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 Friends on the Beach & the L.A. Thompson Scenic Railway, 1921
My grandmother Marguerite (Comfort) Williams (far right), her sister Edith (Comfort) Sundean (next to her) and friends on the beach in front of the first coaster, the L.A. Thompson Scenic Railway. The Scenic Railway opened in 1908 and was torn down in 1923 to make way for the current Giant Dipper.
Stephen D. Willliams |
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The Giant Dipper, 1984
I was 14 and had never ridden the Giant Dipper. I was nervous, but was going to go through with it. That was the best choice I had made in my life. I'm now an avid roller coaster fan and always ride the Giant Dipper 10 or more times on every visit. My nephew and I ride in the very back, and it's the best ride out there.
Krysz |
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Santa Cruz, 1959
I was 10 years old in 1959 and living in Hayward. I was looking forward to our summer visit to Santa Cruz. I had saved up $5 for the rides and penny arcade. (I spent countless hours figuring out exactly how to spend my money as I had been before a few times and knew how much the rides cost.) Of course, I had to ride the Giant Dipper and that took up a majority of the funds. I always liked the Baseball Game in the penny arcade, where the ball comes down a ramp and you hit it with a lever to get hits. I had to buy some saltwater taffy at Marini's. I also had to ride the spinning top in the Fun House where you tried to hold on before being thrown off. I'm sure they don't have that anymore due to liability issues, but the 50s were simpler times.
Phil |
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 Midget Racer
My father and his parents lived on Ocean Street, and my grandfather worked on the Cave Train. Also, my great grandfather was a carpenter on the roller coaster. The back of this photo says "This is Lawerence. He is working at the little cars at the beach."
Dave Francis
Santa Cruz, CA |
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Riding the Giant Dipper, 1969
My family used to go to the boardwalk every summer and spend the day. We lived a couple hours away. We would get there early and go on rides all day and then go to the beach at around 3 when the weather really got hot. When I was 5 my brother who was 12 talked me into going on the Giant Dipper. I remember crying after the first drop through the whole rest of the ride and then when the coaster got back the attendents made some sort of mistake and we went again. I was so upset, but it got me over my fear. Several years later when I was 8 my friend and I went on it 21 times in a row. By then they were selling the all day bracelets so we could go all we wanted. Those are some of the best memories I have growing up. My parents would let me and my 8 year old friend run around by ourselves and we had the time of our lives!
Kristi |
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Marionette Show, 1970
I started coming to Santa Cruz with my parents when I was about 5. My folks were friends with Jack and Sandy who ran the puppet show right next to the Arcade. My biggest thrill was "Alice in Wonderland" because I got to work the Tweedledee on the pogo stick while Jack (who made every one of those puppets) worked Tweedledum on the flying trapeze. It would swing so high it would go over the wall and crash. Then I did the two tulips that dance next to Tiny Tim as he sang Tip Toe Thru the Tulips. Then his pants would fall down and he would run off stage. They also had a great glow-in-the-dark skeleton, the bones would come apart as he danced. But the end of the show was my favorite. They had a spider above the exit. So I got to grab the string and run down the scaffold with it. That was to release him from the ceiling to swoop down on people as they left the show.
One day I even got to help paint a few ghosts in the Haunted House. And also the big dragonfly in the Cave Train. When I finished they ran the Merry Go Round just for me. It was like a fairy tale.
Christy Lee |
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Fun House Memories, 1947
Sixty years later, I can still vividly remember my friend Jim Brick and I being dropped off by one of our moms at the entrance to the Boardwalk. We raced through the Penny Arcade and into the Fun House where we spent most of the day riding the spinning platter, going down the slide or trying to walk through the revolving tunnel without falling or getting sick!
Jim and I are still best friends and every once in a while our daily e-mails include a memory or two of our days at the Boardwalk.
Gary Irwin |
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Amazing!, 1968
My brother and I would go to Santa Cruz every summer and stay for a week with our parents, we were 5 or younger at the time. I can remember the sounds and lights at night, the smell of the food on the Boardwalk, with a smile on our faces the whole time. It's heart- warming to return 40 years later and see the looks on my childrens faces as they see some of the same things I did. It's amazing that some of the same rides are still there! I hope the Boardwalk is still there for my grandkids in the future, it's something that I hope never goes away. Happy 100th!
Ron |
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Great Times, 1968
My earliest recollection of the Boardwalk is the wooden slide, the Merry-go-Round and the recording booth. On a cold rainy morning in 1968, my mother and I recorded "Rain Drops keep Falling on my Head." As I grew older we traveled to the Boardwalk from Los Altos on many weekends. I returned many times in my twenties. I also brought my son there in the 90s hoping that he would continue the tradition. Now in my forties and living in New Mexico, I dream of returning to the Boardwalk. I am so glad that the park is still operating. I hope that my grandchildren might see the 200th anniversary.
Jim |
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The Singer, 1960
Almost every summer my family made the trip from San Jose for a mini-vacation in Santa Cruz. Often we would stay at the Casa del Rey or one of the other Beach Street area motels. I enjoyed all the rides but was rather timid of the coasters until finally accepting a dare to ride the Giant Dipper in my teen years. I remember the Fun House, trying to hit the clown's mouth on the Carousel, the gas powered Autorama etc., but the thing I lived to do every year between 5 and 10 years old was to go into a booth in the arcades and make a RECORD! I still have those discs. I thought I was some sort of star as I sang my heart out into the microphone. On one you can hear me gasping for breath as my cousin held me up as there was no stool and I was still too short to reach the microphone.
The earliest recording is one of the only recordings of my mom and dad as they encouraged me to talk and sing. I wonder what ever happened to those old telephone booth sized machines?
Steve Williams |
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Giant Dipper, 1950s
This is a picture of the Giant Dipper taken in the 1950s. The station wall is
quite different from what you see today.
Darren
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Field Trips to the Boardwalk, 1966
My dad was a school teacher in Panoche Valley, Ca for 30 years (1961 - 1991) We used to go on a field trip to Santa Cruz at the end of the school year, there were about 13 - 15 students on a given year. We would be almost the only ones there because it was during a school day, before the school year was completely over. We didn't even have to wait in line! I remember going on the rides 7 - 8 times in a row!!
The Wild Mouse was something to conquer the first few years. It was the scariest ride I'd ever been on!!! The first time I closed my eyes through the whole ride. And the Funhouse wooden slide! First time i didn't listen to the instructions and grabbed on as I went down it, well if you knew the ride, you burn your hands if you don't keep them on your lap!
I hope to take my kids there soon, we now live in southern California. Thanks for the memories.
Melanie Light |
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Which Memory?
Which ONE do I share? The memories of the big indoor slide and spinning tray ride? Or the many rides on the Giant Dipper with hands UP the whole way (one time when I was 45+, myself and another lady my age were the only ones brave enough to keep our hand up!) Or the great food? Or the rides on the Carousel where the rings, that you are suppose to toss into the clown's mouth, suddenly appear in your pocket? Or Senior Sneak day at the Boardwalk? Or chaperoning your younger brother's Senior Sneak Day? Or taking your children to enjoy the Boardwalk?
Now being half the age of the Boardwalk I find that there are too many wonderful memories to share just one!
May the Boardwalk be around for another 100 years!!
Terry Warthan Alexander |
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Boardwalk and Playland Memories
I finally got down to the Boardwalk this past July and re-visited two of my family's treasures of the past. My relatives owned Playland in San Francisco and seeing Laffing Sal and the Wurlitzer 165 Band Organ on the carousel was a treat, especially as this was the first time I had shown them to my daughter. I had seen Sal when she was in John Wickett's place in San Francisco and she was in bad shape at the time. Seeing her restored was a thrill. Then seeing the Wurlitzer 165 organ on the carousel was an additional treat. I do wish that the Ruth Organ was back from restoration so I could hear both of them but alas, it was still at the Stinson Organ Company when we visited. Thanks again for keeping the memory of my family's park alive.
Warren Crandall |
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Summer Fun, 2005
A week of camping and playing in Santa Cruz.
Dennis Wycoff |
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First Ride on the Giant Dipper, 2004
I went to a birthday party at the Boardwalk when I was six years old. When I first saw the Giant Dipper I said "No way." Then I was in line and I got so scared I ran out. Eventually I got my courage up and and rode it. People made spooky sounds to freak other people out. Then the drop came and I screamed my head off! After the ride I got my picture but my front teeth were missing so nobody has seen it.
Gabrielle |
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Hello Hollywood, 1981
Director Jeremy Kagen arrived in Santa Cruz with a Hollywood film crew to shoot scenes on the Giant Dipper for a "new" release of The Sting titled "The Sting II".
Only stars Karl Malden, Mac Davis and Woody Parfrey were required in Santa Cruz for the scenes filmed at the Boardwalk and on the Giant Dipper. The Giant Dipper mechanics including myself were assisting the movie crew with setting up for filming.
The Dipper's train and signs were made over to look like the "Cyclone" in Coney Island. Once the camera and lights were setup and filming was ready to start - there was the question of "who" would be at the control panel to run the Giant Dipper for the filming.
The director asked me if I'd like to be in the movies.. My reply was "Who wouldn't".. So I was sent to wardrobe to be "costumed" for the period - and Woody Parfrey gave me the nick-name of "Sidney".
We filmed scenes for 4 nights with Karl Malden and Mac Davis - including a scene with a stunt double for Mac Davis who exited the train in a not so normal manner.
After 4 nights of shooting, and re-shooting the Hollywood crew went home but things were not quite back to normal for me.
KSBW 8 did a 4 part interview with our "local" actor (me) on the "set" the Giant Dipper station. These 2 minute interviews were shown on the 11 PM news for 4 nights in a row.
Jeremy Kagen again came to Santa Cruz several months later when the Rio theater hosted the "World" premiere of the "Sting II".
Needless to say a "movie" role - and TV interviews made me a popular guy in Santa Cruz - at least for a few days..:)
Chuck Stepping
Coos Bay, Oregon |
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Cave Train, 1979
I remember riding the Cave Train during my first visit to Santa Cruz. I was three and thought that the diamonds on the wall in the Cave Train were the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. I spent every summer in Santa Cruz with my family, and even though I thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the rides, the Cave Train remained my favorite.
Stephanie G |
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Arcade, 1967
I have very fond memories of the old Fun House arcade. The big wooden slide, that you rode down on a carpet square. The big turning bottle you walked through without falling down. And the recording booth, where you made a record of yourself singing. It was great fun growing up in the 60's and 70's around the beach and boardwalk.
Kim Eastwood |
