Skip Littlefield was a character in the best sense of the word. He not only planned and executed amazing Boardwalk spectacles and stunts over four successful decades, he also promoted the events using an impressive set of advertising and PR skills. 

Skip also served as the Boardwalk's first historian,  a pursuit of love, not duty.   With meticulous attention to detail, he collected, cataloged and filed memories, facts, and anecdotes. Skip's files became the source of the Seaside Company's archives. 

Each spring, from 1904 to 1912, entrepreneur Fred Swanton filled a special Southern Pacific train with local business people, brass bands, entertainers and loads of souvenirs and headed off for several weeks to promote Santa Cruz .

The Boardwalk’s iconic Giant Dipper is 95 years young on May 17, 2019. This blog recounts the little-known history of our roller coaster’s origin and the dismal economic ups-and-downs of its initial decade of operation that almost provoked its proprietor to remove it from the Boardwalk.

Until it closed in 1972, Playland at the Beach in San Francisco was considered the Boardwalk’s sister seaside amusement park. I recall seeing Laffing Sal at Playland in her Fun House perch where her maniacal laugh could be heard throughout the amusement park and probably for blocks away. 

There's a lot more to the saga of Laffing Sal! 

In July 1959, a new Boardwalk car ride similar to Disney's Autopia, was given a green light. That marked the beginning of our Autorama ride. 

Our new Autorama ride appealed to youngsters like me who weren't able to legally drive a real car. When a vehicle stopped on the track ahead of me, I carefully avoided a collision, unless its occupant was a friend of mine. A quick look to the rear prepared me for a possible bump by another friend who'd be flaunting a menacing smile. 

How did the Boardwalk become the #1 vacation destination for cave people? In 1960 the Boardwalk Archaeological Team made an astonishing discovery.  

Let’s go back nearly sixty years and discover the origin of our one-of-a-kind Cave Train Ride.