A brief history of the Santa Barbara area

The following was written by Ralph Fertig and published in the Program Guide of the Pro Bike/Pro Walk 98 conference. The conference took place September 8-11, 1998 in Santa Barbara, and was sponsored by the Bicycle Federation of America.

Santa Barbara”s 10,000-year history spans many cultures that are evident in today”s cosmopolitan, multicultural society. The original Chumash inhabitants called their home “the land of the gods.” With an abundant food supply from the hills and ocean, they could devote leisure time to their complex language, music, dance, art and ceremonial rituals. They constructed 10-person canoes that allowed commerce between villages on the coast and those on the Channel Islands.

In 1542, the Chumash paddled out to greet explorer Juan Cabrillo, the first European to sail into the area. Later explorers passed through the Channel, including Sebastian Vizcaino who sought refuge from a storm on December 3, 1602. Giving thanks to God for their delivery on the eve of the feast day of Saint Barbara, the ship’s friar named the Channel in her honor.

The Chumash lived undisturbed until King Carlos III of Spain decreed that a string of missions and presidios be established along the Alta California coast. In 1769, the first Europeans set foot on Santa Barbara soil when the Gaspar de Portola expedition passed through the area on its trek north. In 1782 the Presidio was officially established, and 1786 the Santa Barbara Mission was started.

In 1822, Mexico gained freedom from Spain and Alta California became Mexican. New laws permitted foreign trade, and regular commerce with New England Yankees soon followed. Many settled in Santa Barbara and in 1846, American Marines landed and simply took over the town. As part of the United States, emigration accelerated, the wharf was built in 1872, the railroad connected first to Los Angeles in 1887, and then to San Francisco in 1901. Large resort hotels were built.

Some wealthy visitors became so enamored with the area that they built permanent homes and took an active interest in the town. By 1920, concerned citizens became so disturbed by the eclectic architecture mix, ranging from adobe to Queen Anne, that they organized to restore the Spanish heritage. An earthquake in 1925 destroyed most large buildings, and an Architectural Board of Review was soon established to enforce Mediterranean style for reconstructed and new structures. Many of Santa Barbara's landmark buildings—with signature tile roofs, stucco walls, classic arches, and interior courtyards—date from this energetic period. The resulting architectural ambiance fosters a sense of continuity that is lacking in most American cities.

Although Santa Barbara's population declined from 1930 to 1950, rapid growth from returning GIs was spurred by a new Lake Cachuma water supply in 1953 and the establishment of a University of California campus. Growth that was welcome in the 1950s and 1960s, however, was questioned in the 1970s. A 1969 oil spill in the Channel resulted not only in fowled beaches and loss of wildlife, but also in environmental activism and the birth of Earth Day celebrations.

Today, the Santa Barbara urban area is an ethnically diverse community of 200,000 people. Its Downtown has been revitalized in the past two decades with people-oriented redevelopment that emphasizes walking, bicycling, electric transit and concealed multi-function parking garages. Its citizens continue to embrace their heritage, exalt in the sublime beauty of their narrow coastal plain tucked between the mountains and ocean, and actively defend "the land of the gods" for future generations.