ARTICLE
1930s Tourism, Surfing, and Downtown Development The great Depression: It began after the stock market crash of October 1929, which sent Wall Street into a panic and wiped out millions of investors. Over the next several years, consumer spending and investment dropped, causing steep declines in industrial output and employment as failing companies laid off workers. By 1933, when the Great Depression reached its lowest point, some 15 million Americans were unemployed and nearly half the country’s banks had failed. Santa Cruz fared better than many parts of the country during the Great Depression, though no one was immune to the financial collapse. The Great Depression of the 1930s hurt Santa Cruz, as it did every other city, but not as badly as might have thanks to a new low-cost "Suntan Special" excursion train that the Southern Pacific instituted in 1927 as a way to make use of its commuter passenger cars on Sundays and holidays. Leaving in the early morning from San Francisco, with stops in Palo Alto and San Jose, the packed trains had a festive atmosphere as they snaked through the curves and tunnels of the Santa Cruz Mountains. They arrived at the beach and boardwalk just before noon to be greeted by a big brass band, and then left the city at 5 p.m., with many happy customers catching a nap on the way home. As many as 5,000 to 7,000 people enjoyed this sightseeing and sunbathing trip each Sunday during the depression years, arriving in up to seven different trains. The Santa Cruz County Chamber worked to keep the economy strong throughout the turbulent decade, promoting a booming convention business, helping launch the new surfing craze, participating in ceremonies celebrating the opening of the Golden Gate Bridge, and lobbying for funds to build the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium. In the early 1930s, the Santa Cruz County Chamber of Commerce operated Capitola Airport, the county's first airport. An airfield coincided with the establishment of the Camp McQuaide military base on what had been known as Hihn’s eastern field. Camp McQuaide was a summertime coast artillery training camp located on twenty-seven acres east of Depot Hill. The makeshift landing strip in a grassy field near Capitola was improved to become the Santa Cruz Airport. Famous aviator Walter Hinton attended the dedication ceremony on April 23, 1931. Later known as the Capitola Airport, it operated until 1955 in what is today the Cliffwood Heights neighborhood of Capitola. The airport was dedicated in November 1934. Works Progress Administration (WPA) workers graded the field and laid two runways. The Chamber worked to create jobs after the Depression in 1936 through a series of initiatives, including issuing scrip, and projects such as the public remodeling of a "shabby house" in the post office plaza. The project was geared to "encourage the remodeling of homes, put men to work, hasten the return of good times." In 1937 the Santa Cruz County Chamber's float, complete with marching bands, was part of the Opening Fiesta of the newly completed Golden Gate Bridge. In 1938, the Chamber supported early surfers who formed a surf club and with the help of the Santa Cruz County Chamber of Commerce Jaycees, built the Santa Cruz Surf Club Members' Barn on Bay Street, just a few blocks from Cowell's Beach. Harry Mayo was born in Pacific Grove, California in November of 1923. When he was two years old his family moved to Santa Cruz, and at the age of 13 he became one of Santa Cruz' first local surfers. In wood shop class at Mission Hill Junior High he and his friends made their first surfboards, or paddle boards as they were called in the '30s. They cost about $13 to make. A group started surfing in 1936, and started a formal surf club in 1938. They started by keeping their boards in a barn behind Buster Steward's house about one block up Bay Avenue from West Cliff Drive. In 1938 the Junior Chamber of Commerce helped build a board-house. The surf club kept their boards right down there on the beach. This was down at the foot of where the Dream Inn is now. In the 1930s, Convention business was big in Santa Cruz. The story started decades earlier. In 1911, Fred Swanton added the Casa Del Rey Hotel to his boardwalk development, followed in 1920 by the La Bahia Hotel, shifting the convention and tourist market away from downtown. To recapture that business, Frederick Hotaling (who took over after his father’s death), purchased two buildings north of the St. George for expansion, making it the largest hotel in the county. A unifying Mission Revival facade was added in 1922, with the hotel renamed the “St. George Mission Inn.” The strategy worked. Then in 1930, the St. George, Palomar and Casa Del Rey were united under one management, and Santa Cruz became the top Northern California convention city outside San Francisco. In 1939 the Chamber secured federal funds under FDR's Federal Works Program to build the Civic Auditorium. The Chamber offices moved from the County Bank Building to the Civic Auditorium, where it remained for the next 46 years. The Civic has a rich tradition as a community gathering center amd as a concert hall where a parade of celebrities have made their way to Santa Cruz. As the Santa Cruz County Chamber of Commerce celebrates our 130 years — we will continue to explore Santa Cruz County’s history and the involvement of the business community in shaping our past.
1930s Tourism, Surfing, and Downtown Development
The great Depression: It began after the stock market crash of October 1929, which sent Wall Street into a panic and wiped out millions of investors. Over the next several years, consumer spending and investment dropped, causing steep declines in industrial output and employment as failing companies laid off workers. By 1933, when the Great Depression reached its lowest point, some 15 million Americans were unemployed and nearly half the country’s banks had failed.
Santa Cruz fared better than many parts of the country during the Great Depression, though no one was immune to the financial collapse. The Great Depression of the 1930s hurt Santa Cruz, as it did every other city, but not as badly as might have thanks to a new low-cost "Suntan Special" excursion train that the Southern Pacific instituted in 1927 as a way to make use of its commuter passenger cars on Sundays and holidays. Leaving in the early morning from San Francisco, with stops in Palo Alto and San Jose, the packed trains had a festive atmosphere as they snaked through the curves and tunnels of the Santa Cruz Mountains. They arrived at the beach and boardwalk just before noon to be greeted by a big brass band, and then left the city at 5 p.m., with many happy customers catching a nap on the way home. As many as 5,000 to 7,000 people enjoyed this sightseeing and sunbathing trip each Sunday during the depression years, arriving in up to seven different trains.
The Santa Cruz County Chamber worked to keep the economy strong throughout the turbulent decade, promoting a booming convention business, helping launch the new surfing craze, participating in ceremonies celebrating the opening of the Golden Gate Bridge, and lobbying for funds to build the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium.
In the early 1930s, the Santa Cruz County Chamber of Commerce operated Capitola Airport, the county's first airport. An airfield coincided with the establishment of the Camp McQuaide military base on what had been known as Hihn’s eastern field. Camp McQuaide was a summertime coast artillery training camp located on twenty-seven acres east of Depot Hill.
The makeshift landing strip in a grassy field near Capitola was improved to become the Santa Cruz Airport. Famous aviator Walter Hinton attended the dedication ceremony on April 23, 1931. Later known as the Capitola Airport, it operated until 1955 in what is today the Cliffwood Heights neighborhood of Capitola. The airport was dedicated in November 1934. Works Progress Administration (WPA) workers graded the field and laid two runways.
The Chamber worked to create jobs after the Depression in 1936 through a series of initiatives, including issuing scrip, and projects such as the public remodeling of a "shabby house" in the post office plaza. The project was geared to "encourage the remodeling of homes, put men to work, hasten the return of good times."
In 1937 the Santa Cruz County Chamber's float, complete with marching bands, was part of the Opening Fiesta of the newly completed Golden Gate Bridge.
In 1938, the Chamber supported early surfers who formed a surf club and with the help of the Santa Cruz County Chamber of Commerce Jaycees, built the Santa Cruz Surf Club Members' Barn on Bay Street, just a few blocks from Cowell's Beach.
Harry Mayo was born in Pacific Grove, California in November of 1923. When he was two years old his family moved to Santa Cruz, and at the age of 13 he became one of Santa Cruz' first local surfers. In wood shop class at Mission Hill Junior High he and his friends made their first surfboards, or paddle boards as they were called in the '30s. They cost about $13 to make.
A group started surfing in 1936, and started a formal surf club in 1938. They started by keeping their boards in a barn behind Buster Steward's house about one block up Bay Avenue from West Cliff Drive. In 1938 the Junior Chamber of Commerce helped build a board-house. The surf club kept their boards right down there on the beach. This was down at the foot of where the Dream Inn is now.
In the 1930s, Convention business was big in Santa Cruz. The story started decades earlier. In 1911, Fred Swanton added the Casa Del Rey Hotel to his boardwalk development, followed in 1920 by the La Bahia Hotel, shifting the convention and tourist market away from downtown. To recapture that business, Frederick Hotaling (who took over after his father’s death), purchased two buildings north of the St. George for expansion, making it the largest hotel in the county. A unifying Mission Revival facade was added in 1922, with the hotel renamed the “St. George Mission Inn.” The strategy worked. Then in 1930, the St. George, Palomar and Casa Del Rey were united under one management, and Santa Cruz became the top Northern California convention city outside San Francisco.
In 1939 the Chamber secured federal funds under FDR's Federal Works Program to build the Civic Auditorium. The Chamber offices moved from the County Bank Building to the Civic Auditorium, where it remained for the next 46 years. The Civic has a rich tradition as a community gathering center amd as a concert hall where a parade of celebrities have made their way to Santa Cruz.
As the Santa Cruz County Chamber of Commerce celebrates our 130 years — we will continue to explore Santa Cruz County’s history and the involvement of the business community in shaping our past.