Wed, Dec 2, 2020
Uncover Santa Cruz History: The Best Books to Gift
Give the gift of local history and support the MAH by shopping from a selection of our most popular MAH Publications over the last two decades.
Written alongside historians, politicians, environmentalists, and superstar community members the MAH publishes books on the history of Santa Cruz County every year.
These publications cover everything from the stories of local bands to the preservation of Santa Cruz's landscapes. Combining years of research and collections of personal stories these publications share the full, often untold, stories of Santa Cruz County. View a comprehensive list of MAH History Publications HERE.
Buy any of the following publications online or at the Museum Store during regular visiting hours.
Names on the Map
This book tells the fascinating story of the 1889 official map of Santa Cruz County and how it came into being. Known as the “Hatch Map,” it not only shows towns, roads, creeks, and mountains, but also land owners. This gold mine of information for historians and genealogists is fully reproduced here and all the names indexed. The book also includes biographies of the key figures responsible for the map’s creation.
40 Years of Saving Our Shores
Written by Dan Haifley. Following in the footsteps of citizens who halted construction of a nuclear power plant in Davenport and an oil refinery at Moss Landing, Save Our Shores formed in January 1978, to oppose plans to drill for oil in federal waters off central and northern California. Over the course of 40 years, SOS continues to preserve "our ocean backyard."
LandScapes
This collection of articles—many of them first-hand accounts—focuses on the story of environmental and historic preservation in Santa Cruz County, during the latter 20th century. It captures the drama of activism, innovation, and changes in political power around some of Santa Cruz County's most picturesque locations. From the creation of Watsonville Wetlands Watch to the preservation of Lighthouse Field, these stories are told by those who were deeply committed to what are now our most precious resources. View the maps mentioned in the book here.
Between the Redwoods and the Bay
Recount the little-known story of the earliest Jewish settlers of Santa Cruz County and the history of their community. Jewish immigrants who arrived during the Gold Rush era established the foundation of their continual presence in Santa Cruz. Although their population fluctuated in numbers and activity over the years, they became established merchants and businessmen who contributed to the economic, political, and social fabric of life in the region.
Harvesting Our Heritage
Inspired by a tattered family recipe book, the local foodies turned authors wondered how early Santa Cruzans ate the food they were growing, raising, and catching. Written by local food lovers this MAH publication offers bite-sized history with the perfect amount of delectable recipes. Offering a taste of local history without leaving you stuffed, this publication will fit perfectly on your coffee table, nightstand, or in use with your flour-dusted kitchen recipe collection.
Community Issue Exhibition Toolkit
Written for institutions—museums, libraries, cultural centers—that want to host and develop these kinds of projects. Inside, you’ll find templates, checklists, and helpful tips to build a high-impact exhibition on an issue that matters in your community.
There are many ways to have an issue-driven exhibition that can be scaled to fit your organization’s size, scope, and mission. We wrote this kit assuming you already have a way of developing exhibitions. This kit offers special considerations for creating an issue-driven exhibition. Adapt this toolkit as you see fit.
Redwood Logging and Conservation in the Santa Cruz Mountains: A Split History
The history of the Santa Cruz Mountain redwoods consists of many stories: stories that tell of the thousands of years these aged giants thrived as the Ohlone people managed the landscape; that tell of the settlers who came from afar and saw the seemingly endless forests as a source of profit; that tell of the far-sighted women and men who joined together to preserve groves of these ancient trees. The stories progress to the present day as the split interests of logging and conservation continue to collide.
Do You Know My Name?
Get a glimpse into the history of Santa Cruz County through the lives of its people. It tells of Native Americans who came to live at Mission Santa Cruz; of Californios who struggled to keep their land after California became a state; of the young men of color who played baseball here in the early 1900s; of African American preachers who founded early churches in our community; of Japanese Americans from Watsonville who were interned after Pearl Harbor.
The Sidewalk Companion to Santa Cruz Architecture
This thirty-year-old classic has been thoroughly revised and updated, reflecting the changes the years (and the Loma Prieta earthquake) have wrought. With more than 480 individual entries (covering both present and demolished structures), nearly 200 photographs, biographies of local architects, a supplemental list of buildings, an extensive bibliography, an index of street addresses, and an extensive and carefully researched main index, The Sidewalk Companion to Santa Cruz Architecture is certain to secure a place among the essential books on the history of Santa Cruz.
A Gathering of Voices
Tribal elders, anthropologists, archaeologists, linguists, historians, poets, and tribal representatives share their perspectives and research. This rich gathering of voices honors the lives, traditions, languages, and artistry of the Native Peoples of the Central California Coast.
A Legal History of Santa Cruz County
The end of the twentieth century prompted a look back at the history of the legal community in Santa Cruz County. This book is the result of that backward glance. It traces the earliest beginnings of the local judicial system, from Spanish colonial rule to the heady days of the gold rush, western expansion, and California statehood. The book follows the development of the legal community into the twentieth century, with its primary focus on the last half of that century--another period of momentous change for the legal community and for society as a whole. The book discusses judges, lawyers, crimes, and important local cases, all set against the backdrop of the general history of Santa Cruz County and beyond.
Georgiana: Feminist Reformer of the West
The personal journal of Georgiana Bruce Kirby 1852-1860 with a supplemental biography.
Lime Kiln Legacies
In the late 1800s, Santa Cruz County was the most important lime-producing region in California. This book tells the story of how lime was made, the people who made it, and how the industry shaped the history of Santa Cruz from the Mission Period to the present. It includes source notes and an extensive bibliography.
Notes from Santa Cruz
This book celebrates Santa Cruz County's musical past through stories of local bands, composers, music venues, songs, instruments, music teachers, and much more. It focuses on the period from the 1870s to 1970s. Many of the photos-culled from local museums and private collections have never before been published.
Pathways to the Past
Beginning with reminiscences of a pre-statehood pioneer and concluding with impressions and a poem inspired by the 1989 earthquake, this eclectic journal features early Santa Cruz artists, tales of spiritualism, an early civil-rights case, egg-laying contests, and a gigantic cheese.
Ranging from the north coast through Capitola to Watsonville, and down the San Lorenzo River, it provides images or both heroism and everyday life.
Pioneers of Santa Cruz County
A collection of biographies of all 329 members of the Society of California Pioneers of Santa Cruz County, with ninety-one photographic portraits. Thirty-eight of the biographies were transcribed from the Society register.
Remembering Our Own
Remembering Our Own honors 463 former residents of Santa Cruz County, California, who died while on active duty in the military during times of war, from the American Civil War to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Using biographical sketches and photographs, this "Roll of Honor" is dedicated to their memory.
Surf, Sand & Streetcars
As the City and County of Santa Cruz struggle with new and better ways to keep their citizenry mobile, Charles S. McCaleb's Surf, Sand & Streetcars stands as an ever-present link in that process. The street transportation technology of the past provides a guide to the present self-powered railcars and light rail vehicles. Those very same forces which were at work during the period of Surf, Sand & Streetcars are once again providing a new impetus for the future of mass transportation. As a result, a second look at previous solutions to the same problems is being considered. Thus, as you read through the pages of this well written and documented book, note that the wheel has already been invented.
W. W. Elliott's Illustrations w/ Historical Sketches
Originally published in 1879, Elliott's Santa Cruz County, California, Illustrations remains a classic. It provides a unique view of the county's industries, natural resources, history, people, and places at that time. This edition includes an exact reproduction of the original. Appendices and a detailed index have been added, making the book even more valuable as a historical resource.
History Journal #1
Articles about regional Santa Cruz history including information about: Santa Cruz County, Boulder Creek, Corralitos, Davenport, Felton, Freedom, the Summit, and Watsonville.
History Journal #2
Articles about regional Santa Cruz history including information about: Santa Cruz County, Boulder Creek, Corralitos, Davenport, Felton, Freedom, the Summit, and Watsonville.
History Journal #3
Read articles, poignant research, and see images about regional Santa Cruz history in this Special Branciforte Bicentennial Edition.
Time and Place: Fifty Years of Santa Cruz Studio Ceramics
Published by the MAH in 1997 for an exhibition celebrating fifty years of Santa Cruz Studio Ceramics
Buy Time and Place: Fifty Years of Santa Cruz Studio Ceramics.
Paper Trails: San Francisco Abstract Expressionism
Vintage Exhibition Catalogue from a 1993 show at the Art Museum of Santa Cruz County featuring work by Clyfford Still, Jay DeFeo, James Kelly, Jack Jefferson, Richard Diebenkorn, and more.
Art Is... Workbook
This fun art activity workbook from a 1994 exhibition at the original Art Museum of Santa Cruz County will have you creating and thinking about art in new ways.