 pm |
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Joined: 12 Apr 2007
Posts: 24
Location: Santa Cruz
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The first demonstration of surfing (with a board) in Santa Cruz was in 1885 as noted in several books and articles published in recent years. While this was probably the first surfing on the mainland United States, it was not the first on the West Coast. In 1857 in Baja California several Pacific Islanders used planks as "surf-boards" and set off through the "rollers" (waves) to retrieve some small boats belonging to a whaling ship. While there is little detail in the description, the fact that the author used the term "surf-board" and that the men took the boards into the waves, implies that this was board surfing as we commonly use the term today.
The account is on page 261 of The Marine Mammals of the Northwestern Coast of North America by Charles M. Scammon, first published in 1874. |
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