Social organizations before 1900
In the days before radio and television, the most popular form of entertainment outside of church-going was membership in one or more social organizations. Whereas the music and dancing of thefandango were the most popular social activities during the Spanish/Mexican era, European/American immigrants brought social organizations to Santa Cruz - and invented new ones. Some of these organizations also served civic purposes, such as the firefighting hose teams (see History Pages: 43 - Go, Team, Go: The First Team Sport in Santa Cruz, ca. 1880. The various political parties also had their social clubs, along with "old country" political groups like the Irish-American Fenian Brotherhood. The well-established "fraternal orders" brought from eastern states boasted the largest membership numbers in local chapters, including:
