Woods, John

John Woods (1818-1887), after serving a year in the Mexican-American war, was already in the California gold country in 1848 when gold was discovered. Later that year, he came to Santa Cruz, eventually settling on a farm on the west side of the Arana Gulch estuary known as Woods Lagoon. In the 1960s, Woods Lagoon was converted into today's Santa Cruz Harbor.

• His Mexican-American War service in the New York Volunteers regiment is documented (spelled "Wood") in "The First regiment of New York volunteers, commanded by Col. Jonathan D. Stevenson, in the Mexican war", an 1882 book viewable online at Internet Archive (note: the list of names does not include all of those whose service in this regiment is noted in other sources). The book states that as of 1882, Woods was living in "Hanford, Tulare County". An 1874 version of the book located him in Merced County.

Woods was a charter member of the Soc. of Pioneers. Daughters Emma and Laura Woods were honorary members.