History records that surfboard riding first began in the Hawaiian Islands hundreds of years ago. It took until the late 1800's before it was introduced to the U.S. Mainland, mostly along the along the southern coast of California. Surfing became known to Santa Cruz area when a few young men from the beaches of southern California migrated to the San Francisco Bay Area to seek jobs or attend college. They already knew how to surf and brought their boards with them. Soon they discovered the beaches of Monterey Bay and the outstanding surf breaking across the outer reefs and sandbars at Cowell's Beach. They also discovered the good surf at the mouth of the San Lorenzo River and at Pleasure Point.
Local teenagers on the beach kept close tabs on how these visitors were able to catch and ride waves with their surfboards. This caused much excitement with the teenagers. By borrowing the visitors' boards and getting some instruction from them, they soon were hooked on the sport and started building their own boards in school wood shops. These early boards were hollow and weighed 60 to 90 pounds.
At this time in history, there were no surf shops, wet suits, leashes, balsa or foam boards, "Gidget," surf music, etc. it would be 30 years before the epic surfing movie, "the Endless Summer", was shown.
About 1936, a high degree of camaraderie developed between the visitors and the local teens. This prompted David Steward to invite them to store their surfboards in the basement of his parents’ house at Gharkey Street and Lighthouse Avenue. It was here that the idea of forming the Santa Cruz Surfing Club came about. When the Stewards moved to a house on Bay Street with a barn behind it, the visitors were invited to use the loft of the barn not just for storing their boards, but for sleeping as well. Since the barn was only three blocks from Cowell’s Beach, it became a regular meeting place for all surfers.
In 1938, the Santa Cruz Jaycees built a board storage house on Cowell’s Beach between the Santa Cruz Horseshoe Club and the pier bathhouse. Space not used was rented out to non-members. Around the same time, the club rented a former hamburger stand, only 30 feet from the board house, as their clubhouse.
As the club grew and became more serious, they elected officers and had T-shirts and sweat shirts made with the club’s logo. Members and their friends spent many happy years growing up on the sands in front of their clubhouse. Beach volleyball and the rigors of surfing resulted in strong and healthy bodies.
Most members served in the armed forces in World War II. Fortunately, the all returned home safely, but things were never the same on the beach again. Many of the members drifted away from the old ways and got on with their lives – college, marriage, families, jobs and responsibilities.
In 1952, the board house was taken down and the club disbanded. The clubhouse itself is now part of a private home on Frederick Street. The club members and their friends have had three reunions since then. The 50th reunion, 1986, was held at the Coconut Grove just a few months after opening the Mark Abbott Memorial Lighthouse Surfing Museum.
In 1992, based on an inspiration of some of the original club members, a surfing sculpture monument was erected on West Cliff Drive at Pelton Avenue. It is dedicated to all surfers, past, present and future.
James S. Alambaugh
Bob Gillies
Harold W. Goody
Bill Grace
Terrance Hickey
Alex Hokamp
Fred Hunt
John Lerrecq
Dave Ledyard
Bill J. Lidderdale, Jr.
David Littlefield
Sam A. Maugeria
Harry Mayo
Jack Moore |
Harry Murray
Pete Muttersbach
Don Patterson
Alex B. Pedemonte
Duane Polly
Lloyd M. Ragon
Bob Rittenhouse
Tommy Roussel
David Steward
Ted Schultz
Richard Thompson
Douge Thorne
Blake Turner |
The Story of the Sculpture
1986 was an outstanding year for Santa Cruz surfing community. The Mark Abbott Memorial Lighthouse Surfing Museum was dedicated that year and the Santa Cruz Surfing Club celebrated its fiftieth reunion. Both events attracted many generations of surfers and their families and friends, and the organizers provided the basis for the Surfing Sculpture Committee.
Tom Marsh sculpted the surfer, using a live model, and Brian Curtis created the base. The pattern for the board was built by David Steward and Bill Grace who have shaped boards since they were at Santa Cruz High School in the late 30’s and early 40’s. The sculpture is a work of art of which the surfing community and the citizens of Santa Cruz can be proud. |
