The Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf has linked land and sea since 1914, when the city built the 3,000-foot-long structure to support commerce and transportation after earlier nearby wharves could not accommodate deep-water ships. Steamships carrying freight and passengers departed from it for ports around the world. Today it is a place for fun and relaxation that brings visitors closer to the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, a federally protected marine environment with a rich diversity of living organisms that is used for research, education, recreation, and some commercial uses. Earlier wharves here included a first wharf built in 18?? to transport potatoes and large limestone rock, the Railroad Wharf built in 1857 for loading timber and fish, the Powder Mill Wharf constructed in 1865, and the Pleasure Pier built in 1906.