Glenwood, California facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Glenwood
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Historical marker for Glenwood, California
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| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| County | Santa Cruz |
| Elevation | 605 ft (157 m) |
| Population
(2008)
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| • Metro | 50 |
| • Demonym | Glenwoodian |
| Time zone | UTC-8 (PST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-7 (PDT) |
| Area code(s) | 408 |
| Reference #: | 449 |
Glenwood, California, is a small, undeveloped area in Santa Cruz County. It's not an official town or city. This historic spot is located at 37°6′29″N 121°59′8″W / 37.10806°N 121.98556°W and sits about 891 feet above sea level.
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History of Glenwood
This special community is recognized as a California Historical Landmark. It was started by Charles C. Martin and his wife, Hannah Carver Martin. Charles arrived in California in 1847, and Hannah crossed the Isthmus of Panama.
Early Days and Martinville
Charles Martin first settled here in 1851. He built a home and started a business. He ran a tollgate, where people paid to pass. It was also a station for stagecoaches traveling over the mountains. Later, he built a lumber mill, a place to make wine, a store, and a hotel called the Glenwood Resort Hotel. The area was known as Martinville from 1851 until 1880. That's when it got a post office and was renamed Glenwood.
The Railroad Era
Glenwood became a stop on the South Pacific Coast Railroad. This was a "narrow gauge" railroad, meaning its tracks were closer together than standard tracks. The railroad started in 1880, connecting Alameda (near San Francisco) to Felton. From Felton, it linked to tracks that went to Santa Cruz and out to a wharf on Monterey Bay.
To make the journey shorter and less steep, workers dug six tunnels through the Santa Cruz Mountains. Tunnel Number 2 ended at Glenwood, and Tunnel Number 3 started just south of Glenwood.
Changes and Decline
In the 1880s, the Southern Pacific railroad took over the line. They changed the tracks to "broad-gauge" in the early 1900s, making them wider.
The big San Francisco earthquake on April 18, 1906, damaged the railroad. It twisted some rails and harmed bridges and tunnels. Southern Pacific fixed the line, and trains kept running until March 1940.
Around the same time, State Route 17 (SR 17) was finished in 1940. This new highway mostly bypassed Glenwood. This meant fewer people traveled through the area, which led to its decline.
Glenwood officially "disappeared" when its U.S. post office closed in 1954. Mrs. Margaret Koch, a local historian and great-granddaughter of Charles Martin, was the last postmistress.
Glenwood Today
Today, Glenwood is a quiet, spread-out community. It's considered "semi-rural" because it's not a busy city, but it's not completely wild either. If you take the Glenwood Drive exit from Highway 17, you'll pass through where the old town used to be. You'll also see the historical marker (pictured in the infobox). This road, also called Glenwood Highway, continues south into Scotts Valley.
