Moore, Eli

Eli Moore (1806-1859) was a native of Missouri who arrived here in 1847 and bought some Rancho Refugio ranch land from Jose Bolcoff. Moore partnered with Bolcoff to operate the old Mission grist mill on Santa Cruz Creek (near today's Babbling Brook Inn location on Laurel Street) until 1859, when the final years of its operation were overseen by John Fleck. In 1847-48 Moore built a log house that became one of the earliest buildings in today’s downtown Santa Cruz, on land bounded by today's Pacific Avenue, and Front and Cooper Streets. He later built a wood-frame house farther down Pacific. Moore was elected to be one of the first County supervisors and his family, along with the Coopers, donated property to the just-incorporated Town of Santa Cruz to make a site for the County's first courthouse, built in 1866.

Today’s Moore Creek flows through the old Moore ranch, and 246 acres of the former ranch land is now the Moore Creek Open Space Preserve, part of the city’s greenbelt.