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| Landmark #860 | Santa Cruz County | Visited: October 2, 2011 | Plaque? YES! 🙂 |
| What is it? | There’s a plaque on the side of a surf shop designating the oldest commercial structure in Capitola! |
| What makes it historical? | THE GUIDE SAYS: This building is Capitola’s oldest commercial structure. It served as head quarters for F. A. Hihn’s operations from approximately 1883 to 1919, when he owned and developed what was then known as “Camp Capitola” into the first seaside resort in the state.
OTHER TIDBITS: Mr. Frederick Hihn did not get along well with nature! He came to California from Germany to hunt for gold, but the Feather River flooded and washed away all of his tools! Then, after settling into Santa Cruz and manufacturing candy, the Sacramento and American Rivers flooded and destroyed his candy factory! For a while, things went well; he worked in the hotel business and started practice as a druggist, until two fires in 1851 destroyed everything he had! He was so disheartened that he nearly went back to Germany, until he met a determined friend shoveling the ashes of his own store, so F.A. Hihn decided to stay in the Santa Cruz area as an operator of water works, schools, railroad development, and a whole bunch of other important projects in the Santa Cruz area, like Camp Capitola in 1874! Even though his enormous hotel also burned to the ground, Hihn turned this cattle beach and Indian burial ground into a European style resort, named for the fact that neighboring Soquel was a candidate as California’s state capital! |
| How can I Help the Helpers? | HERE’S HOW:
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| Where is this place? | LISTED DIRECTIONS: 201 Monterey Ave Capitola, CA 95010 ANNOTATIONS: From Los Angeles: ~341mi (549km) — 5.7hrs |
| When should I go? | Whenever the mood strikes you! |