SEPTEMBER 2003 – The Santa Cruz Surfing Museum in Santa Cruz, California, is located in a building resembling a traditional lighthouse. © Mark Zanzig/zanzig.com
The story behind the image
Yesterday I shared an exciting view of the Western Cliffs of Santa Cruz in California.
Here is another must-do when in the area, at least for surfers and fans of the sport. It’s the Santa Cruz Surfing Museum which can be found in the building resembling a lighthouse at 701 W Cliff Drive.
Huh? No lighthouse then? Indeed.
At this location used to be a genuine lighthouse, built in 1869. This lighthouse helped sailors navigate along the rocky coast. It was small and simply constructed, but it was a key navigational landmark for many years. Over time, modern navigation methods reduced the need for this lighthouse. So, in 1941, the original building was demolished.
The current “lighthouse” was built in 1967 at the location of the old lighthouse. It is called the Mark Abbott Memorial Lighthouse to honor Mark Abbott, a young surfer from Santa Cruz, drowned while surfing in 1965. His parents wanted to create a lasting memorial to his life. They donated money to build a new lighthouse on the very spot where their son had surfed so often. The lighthouse was never actively used as a lighthouse, though, and became a memorial. Since 1986 it is the home of the Santa Cruz Surfing Museum – one of the first museums in the world dedicated exclusively to the history of surfing.
At the museum, you can learn about the history of the sport, its links to Santa Cruz and how the city actually became the mainland birthplace of California’s official sport. Read more on their official site.
Design ideas
The high resolution image
| Capture Date | 04-SEP-2002 |
| Location | Santa Cruz, CA |
| Camera | Canon AE-1 Program |
| Image Source | Fuji Slide Film |
| Digital Image Source | EPSON Perfection 4870 Photo |
| Digital Image Source Format | TIFF, 48 bits/pixel, sRGB |
| Edited Image Format | JPEG, 24 bits/pixel, sRGB |
| Edited Image Dimensions | 6527 x 4235 Pixels |
| Copyright | © by Mark Zanzig/zanzig.com |
Zanzig.com Photo Hub 