Regional History Project Oral Histories

Mr. Rountree was a lifelong Santa Cruz resident and an avid railroad buff. He read Bruce A. MacGregor's book, South Pacific Coast, the story of the railroad that operated between Alameda and Santa Cruz in the latter years of the 19th century and the first years of the 20th century, and was inspired to fill a spiral notebook with his own handwritten observations and boyhood memories of the railroad. From these notes, a manuscript was produced which is not only a detailed commentary on South Pacific Coast, but a rich source of contemporary observations of the early railroad and its effects on many aspects of life in Santa Cruz County.