Swanton, originally from New York, quickly entered the Santa Cruz business community and developed his trademark confidence and ingenuity. He helped found both the Santa Cruz Electric Light and Power Company and the United Traction Company, a business that ran electric streetcars from Santa Cruz and Capitola. The Beach Boardwalk would not be such an integral component of our town’s spirit or economy without the guidance of Swanton. He saw in Santa Cruz the potential for a sort of west coast Coney Island, and built the first adaptation of Neptune Casino in 1904. It burnt down two years later, but the entertainment value of our Seabright area was solidified. In a symbolic culmination of his gifts to the county, Swanton served from 1927 to 1933 as the town’s mayor.

    Swanton’s role in our film history seems to be much like his stewardship of Santa Cruz’s growth: noticing financial opportunities when others did not. In their article entitled A Walk Through Time: Fred Swanton, Randy and Janet Krassow provide a summary of his promoter role: “Swanton also helped publicize the scenic beauty of Santa Cruz through Hollywood. He was instrumental in attracting directors – including Cecil B. DeMille and Thomas Ince – and film companies to the area, and securing Santa Cruz as a backdrop for numerous early films.” Zasu Pitts was the rare human – not a property or business – that Swanton saw an opportunity in. When she graduated from Santa Cruz High, he offered himself as an agent and eased her journey into Tinseltown. Although when he passed in 1940 he was embroiled in bankruptcy, his many gifts to our city remain important reminders of Santa Cruz’s legacy as a beach town and as a center of creativity and growth.