Regional History Project Oral Histories

Mr. and Mrs. Palmer were asked to comment on Frederick A. Hihn (1829-1913), who was one of Santa Cruz's wealthiest and most influential citizens. He played a major role in the development of the county's roads and railroads, founded the resort city of Capitola, owned and developed much of the Santa Cruz business district, owned the city waterworks, was involved in banking, and owned huge tracts of prime timberland in the county. In their youth, both Mr. and Mrs. Palmer worked for F. A. Hihn. They described Hihn and some of his business enterprises and discussed several of the major industries that were in Santa Cruz in the early 1900s.