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What’s in a Name (continued)
1925 to build a seaside retreat. Batchelor was Scottish, and the name Rob Roy refers to a famous Highland Chief. At the time, he gave the roads in the development Scottish names. The town was renamed La Selva Beach in 1935 by developer Edward Burghard. In 2020, the population was 2,531.
Swanton. Located about five miles north of Davenport, just inland from Highway 1, Swanton is a small neighborhood in unincorporated Santa Cruz County. Swanton, previously known as Laurel Grove, was first a dairy ranch then a stop on the Santa Cruz-Pescadero Stage Coach route.
In the 1880s, Fred Swanton moved to the area and built the Swanton House hotel and nearby stables, ran the Santa Cruz Opera House, opened the Palace of Pharmacy, and started an electric-light business.
In 1896, Swanton organized a hydroelectric plant called the Big Creek Power Company, one of the first long-distance power plants. It provided elecctricity in Santa Cruz. Laurel Glen became Swanton in 1897.
In 1906, a train station for the Ocean Shore Railroad was established at Swanton. The Swanton Post Office was open from 1897 until 1930. Fred Swanton was the mayor of Santa Cruz from 1927 to 1933. Natural Bridges State Beach was once called Swanton Beach.
