Laurel is a
ghost town
Ghost Town(s) or Ghosttown may refer to:
* Ghost town, a town that has been abandoned
Film and television
* ''Ghost Town'' (1936 film), an American Western film by Harry L. Fraser
* ''Ghost Town'' (1956 film), an American Western film by All ...
in
Santa Cruz County,
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
, United States, in the
Santa Cruz Mountains. It is in a valley at an elevation of above sea level.
History
A toll road was built from
Los Gatos
Los Gatos (, ; ) is an incorporated town in Santa Clara County, California, United States. The population is 33,529 according to the 2020 census. It is located in the San Francisco Bay Area just southwest of San Jose in the foothills of th ...
to
Santa Cruz, passing through the eventual site of Laurel, and was utilized by stagecoaches. Then, a narrow gauge railroad was constructed over the mountains to provide transportation for lumber and the numerous crops grown in the area. Rather than wind around the steep slopes, a series of tunnels bored through successive ridges. Laurel sat in a narrow valley between the two longest tunnel segments, both over a mile long.
The longest and highest of the tunnels began northwest of Laurel at
Wrights Station (sometimes designated "Wright's Station" or simply "Wrights"), about a mile east of
Patchen. From Wrights Station it went through a tunnel to a point just north of Laurel.
During the construction of the Summit tunnel (which leads to Wrights), a strong flow of natural gas was encountered, and an explosion followed, which resulted in the death of 32 Chinese workers. The main leak was subsequently stopped, but gas continued to escape in small quantities. The extent of the supply was unknown.
At Laurel, the rail line entered another long tunnel, continuing to the southwest and emerging just north of
Glenwood. That tunnel cut through a ridge, below today's
State Highway 17.
The railroad was completed in 1880 from Los Gatos to
Felton, and on south to Santa Cruz. The railroad was later purchased by the
Southern Pacific
The Southern Pacific (or Espee from the railroad initials- SP) was an American Class I railroad network that existed from 1865 to 1996 and operated largely in the Western United States. The system was operated by various companies under the ...
.
The area was seriously affected by
the April 18, 1906, earthquake, largely because the
San Andreas Fault
The San Andreas Fault is a continental transform fault that extends roughly through California. It forms the tectonic boundary between the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate, and its motion is right-lateral strike-slip (horizonta ...
passes through the mountains. There were numerous offsets and fissures, resulting in damage to the rails, bridges, and tunnels. Homes and businesses were damaged or destroyed as well.
The railroad recovered from the disaster and operated until heavy rains in February 1940 caused major landslides; the Southern Pacific decided not to repair the damage. Completion of
State Route 17, west of Laurel, that same year also contributed to the demise of the railroad and several small communities, including Laurel, that were located along the railroad right-of-way. Since then, some homes have been built around the site of Laurel, but the village itself no longer exists. Laurel Drive passes through the village's site.
References
{{Santa Cruz County, California
Former settlements in Santa Cruz County, California
Ghost towns in the San Francisco Bay Area