Tag archives: history
Lying among the rolling hills and fresh arroyos of the Gaviota coast, Rancho Tajiguas has been a favored spot for times immemorial. The 1769 Portola expedition, which prepared the way for Spanish settlement of Alta California, camped for the night at its mouth and were welcomed and entertained by the Chumash peoples living in two […]
On four separate occasions over the past 40 years, my husband and I have evacuated due to wildfire. Each time, the first possessions that are packed in the car are our family photos. More important than art, electronics, books (well, maybe), or clothing, are the images of the important people, times, and events in our […]
The Lobero Theatre Associates have a winning event every year when they present the Hats Off luncheon in the Loggia Ballroom at the Santa Barbara Biltmore. The members rummage through their closets for those little worn items, a dress hat, dust them off and then tip them to the honored keynote speaker. This year that […]
In England it is, or used to be, a big event to turn 21. At my 21st birthday party I made place-cards with verses for each of the guests, who represented different eras in my young life. One was for a fellow-student at University College, London, where we were undergraduates, studying for what was called […]
In 1912, Santa Barbara motorists heading toward North County had a major decision to make. Where were they going to cross the Santa Ynez River? There were only two bridges, one near Lompoc and the other, aptly called Mission Bridge, that crossed the river at today’s Solvang. To get to either required negotiating dozens of […]
It was Edward Gibbon – himself one of the world’s great historians – who said that History was little more than a record of “the crimes, follies, and misfortunes of mankind.” I don’t know about crimes, but you might put my own academic career, which included two degrees in History, among my personal follies and […]
After years of preparation and research, the third and final volume of historian David Myrick’s History of Santa Barbara and Montecito series is set to be released next week. Published by the Montecito Museum, the non-profit in charge of Myrick’s personal archives following his passing in 2011, this volume, titled History Never Ends, brings the […]
For some reason the memory of silent-film star Charlie Chaplin is exploited with the fantastical myth that he “built” the Montecito Inn. Totally untrue. In David Myrick’s definitive history (“Santa Barbara & Montecito,” Volumes I and II), he explains the origin of the Montecito Inn in some detail. “Don B. Sebastian and William S. Seamans,” […]
The Santa Barbara Historical Museum (SBHM) opened up a delightful exhibit of the fashionistas of the Old West and what they wore. There was the gamut from prairie dresses perfect for a crossing to California in a covered wagon to what the senoritas in Santa Barbara wore for a wedding in the days of the […]
Few people today recognize the name Joe De Yong. Those who do, dimly remember he was the deaf artist protégé of Charles Russell and lived and worked in Santa Barbara for a time painting, drawing, and sculpting iconic Western images. Still fewer remember he also worked for years as technical advisor on dozens of Western […]
The MClub from Montecito Band & Trust held another Lunch & Learn event at the Santa Barbara Club; this time with author Hattie Beresford speaking about her new book, The Way it Was – Santa Barbara Comes of Age. Hattie has written a local history column for the Montecito Journal for the past 12 years […]
It’s not every day you see a crowd of hungry revelers enjoying local food and wine while dressed in togas. Yet, that’s exactly what you’ll find at the “Feast of Apicius” event on Saturday, October 20, at the Santa Barbara Natural History Museum. Held from 2 to 5 pm in Fleischmann Auditorium, this delicious wine […]
Renowned New York theater producer Winthrop Ames (1870-1937) significantly influenced the development of Santa Barbara’s community arts programs, the opening of the new Lobero Theatre, and, by extension, Old Spanish Days Fiesta. Ames was born into a prominent family in Easton, Massachusetts, whose wealth derived initially from the manufacture of shovels and expanded exponentially through […]
When the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History (SBMNH) began its Wine Festival, it was only about wine. Today it’s an even bigger event with the addition of restaurants’ food samples to go with wine. Ever-popular with another sellout crowd of 900 tickets this year three weeks before the event. Add in the vendors and […]
The Santa Barbara Historical Museum welcomed the upcoming 95th Old Spanish Days Fiesta with the opening celebration of a new edition of Project Fiesta on June 7, in the museum courtyard. On hand to greet attendees were representatives from the museum and Old Spanish Days including Museum trustee Bill Reynolds and interim executive director Michael […]
The Santa Barbara Historical Museum (SBHM) tried something new and different. The event began at the Lobero tent for a reception. After, the guests went into the historic theatre for a presentation by architect Marc Appleton titled “Florestal: Then and Now.” This talk was about architecture, garden, and a family chronicle of the Spanish Colonial […]
The Pearl Chase Society is busy putting the final touches on its 17th annual Historic Homes Tour, which will take place on Sunday, May 20, in Montecito’s Hedgerow District. According to organizers, the “Hidden in the Hedgerow” tour will showcase the diversity of homes designed over three decades in the historic neighborhood, which was recently […]
Considered by many to be the first American war bride of WWI, Angelica Schulyer Brown, descendant of a member of the famous 1818 Brown Brother’s banking firm, arrived in Santa Barbara as part of her honeymoon in April 1917. “Girlie,” as she was known by her society intimates, had been the reigning queen of Caroline […]
Santa Barbara Historical Museum was socially gridlocked for the farewell bash of executive director Lynn Brittner who is leaving after four years to take a similar position with the Indian Pueblo Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico. “I have made many friends here and we have made many advances in my time here,” says Lynn, who […]
After four years as executive director of the Santa Barbara Historical Museum, Lynn Brittner is bidding adieu. She is taking a similar position with the Indian Pueblo Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico, which preserves and perpetuates Pueblo culture, I can exclusively reveal. Before moving to our Eden by the Beach, Lynn was in charge of […]
