Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History facts for kids
Exterior of the museum
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| Established | 1905 |
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| Location | Santa Cruz, California |
| Type | Natural History |
| Visitors | 30,000 annually |
The Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History is often called "the Whale Museum" by people who live nearby. It is one of the oldest museums in California. The museum started in 1905 with a special collection from a woman named Laura Hecox.
Over the years, the museum's collections grew a lot. They added many artifacts from Native American history and archaeology. They also collected many items from nature, like plants and animals. Today, the museum is located in a building that used to be a Carnegie Library. These libraries were built with money from a generous foundation started by Andrew Carnegie.
Contents
Museum History
How It All Began
The museum's story began in the late 1800s with a naturalist named Laura Hecox. Laura was born in Santa Cruz in 1854. From a young age, she loved learning about nature and science. Her parents moved to Santa Cruz in 1847.
In 1869, Laura's father became the keeper of the original Santa Cruz Lighthouse. Laura and her family moved there. Laura started collecting seashells, rocks, fossils, and Native American artifacts. She turned part of the lighthouse into her own private nature museum.
In 1883, Laura became the lighthouse keeper herself. She held this job for 33 years! On weekends, she would give tours of the lighthouse. She also showed visitors her amazing collection. Laura was interested in all of nature, but she especially loved mollusks (like snails and clams). She even had two mollusk species named after her!
A New Home in a Carnegie Library
In 1904, Laura Hecox gave her entire collection to the City of Santa Cruz. She wanted them to create the city's first public museum. The next year, in 1905, the Hecox Museum opened. It was located in the basement of the new Carnegie Library.
A local doctor and naturalist, Dr. Charles Lewis Anderson, helped set up both the library and the museum. When the museum opened on August 21, 1905, it had many interesting displays. There were dried sea stars, Indian baskets, minerals, and many types of shells. Laura Hecox said she wasn't losing her collection. Instead, she was sharing her joy with everyone.
The Hecox collection stayed at the library until about 1917. Then, it moved to the new Santa Cruz High School.
In 1929, a man named Humphrey Pilkington gave his large collection of Native American artifacts to the City of Santa Cruz. He said a museum had to be created to keep and show his collection. Pilkington was a forester and was the first warden at California Redwood Park, which is now Big Basin Redwoods State Park.
Moving to Seabright
From 1930 to 1954, the museum was in a building called the Crafts House. In 1930, the Pilkington collection was set up there. A group of volunteers was chosen to run the museum. In 1932, the Hecox collection also moved to the Crafts House.
During the 1930s and 1940s, the museum also had a public aquarium on the Santa Cruz Wharf. In 1947, the Museum Commission was created. This group advised the city on museum matters. This step helped the museum become an official part of the city government.
In 1954, the old Crafts House building was no longer safe. The museum moved next door to the Seabright Branch Library building. This was another Carnegie Library, built in 1915. The museum and library shared the building starting on October 10, 1954.
In 1960, Dr. Glenn Bradt joined the Museum Commission. He was a scientist who studied mammals. Dr. Bradt worked almost full-time as a volunteer for the museum. During his time, two additions were built onto the old library building. All the exhibits were also updated. In 1969, the museum hired its first full-time curator.
Museum Growth and Leadership
In 1969, Charles Prentiss became the museum's curator. He had a background in both biology and art. For 29 years, the museum's programs, staff, collections, and exhibits kept getting better. In the 1970s, popular yearly events like the Fungus Fair and Spring Wildflower Show began.
Many special exhibits were also held. Thanks to hundreds of donations, the museum's collection grew to over 16,000 items! In 1978, the Santa Cruz Museum Association was formed. This group helps support the museum. In 1980, the docent program started. Docents are volunteers who give tours to thousands of schoolchildren each year.
In 1981, the inside of the museum building was completely redone. All new exhibits were built. In 1982, a life-size model of a gray whale was built. Money for the whale model was raised by the Museum Association.
In 1998, Greg Moyce became the Museum Director. Jenifer Lienau-Thompson joined the museum that same year. She took on a lead role in 2005 when Moyce moved away. The museum celebrated its 100th birthday in August 2005. Jenifer started hosting more temporary exhibits each year. These exhibits covered topics like renewable energy, caves, and bird migration. She even worked with a local school to create an exhibit about how plastic trash harms birds on beaches.
In 2009, the City of Santa Cruz made an agreement to let the Santa Cruz Museum Association run the museum. This was done to keep the museum from closing due to lack of money. In late 2010, the Museum Association hired its first executive director, Dr. Daniel Harder. He was a botanist.
In November 2012, the Museum Association changed its name to the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History. This made it clear that the group was directly connected to the museum. Dr. Harder worked there until the summer of 2014.
In 2015, Heather Moffat was hired as executive director. She is a paleontologist (someone who studies fossils) and a museum educator. She worked at the museum until the fall of 2018.
In 2019, Felicia Van Stolk was chosen as the new executive director. She had been the museum's Education Director for years. Director Van Stolk wants to build on the museum's success. She aims to help more people learn about science and appreciate the natural world. She said, "It’s an exciting time to work at the museum as we expand our programs to serve a more diverse population and become a regional leader in environmental education."
Surfing Museum
In 1984, the museum built outdoor displays on the Santa Cruz Wharf. These displays taught visitors about marine life, fishing, and the wharf's history. In 1986, the Santa Cruz Surfing Museum was created. It is a smaller museum located at the Mark Abbott Memorial Lighthouse.
The Surfing Museum shows old surfboards and historical photographs. It attracts many visitors each year. The City of Santa Cruz runs the Santa Cruz Surfing Museum.
