Surfer's Harbor History: 1947

Surface Motion

T he Location of the Santa Cruz Harbor

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Before the harbor was built, Twin Lakes beach ran all the way from Black's Point to the cliffs at the foot of Fourth Avenue. These cliffs, like the cliffs at Pt. San Lorenzo, were exposed to wave action at the time. The beaches were narrow, and beachgoers had to exit up the cliffs at high tide.
There is plenty of evidence of erosion visible today to anyone examining those cliffs, but it was all done in pre harbor times. Today the cliffs are 150-200 yards in from the water.
The cliffs overlooked a body of water, Woods Lagoon, which was the west sister of Schwan Lake. Its outfall ran out to Twin Lakes beach and a small bridge connected East Cliff Drive from one side to the other.
East Cliff Drive today starts on the east side of the Harbor, but the old configuration was a contiguous road that ran clear to the Rivermouth. Remnants of the eroded west section of East Cliff Drive can be seen near Aldo's Restaurant and as the East Cliff Pathway.
Commentary: The jetty has changed the beach and cliffs dramatically upstream, and as we shall see, disasterously downstream.

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