Seacliff State Beach
Encyclopedia
Seacliff is a California
State Beach located off Highway 1
in the town of Aptos
about 5 miles (8 km) south of Santa Cruz
, on State Park Drive. The beach is most known for the concrete ship
SS Palo Alto
lying in the water. North of Seacliff State Beach is New Brighton State Beach
.
people.
Spanish missionaries established the Mission Santa Cruz
here. In 1821, when Mexico
broke away from Spain
the land was divided up into land grants. The area of the beach was a part of the Rancho Aptos
grant to Rafael Castro in 1833. Castro worked with Claus Spreckels
to establish the Castro-Spreckels wharf. The beach soon became a successful shipping port. The logging industry also thrived here with the local redwood trees.
The port facilitated major trade with the Kingdom of Hawaii
. In 1838, King Kamehameha III
requested that Mexican vaqueros
from California travel to Hawaii to teach Hawaiians how to manage herds of wild cattle
. Seacliff became a popular place to recruit vaqueros, who were known as paniolos by the Hawaiians.
In the 1850s, Thomas Fallon
acquired part of beach and turned it into a resort. He named this new resort "New Brighton", in honor of his favorite seaside resort in England.
In the 1920s, after Claus Spreckels' death, sections of the beach were developed into the Seacliff Park and the Rio Del Mar Country Club.
In 1930, the first California state grant for preserving land was granted for the beach and, in 1931, it became a state beach.
The beach’s most notable feature is the concrete ship
SS Palo Alto
lying at the end of a pier
. The ship was hauled to Seacliff Beach in 1929 and sank and turned into an amusement center complete with a dance floor, cafe, pool, and carnival booths. The Cal-Nevada Company constructed a dance floor on the main deck, a cafe in the superstructure of the ship, a 4-foot heated swimming pool and a series of carnival type concessions on the aft-deck. The Cal-Nevada Company went bankrupt after only two seasons and the ship was stripped. This left the pier and the ship used only for fishing. It is now permanently closed to the public.
It is also a popular place for surfing and fishing.
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
State Beach located off Highway 1
California State Route 1
State Route 1 , more often called Highway 1, is a state highway that runs along much of the Pacific coast of the U.S. state of California. It is famous for running along some of the most beautiful coastlines in the world, leading to its designation as an All-American Road.Highway 1 does not run...
in the town of Aptos
Aptos, California
Aptos is a census-designated place in Santa Cruz County, California, United States. The population was 6,220 at the 2010 census.Aptos is an unincorporated area of Santa Cruz county, consisting of several small communities...
about 5 miles (8 km) south of Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz, California
Santa Cruz is the county seat and largest city of Santa Cruz County, California in the US. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, Santa Cruz had a total population of 59,946...
, on State Park Drive. The beach is most known for the concrete ship
Concrete ship
Concrete ships are ships built of steel and ferrocement instead of more traditional materials, such as steel or wood. The advantage of ferrocement construction is that materials are cheap and readily available, while the disadvantages are that construction labor costs are high, as are operating...
SS Palo Alto
Palo Alto (tanker)
The Palo Alto was a concrete ship built as a tanker at the end of World War I. She was built by the San Francisco Shipbuilding Company at the U.S. Naval Shipyard in Oakland, California. She was launched on May 29, 1919, too late to see service in the war...
lying in the water. North of Seacliff State Beach is New Brighton State Beach
New Brighton State Beach
New Brighton State Beach is a 95 acre park consisting of a beach and camping grounds. The park is located on east of Santa Cruz in Capitola. The park is adjacent to Seacliff State Beach which is known for its fishing pier and sunk concrete freighter, The Palo Alto.-History:The cove was once called...
.
History
The beach was originally home to the OhloneOhlone
The Ohlone people, also known as the Costanoan, are a Native American people of the central California coast. When Spanish explorers and missionaries arrived in the late 18th century, the Ohlone inhabited the area along the coast from San Francisco Bay through Monterey Bay to the lower Salinas Valley...
people.
Spanish missionaries established the Mission Santa Cruz
Mission Santa Cruz
Mission Santa Cruz was established in 1791 and named for the feast of the Exultation of the Cross, the name that the explorer Gaspar de Portolà gave to the area when he camped on the banks of the San Lorenzo River on October 17, 1769, and erected a wooden cross...
here. In 1821, when Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
broke away from Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
the land was divided up into land grants. The area of the beach was a part of the Rancho Aptos
Rancho Aptos
Rancho Aptos was a Mexican land grant in present day Santa Cruz County, California given in 1833 by Governor José Figueroa to Rafael Castro. The grant on the Monterey Bay was immediately downcoast of his sister, Martina Castro's Rancho Soquel, and upcoast of his father, José Joaquín Castro's ...
grant to Rafael Castro in 1833. Castro worked with Claus Spreckels
Claus Spreckels
Claus Spreckels, formally Adolph Claus J. Spreckels , , was a major industrialist in Hawai'i during the kingdom, republican and territorial periods of the islands' history...
to establish the Castro-Spreckels wharf. The beach soon became a successful shipping port. The logging industry also thrived here with the local redwood trees.
The port facilitated major trade with the Kingdom of Hawaii
Kingdom of Hawaii
The Kingdom of Hawaii was established during the years 1795 to 1810 with the subjugation of the smaller independent chiefdoms of Oahu, Maui, Molokai, Lānai, Kauai and Niihau by the chiefdom of Hawaii into one unified government...
. In 1838, King Kamehameha III
Kamehameha III
Kamehameha III was the King of Hawaii from 1825 to 1854. His full Hawaiian name was Keaweaweula Kiwalao Kauikeaouli Kaleiopapa and then lengthened to Keaweaweula Kiwalao Kauikeaouli Kaleiopapa Kalani Waiakua Kalanikau Iokikilo Kiwalao i ke kapu Kamehameha when he ascended the throne.Under his...
requested that Mexican vaqueros
Cowboy
A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the vaquero traditions of northern Mexico and became a figure of...
from California travel to Hawaii to teach Hawaiians how to manage herds of wild cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
. Seacliff became a popular place to recruit vaqueros, who were known as paniolos by the Hawaiians.
In the 1850s, Thomas Fallon
Thomas Fallon
Thomas Fallon was an Irish-born, Canadian-raised American capitalist and politician, the tenth Mayor of San Jose, California.-Biography:...
acquired part of beach and turned it into a resort. He named this new resort "New Brighton", in honor of his favorite seaside resort in England.
In the 1920s, after Claus Spreckels' death, sections of the beach were developed into the Seacliff Park and the Rio Del Mar Country Club.
In 1930, the first California state grant for preserving land was granted for the beach and, in 1931, it became a state beach.
SS Palo Alto
Concrete ship
Concrete ships are ships built of steel and ferrocement instead of more traditional materials, such as steel or wood. The advantage of ferrocement construction is that materials are cheap and readily available, while the disadvantages are that construction labor costs are high, as are operating...
SS Palo Alto
Palo Alto (tanker)
The Palo Alto was a concrete ship built as a tanker at the end of World War I. She was built by the San Francisco Shipbuilding Company at the U.S. Naval Shipyard in Oakland, California. She was launched on May 29, 1919, too late to see service in the war...
lying at the end of a pier
Pier
A pier is a raised structure, including bridge and building supports and walkways, over water, typically supported by widely spread piles or pillars...
. The ship was hauled to Seacliff Beach in 1929 and sank and turned into an amusement center complete with a dance floor, cafe, pool, and carnival booths. The Cal-Nevada Company constructed a dance floor on the main deck, a cafe in the superstructure of the ship, a 4-foot heated swimming pool and a series of carnival type concessions on the aft-deck. The Cal-Nevada Company went bankrupt after only two seasons and the ship was stripped. This left the pier and the ship used only for fishing. It is now permanently closed to the public.
Animal and plant life
The beach is home to many types of birds and marine life, including mussels, ocean worms, sea stars, sea anemones, barnacles, rock crabs, harbor seals, anglers, flounder, mackerel, halibut, lingcod, perch, cabezon, jacksmelt, steelhead, anchovy, bocaccio (tomcod), kingfish, dark seabirds, sea lions, dolphins, harbor seals, sea otters and whales. The Palo Alto serves as a main place for marine life.Recreation
Seacliff includes RV facilities, picnic tables, and fire pits.It is also a popular place for surfing and fishing.