Blast from the Past: Paradise Park

Several members of the Hercules Historical Society, including myself, were recently treated to a thoroughly fascinating, entertaining, and educational tour of Paradise Park, just outside the northern border of Santa Cruz.

What does this have to do with the history of Hercules, you may ask?

Everything, as it turns out.  The area that is now the bucolic community of Paradise Park was the original site of the California Powder Works.  The company was founded in 1861 to supply the West Coast with explosives during the Civil War.  Normal shipments from the East Coast had been suspended due to concerns of them being hijacked along the way by the Confederates.

The Santa Cruz site was selected due to proximity to water to power the plant, forest for the production of charcoal needed to manufacture powder, and an ocean harbor to transport their product.  Construction began in 1863, and by 1864 production was underway.  The plant continued operation until 1914, as demand for black powder declined and approaching development made continuing operations unfeasible.  Much of the machinery that was still usable was shipped to the Hercules plant.

In the coming weeks, I'll be posting some of the highlights of our tour.  A special thanks goes to Barry Brown, a resident of Paradise Park who's taken it upon himself to document the history of the plant there and was our guide.  He has gone so far as to construct and install historical markers all around the community, and produce a companion guidebook.  His natural enthusiasm made the past come alive for us.