About this Collection

Special Collections consist of research material donated to Santa Cruz Public Libraries.

These files are shelved with Local History, and for the most part are uncatalogued. Some records from the Faye Ellis collection and some photos from various collections have been digitized and are part of this database.

The files in Special Collections are open for research use. Appointments to view a particular collection can be made by contacting the library. Permission to publish materials must be requested from the Santa Cruz Public Libraries. Researchers are responsible for determining any copyright questions.

Items in Special Collections

Hecox Family: Scrapbooks
This collection contains 6 scrapbooks compiled at the turn of the 19th century by members of the Hecox family, the particular relatives of Adna and Margaret Hecox who first arrived in California in 1846. The scrapbooks vary in size, and consist of…

Date: 2018
Type: COLLECTION

Paul Tutwiler: Religion/Spirituality in Santa Cruz County
Paul Tutwiler (1929-2014) became interested in Santa Cruz area history while he lived in Bonny Doon (1996-2011). A former priest and philosophy instructor, he researched and wrote extensively about the history of spirituality in the county. His wife…

Date: 1996-2012
Source: Gift of Miriam Beames, 2018
Type: COLLECTION

Christine Moran: Earthquake Photographs
Christine Moran was employed in the City of Santa Cruz Public Works Department at the time of the Loma-Prieta earthquake. She collected several hundred photographs taken by Public Works staff immediately after the earthquake, as well as photos…

Date: 1989
Source: Gift of Christine Moran, 2018
Type: COLLECTION

Marion Dale Pokriots: Scotts Valley Research
Marion Dale Pokriots, a long-time Scotts Valley resident and retired teacher, is a genealogist and historical researcher. She has collaborated on the compilation of several research tools, and has published some of her work, including "Remembering…

Date: Undated
Source: Gift of Marion Pokriots, 2018
Type: COLLECTION

Sara Bunnett: Santa Cruz County History
Sara Bunnett (1919-2006) is best known locally for her efforts to index Santa Cruz newspapers and county records. She was very active in community organizations, and was president of the Santa Cruz Genealogical Society, as well as president of the…

Date: 1970-2000
Source: Gift of Alfred Bunnett, 2015
Type: COLLECTION

Faye Ellis: San Lorenzo Valley Research
Faye Ellis moved to the San Lorenzo Valley in 1974, and started collecting a wealth of information on the history of this part of Santa Cruz County. Her research materials, covering the period from the 1840’s to the 1940’s, include interviews,…

Date: Undated
Source: Donated by Faye Ellis.
Type: COLLECTION

Santa Cruz Ephemera Collection
This collection of ephemera originated with a substantial contribution from Preston Sawyer (1899-1968). He grew up in Santa Cruz and worked for local newspapers, and wrote the “Santa Cruz Yesterdays” feature in the Santa Cruz Sentinel. While most…

Date: 1890-2019
Source: Collected by staff of Santa Cruz Public Libraries from multiple sources, with a core collection created by Preston Sawyer.
Type: COLLECTION

Frank Zwart, Campus Architect Emeritus, University of California, Santa Cruz gives a talk on the history and planning of the UCSC campus, with brief mentions of architecture in Havana, Cuba and Vancouver, B.C.

Zwart is an alumnus of UCSC (Cowell…

Date: 05-25-2019
Source: Recorded by Mike Peck, May 25, 2019
Type: MOVING IMAGE

This is a collection of translations by Starr Pait Gurcke of California pre-statehood documents.

Starr Pait was born in San Jose in 1911. She graduated from San Jose State and received a master’s degree in Germanic languages from Stanford. She…

Date: Circa 1965-1990
Source: Gift of the Gurcke Family; received from Heidi Gurcke Donald, June 2019.
Type: COLLECTION

Marilyn Hummel: Bonny Doon History and Bonny Doon Ecological Reserve
Marilyn Hummel (1927-2013) was a resident of Bonny Doon from 1968 until her death in 2013.

Adapted from her obituary:
Marilyn Hummel held strong beliefs in the importance of social justice and environmental protection. She served as President of…

Date: circa 1980-2000
Source: Donated by Natalia Flechsig, July 2019
Type: COLLECTION