Santa Cruz Naturalist
Get your hands wet as you examine local marine life in our intertidal touch pool and learn about the Museum’s beginnings with lighthouse keeper Laura Hecox more than 100 years ago. Through hands-on explorations with real specimens in our nature lab, visitors of all ages will discover the wonder of our region’s natural history and recognize the naturalist within themselves.
Laura Hecox Collections
Over 100 yeas ago, the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History began with local lighthouse keeper, Laura Hecox’s private collection of shells and other curios. Laura was a brilliant amateur scientist who embodied what it means to be a naturalist — someone who uses their observational skills to learn about the natural world around them and deepen their understanding.
Over the years, as Laura’s museum found homes in different community locations, portions of the collection were lost to time. Today, we strive to reconcile this loss with the honor of preserving what we still have, and the responsibility of making it available to our community. A collection of shells and fossils housed in a historic cabinet that Laura once gifted to the California School for the Deaf, is still on exhibit today. Laura’s tireless curiosity about the world around her continues to inspire our organization, even as we continue to learn more about her legacy.
