THE REDWOODS AS REFUGE

"Ten minutes from the plumes of surf rolling in on the crescent beach with its hundreds of bathers in front of the Casino at Santa Cruz, and the motor carries one into the midst of the Redwood, into the great Fremont Grove of Big Trees and into that mysterious twilight of the gods which reigns perpetually under these giants of the forest."

 

California Views No. 8 Redwood Trees, Santa Cruz Mountains - Library of Congress

"Thirty centuries look down from some of these great trees upon puny human beings. No wonder people try to be of consequence and tack up their futile visiting cards in the hollow trunk of a great Sequoia. The cosmic quiet of these temples of the woods affords healing to shattered nerves and world-worn spirits. There is no rustling among the branches of the big trees, for the Sequoias stand firm and unmovable, there is only the (sibilant) crunch of the needles with which the floor of the forest is carpeted. Somehow the spirit of the red man seems to (descend) upon one in these marvelous groves. One grows impatient of the trammels of civilization. The habits of the man pack seem contemptible and the forest calls with an (insistent) droning song and something in one's self, older than civilization, wakes up and demands recognition."

 

"Further investigation into the mountains, and one enters into the very heart of the wild woods — one moment great vistas of blue peaks and mountain ranges, and then one is all screened in with green and growing things. Ferns as high as a man's head, enormous sword - like fronds, ever green tree and shrub in Nature's wild gardens, the tender beauty of wild flowers lining the canyons. Looking down, down, down, one sees a river tumbling over the rocks, crystal clear. There is the sound of waterfalls, and way below are people fishing, and catch the limit of trout, they say, any day, for if the supply ever should run short there is the State fish hatchery near by and the little streams are stocked continually …"

 

"One finds hundreds of little cottages through the Santa Cruz mountains close besides the Redwoods. Mary Pickford has a house up there, but it is only a ‘movie’ house, a front and nothing more. The divine little Mary stayed at Santa Cruz while the Romance of the Redwoods was taken, and the scene was set here for ‘Freckles’ in which (her brother Jack) … took the title role."

 

Motion Picture Magazine, July 1917

"The California Big Trees or the Fremont Grove containing the biggest trees in the world, so the guide informs us, is only six miles from Santa Cruz by motor or by the Southern Pacific train which runs right along the edge as it comes from San Francisco … Many of the trees in this grove are from fifty to sixty feet in circumference and two to three hundred feet tall."

 

Photoplay, September 1919

In March 1916 Mary Pickford and a movie crew of twenty-five arrived in Santa Cruz to commence filming Romance of the Redwoods. The story revolved around an orphaned girl who comes to California during the gold rush only to learn upon arrival that her uncle was killed and his identity was stolen by an outlaw. The young film star and her entourage resided at the Casa del Rey hotel and motored each morning up to the Big Trees for filming. The following year Mary came again to Santa Cruz, but this time to visit her brother who was filming the movie Freckles. When the media caught a glimpse of her, they noted that she had cut off her beloved trademark curls. When Mary tried to dodge the media, they responded by reporting that "America’s Sweetheart" was now a snob. Fortunately, her brother had developed a friendship with a local reporter, Josephine Clifford McCrackin. He even referred to Mrs. McCrackin as "Grandma". Jack privately told Mrs. McCrackin that his sister was depressed already because her studio had ended her script approval and her recent films were flops. Jack encouraged Mrs. McCrackin to befriend Mary, which she happily did. Mary confided to her new friend that arguments with her alcoholic husband led her to Santa Cruz for some needed refuge. McCrackin arranged a Reception Ball for the movie star and in an "outpouring of affection, Mary announced she had made McCrackin her adopted grandmother." The two ladies remained life long friends. 

 

Source: “The Convention City – Santa Cruz,” The Retail Growers Advocate, [California Grocers Association], August 31, 1917; “’Strawberry Flat’ in the Redwoods,” San Bernardino County Sun, June 28, 1917; “’America’s Sweetheart Made Santa Cruz News,” by Ross Eric Gibson, Santa Cruz Sentinel, July 26, 1998.