The railroad between Santa Cruz Depot and Vasona Junction was 31.1 miles long. Separated out, that is 6.8 miles between Santa Cruz Depot and Felton Depot, 9 miles between Felton Depot and Laurel, and 15.3 miles between Laurel and Vasona Junction. And we cannot forget the 6.3 miles between Felton Depot and Boulder Creek. Or the roughly 8 miles of the Dougherty Extension Railroad north of Boulder Creek. Or even the 1.7 mile Old Felton… Read More »Maps, Maps, Maps
If there’s one thing I have discovered in my research, it is that many locations went by many different names. They are not consistent, sometimes not even within their own time period. Perhaps the most problematic name is “Wright’s Station”. This small village began life as “Wright’s Station” but quickly became simply “Wright’s”. Then, naturally, people got lazy and the apostrophe was removed, turning it into “Wrights”. Finally, around 1890, the s was dropped entirely,… Read More »The Problems with Names
Okay, a lot of people have been asking me of late regarding my publication plans and this is where I tell everyone the not-so-great news: I’m going digital for the first edition. This was not how I originally intended to distribute Santa Cruz Trains, but after a lot of thought and a look at my current financial situation, it’s what makes the most sense. There is an additional reason, though. When I first set out… Read More »Publication & Distribution
One of the features that will be implemented on virtually every page of my book will be Site Summary Boxes. These helpful little boxes will span the foot of the page just beneath the citations and will help inform readers of the specifics of a location in a quick glance. Unlike the contents within the page, these will be uncited under the expectation that the information has already been cited within the article or in… Read More »Site Summary Boxes
Since 2010, I have been researching the historic railroad lines of Santa Cruz County. It should come as no surprise to anybody that the intent of this research all along has been to write a book. In fact, I hope that someday two books may come out of this research. For the time being, however, only one book is planned: Santa Cruz Trains: Railroads of the Santa Cruz Mountains. Derek Whaley in front of the… Read More »Public Announcement