Diane Porter Cooley

An interview with Diane Porter Cooley of Watsonville, California, descendant of the Porter family who came to Santa Cruz County during the Gold Rush. She tells about her family history, its role in the development of the area, and her memories of Capitola.
1:00 Growing up
5:00 Going to school, family history
10:55 College
19:19 Family background
22:32 Porter children come west; Gold Rush
28:38 Porters in Soquel, 1850s
29:40 John T. Porter meets Hiram Scott
32:29 John T. Porter comes to Soquel; store; tannery
34:00 John T. becomes sheriff, meets Francis Cumming
38:11 Agnes Cumming marries Scott
39:24 George K. Porter moves to San Fernando Valley
40:36 Civil War
44:11 Pajaro
44:45 Invests in Soquel sugar factory
46:10 Fannie Porter, Chinatown, and multiculturalism
51:01 Railroads, quarries, logging
54:28 The Sesnon family
55:54 Sesnon house and earthquake
57:14 Fun in Capitola; the Shadowbrook
1:07:55 Nisene Marks State Park
1:10:40 Porter Memorial Library in Soquel