Lime production was an important player in the development of Santa Cruz. This is a 17 stop walking tour primarily around the buildings that were a part of the Cowell Lime works, and the Henry Cowell Ranch near the main entrance to the UCSC campus.
During this walking tour created by Friends of the Cowell Limeworks Historic District, you will see that some of the historic buildings have been put to modern uses by the University. Others remain unused but are gradually being restored. We highlight a few of the stops below, but the complete stories for all the stops can be found in the mobile app, and many can be read in blog form at the bottom of this page. Please note that a valid UCSC permit is required to park in all non-meter, non-pay station parking spaces on campus during weekdays. Some parking areas are free on weekends, but read signs carefully. Detailed information on parking is available on the UCSC Transportation and Parking Services Visitor Parking website.
A wild ride in the ore cars. Learn of the 1860s tramway between the quarry and the kilns.
The Cook House, today’s admissions office at UCSC has always been painted red. In contrast, almost all the other ranch buildings were whitewashed. Find out why.
Meet one of the founding fathers of lime production. He wasn’t the only one but he is the most famous and he played hard ball when it came to business.
Read the stories below: blog-style!
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Of the several dozen lime company owners in Santa Cruz County history, Henry Cowell is the only name that is well-known today. This is mostly because of H ...
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The next time you are standing in line to mail a package or renew a passport in the downtown Santa Cruz, California post office, look at the four murals h ...
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The UC Santa Cruz campus and much of the adjacent Pogonip land was originally part of Cowell Ranch. Henry Cowell bought the land in 1865 for its extensive ...
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This giant barn served several different purposes through the years. Originally, it probably held some of the 30-plus oxen kept on the ranch as draft anim ...
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At the base of the University of California, Santa Cruz lies the Cowell Lime Works Historic District. Along High Street, right before the main campus entr ...
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Near the main entrance to the University of California, Santa Cruz lies the Cowell Lime Works Historic District. We recently wrote about about the regions ...
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The House of Lime Today's Cardiff House has had many occupants over its 151 year history. Except for the University, they all have had one thing in common ...
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The main entrance to the University of California Santa Cruz (UCSC) is gateway not only to a world class institution of higher learning, but also to the C ...
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Near the main entrance to the University of California, Santa Cruz lies the Cowell Lime Works Historic District. Lime was an essential building material i ...
