Glenwood, California

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Glenwood, California, is a ghost town in Santa Cruz County. It is located at latitude 870630N, longitude 1215908W; decimal degrees: latitude 37.10833, longitude -121.98556. It is 891 feet above sea level.^[1]

According to California Historical Marker No. 449, this historic town was founded by Charles C. Martin, who came around Cape Horn in 1847, and his wife, Hannah Carver Martin, who crossed the Isthmus of Panama. Martin first homesteaded the area in 1851 and operated a tollgate and station for stagecoaches crossing the mountains. Later he developed a lumber mill, winery, store, and the Glenwood Resort Hotel.^[2]

Glenwood was a stop on the narrow gauge railroad from Los Gatos to Santa Cruz from 1880 to 1940. The railroad was acquired in the early 1900s by the Southern Pacific, which operated weekend excursion trains on the line. A tunnel was built between Laurel and Glenwood. The April 18, 1906, earthquake twisted some of the rails and damaged bridges and tunnels along the line.^[3] The Southern Pacific repaired the railroad and it continued operations until March 1940. The routing of State Route 17, completed during 1940, bypassed Glenwood, contributing to its decline.^[4]

Glenwood officially "disappeared" with the closing of the U.S. post office in 1954.^[5]

The area is now sparsely settled. Glenwood Drive, also known as Glenwood Highway, passes through the site of the town; this was part of the original highway between Santa Cruz and Los Gatos.^[6]