Reprinted with permission from Southland Magazine

Situated ninety miles north of Los Angeles on a narrow coastal plain between the Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean, Santa Barbara is one of only five places in the world where both the Mountains Mid coastline run east and west. Santa Barbara enjoys temperate weather year-round, clean air, miles of' beautiful beaches, fabulous islands, quaint Spanish Colonial architecture and exotic plants from around the world.

The Mission was built in 1820 in a classical style from a Spanish version of Vitruvius' Ten Books on Architecture

The earliest inhabitants to enjoy this coastal paradise - the Canalenos (coast dwellers), Or Chumash, for their linguistic groupings, lived in this region for over 10,000 years in harmony with the rich abundance of' nature all around them. They subsisted on acorns (of' the indigenous oaks), small game and a rich assortment of' marine life. They wove watertight baskets which they used for all domestic functions made Stolle implements and lived in grass hut villages. The Chumash constructed plank canoes, or tomols. from driftwood coated with natural asphaltum which seeps from rich petroleum fields far below the ocean. It was in these canoes that crews navigated across a sometimes dangerous strait to the Channel Islands, some ten miles offshore These islands still welcome visitors today, but access by powerboat or helicopter is infinitely faster and safer.

In 1542, Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo explored the Baja and Alta California coast and claimed it for Spain. A trade route was established between Mexico and the Philippines, and safe harbors were needed for treasure ships, which prompted further expeditions to explore California. Sebastian Vizcaino made such a journey in 1602, during which he mapped the area. On December 4th, the feast day of Saint Barbara, he entered the channel and named the area in honor of the virgin martyr.

An overland expedition in 1769, led by Gaspar de Portola (governor of Baja California), was charged with locating suitable northern sites for construction of presidios (forts) and missions-the primary institutions used by Spain to settle its expanding frontier. Between 1769 and 1822, four presidios, three pueblos (towns) and 21 missions were established in what is now California.

In 1782, El Presidio Real de Santa Barbara was founded. It was about the size of a city block, constructed of adobe bricks, and took about ten years to complete. The last presidio established in the New World by Spain, it served as a fortress, civic center and hub of social activity in early Santa Barbara.

By the 1840s, long out of use, the Presidio fell into ruin, and only a small portion of the original has survived. Today, however, the Presidio is being rebuilt on its original site, based on extensive archaeological investigation, so that visitors may have the chance to experience the austerity of 19th-century life on California's frontier.

The Santa Barbara Mission, known as the "Queen of the Missions," was established in 1786, four years after the Presidio. Tenth in the chain of 21 missions, its purpose was to Christianize the Indians, teach them farming and other skills, and make them loyal subjects of the Spanish crown, Expanded and enhanced over a 40-year period, the mission evolved into its classical appearance of today, and is the only California mission with two bell towers.

An 1890s photo shows "El Cuartel," a former presidio barracks.

Spain prohibited foreign trade, but when annual supply ships from Mexico failed to arrive between 18 10 and 1812, contraband trade with smugglers became the only source of outside goods. When Mexico gained its independence from Spain in 1822, two major changes impacted California: foreign trade was legalized and Californios were allowed to petition the government for land grants.

Millions of acres became private ranches, creating a cattle-based culture and economy. Seafaring Yankees brought cargo loads of manufactured goods to California. Author Richard Henry Dana, a seaman on the brig, Pilgrim, visited Santa Barbara in the 1830s and later described many of the local traditions in his celebrated work, Two Years Before the Mast - traditions that are deeply ingrained in California's "mi casa es su casa" way of life.

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