Secret Santa Cruz, Volume 5

Yet more little-known very local history

Self-tutored in architecture, Santa Cruz resident Isaac Hatcher nonetheless enjoyed brief success in the profession until in his biggest commission, for local politician George Sihn, he forgot to include floors. He moved into the vast open dwelling himself to pursue an equally fleeting career constructing ships from porous materials.

The only known photograph of the priory of the Sisters of Infinite Procrastination, who fell from grace — and were expelled from the county — after the structure was accidentally completed.

This picture shows the junction of Front and Pacific Streets after the flood of 1904. Residents claimed the building on the left had not been present before the inundation, and refused to ever enter it. It remains empty to this day, hidden behind false walls.

When John Trelawny and his family moved into this house in the year 1900 they were terrified by the apparent presence of a ghost and his daughter. They sued the spirits for trespass but the shades, allegedly shown here, were able to prove prior residence and under the laws of the time it was the Trelawnys who were forced to move.

The morning after the Great Storm of 1915, what appeared to be Tom Adams’ fishing boat was found a mile inland, complete with possessions proven to be his. Adams however claimed that an identical boat — containing the same possessions — in the harbor was the true version. Eventually the pictured boat was broken for firewood, and the matter never spoken of again.

This photograph of 1897 shows “The Fury of Santa Cruz”, glimpsed only when a local resident was unusually outraged. Its destructive ire would only be placated by gifts of eggs or coffee. Eventually it retired to the forest, where it is claimed it can still be heard some mornings being openly offensive to squirrels.

This picture of 1879 shows “the old man of the woods”, the last-known bear in Santa Cruz county. Alone for thirty years, after the decades of slaughter of the rest of his brethren, the bear eventually left the area, leaving marks on a tree that local naturalists deciphered as meaning: “This isn’t over”.

Previous volumes can be found here, here, here and here.