USA > California > Santa Barbara County > Santa Barbara > The early days of Santa Barbara, California, from the first discoveries by Europeans to December, 1846 > Part 6
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rillo, became identified with the social and business life of the pueblo.
In 1829, Alfred Robinson arrived from Boston on the Brookline, which was one of the vessels engaged in the Pacific coast trade. He was agent of the owners of the fleet for the purchase of hides, and for twelve years re- sided on this coast. Part of this time he spent in Santa Barbara, where he met and married Anna Maria An- tonia, the beautiful daughter of Captain De la Guerra. At the time of her marriage, she was but fourteen years of age; and the wedding was celebrated with festivities which lasted three or four days, and in which all the residents of the pueblo participated. In his book, en- titled "Life in California," Mr. Robinson has left us a most interesting description of life on this coast at the period when he lived here.
Formerly large numbers of otter existed in the waters of Santa Barbara Channel, and as their skins were of a finer quality than the skins of those found elsewhere on the coast, they were hunted persistently by both Rus- sians and Americans. Among the latter was Louis F. Burton, who arrived in 1831 and subsequently married Antonia Carrillo. He was a well-known hunter and trapper, and for years lived in a picturesque adobe overlooking the ocean from the crest of Burton's Mound, which was named after him.
George Nidever, a native of Tennessee, was another hunter and trapper who arrived in the early thirties, after crossing the Rocky Mountains with the Walker party. He was at one time a member of the famous little band called Graham's Riflemen, which took part in some of the early Californian revolutions. Like many of the pioneers, he was a remarkable rifle shot, and is re- ported to have killed some two hundred grizzlies and on one occasion to have shot three rifle bullets into a piece of paper that was one inch square and was placed at a distance of sixty yards. In 1853, he rescued the old
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Indian woman from San Nicholas Island. His home for many years was on the Nidever property that was located near the eastern end of the present ocean boule- vard.
Nicholas A. Den, an Irish physician, arrived in 1836, and shortly afterwards married the daughter of Daniel Hill. Although highly educated and accustomed to the life of cities, yet the ranch life appealed to him so strongly that he settled here permanently, and before his death had become the owner of the Dos Pueblos, Canada del Corral, San Marcos and Tequespis ranches, as well as ten thousand head of cattle.
Benjamin Fox, an English sailor, settled here in 1837, and at first engaged in the mercantile business, but later turned his attention to stock raising and be- came the owner of the Tinacquaic ranch.
There were but few distinct occupations in which the settlers engaged. As the country was well suited to ranching, many of the Mexicans and most of the Am- ericans, although living in the pueblo where they could enjoy its social life, owned large tracts of land on which they raised cattle for the hides and tallow. A few Americans, who lived by hunting and trapping, and had reached this part of the coast after years spent on the plains and in the Rocky Mountains, found conge- nial employment in hunting the otter. A number of Mexicans acquired small patches of fertile land, where the canyons opened into the valleys, and building ditches to irrigate their lands, raised vegetables and fruits which they sold. Two or three Americans, agents for the coasting vessels, were employed in purchasing and shipping hides and tallow. Other residents were merchants; but there was no business center in the pueblo, nor were there any business blocks. The store of the merchant was connected with his home, and was simply a large outside room where groceries and dry- goods, as well as tobacco and liquors, could be bought
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or exchanged for other commodities. Although the growth of the pueblo was slow, yet, in 1830, it had a population of approximately four hundred, of whom about ten were foreigners; and consisted of sixty houses which were built without any regard to streets, as the first owners of the land chose lots where it seemed most convenient.
It is uncertain when the first formal grant of pueblo land was made to any resident, but the earliest deed re- corded was one dated the 14th of February, 1835; and was a grant to Octaviano Gutierrez of a piece of land to be used as a homestead, and consisting of one hun- dred varas square, located between the presidio and the Mission.
All the houses were of adobe with a foundation of stone; and nearly all had tiled roofs. As timber was scarce many of the houses had no other flooring than the ground; a few of them had a flooring of asphalt; and the first house with a wooden flooring is said to have been one built by Daniel Hill about the year 1824. Most of the houses were of simple structure, like the small adobes still remaining in parts of the city; but there were a few which deserve special mention.
Probably the first house of any consequence which was built without the walls of the presidio, is one known as the Arrellanes house; and which is located three or four rods from where the most easterly corner of the presidio wall formerly stood. Part of it was built by a Spaniard about the year 1795, and additions have been made from time to time to meet the require- ments of the different owners. As the walls of these additions have different thicknesses, some being about three feet thick, and others about a foot less, it can readily be determined what rooms were added at dif- ferent periods. For many years one part of the build- ing was used as a residence, and another part was used as a store for the sale of general merchandise and
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N
PERDIDO ST.
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S
CARRILLO ST.
0
CANON PER
DE LA GUERRA ST.
1 0
O SANTA BARBARA ST.
--
PRESIDIO
0
7
ANACAPA ST.
4
5
8
PLAZA DE LA GUERRA
O
0
0
0
1
9
STATE ST.
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ORTEGA ST.
PUEBLO OF SANTA BARBARA
1, Teodoro Arrellanes. 2, Gumesindo Flores. 3, Church. 4, Jose Aguirre. 5, Raimundo Carrillo. 6, Louis Burton. 7, Gaspar Orena. 8, Jose De la Guerra. 9, Alpheus Thompson (St. Charles Hotel). 10, Carlos Carrillo.
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liquors. Finally the ownership passed to Teodoro Ar- rellanes, whose family and descendants have lived there for over two generations.
The only two-story house in the pueblo, excepting the small structure erected at the rear of the De la Guerra house, was the one now known as the former St. Charles hotel which is located on State street near De la Guerra. It was built about the year 1835 by Alpheus B. Thompson, who lived there for many years, while engaged in the shipping business. Several changes have been made. in the arrangement of its rooms, and its external appearance is somewhat differ- ent now from what it was formerly; as then the ap- proach to the upper story was by an open staircase, con- structed on the southeast side of the building.
Almost opposite the public library on Carrillo street, was the Aguirre house, which was considered by many the most attractive home in old Santa Barbara. It was built in the year 1841, by Jose Antonio Aguirre, a native of San Sebastian, Spain, who, after visiting Mexico and South America, became a merchant and trader on this coast. In his own vessel he brought some of the mater- ial with which it was embellished; and skilled artisans were employed in the construction. It was a large one- story house with a score of apartments, and was built of adobe with foundations that elevated it a few feet above the ground. The square front was relieved by a veranda, the roof of which was supported by curved columns. The parlor was a large and handsomely fin- ished room, with floors of polished hard wood and with walls daintily frescoed. Luxurious sofas, chairs of mahogany, and paintings of rare workmanship, furn- ished and adorned the rooms. But the most unique fea- ture, built in imitation of the architecture of Spain and Mexico, was the inner court, or patio, that was paved with stone and surrounded by a corridor with a wooden floor. Handsomely hand-carved posts supported the
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roof of the corridor, which was so constructed as to leave a circular opening above the stone pavement. In the retirement of this inner court, open to the air, the family could live during the warm months of the year; and to further add to their privacy a stone wall was built surrounding the orchard and flower gardens. La Casa de Aguirre, as it was known, was a favorite place for holding fiestas, in the olden days, and it was one of the most popular homes in Santa Barbara.
The Comandante's house, in the presidio, was nec- cessarily a very important house when California was under the Spanish and Mexican rule, as here the official receptions were held. Unfortunately the laying out of Santa Barbara street necessitated the removal of part of the house, and its attractiveness has still further been lessened by the erection of a small house in front of it; but formerly it was the most noticeable structure in the presidio, with the exception of the church. Gumesindo Flores was the last comandante to live there, and his descendants still make it their home.
There were other interesting houses in the pueblo, but those who came here in the early days relate that the one of most imposing appearance was the De la Guerra house, the construction of which was begun about the year 1819 and finished in 1826. Originally, it was slightly different from what it is now. Then the corridors extended about the three sides of the patio for the full length of each side, and heavy columns, each of which were made of flat tiles, twenty inches square and placed one upon another, supported a tiled roof. Subsequently, additional dwelling rooms were constructed at each end of the corridor; and the red tiled columns were unfortunately broken by an earth- quake and replaced by wooden posts. The appart- ments of the house were spacious, and many of the furnishings were brought from Spain. In the garden, to the rear, was a small two story building made of
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adobe, the upper story of which was once used as the library. Adjoining the passage that leads from the front corridor to the garden was the bodega, where the lord of two hundred thousand acres kept the choice wines he poured to the health of his countless guests. As the residence of Captain De la Guerra, comandante of the presidio and one of the most influential citizens in Alta California, and of his son Don Pablo, state senator and lieutenant governor of the state, it acquired almost official prominence. It was also known as the home of Senora Noriega, whose goodness was proverbial; and the beauty and grace of its women, who were famed throughout California, made it the center of the social life of the pueblo.
Seventy-five years ago, the pueblo of Santa Barbara was one of a small group of settlements, widely scat- tered along the coast of southern California. It was nearly two thousand miles distant from any city of im- portance, and was separated from the mother country by a great continent and ocean that then took many months to cross. A large percentage of its inhabitants were descendants of Spaniards who had intermarried with the natives of Mexico and were deficient in higher education; yet there existed in the social life of the peo- ple a refinement which, under the circumstances, is almost surprising and which is one of the highest trib- utes to the influence of the Mission padres and the few influential families who created and maintained the standard. In the homes of the best people of this little pueblo existed the dignity, elegance, refinement, and charm of people reared in the capitals of the old world. Although the environment was not such as would stimu- late intellectual effort, yet the people lived in an atmos- phere of gentleness and grace, which affected all classes.
Both men and women were fond of dress; and laces, silks, kid gloves, silk stockings, and dainty slippers were
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worn on proper occasions. An American who saw Santa Barbara about 1840 referred to the dress of a daughter of Don Jose de la Guerra, on the occasion of her visiting a ship, which had arrived in the harbor, and stated that "she wore pink silk stockings and the daintiest little red slippers with silver buckles."
Mr. Robinson has left the following description of the dress of the people of Santa Barbara at the time he lived here.
"The dress worn by the middling class of females is a chemise with short embroidered sleeves, richly trimmed with lace, a muslin petticoat, flounced with scarlet and secured at the waist by a silk band of the same color, shoes of velvet or blue satin, a cotton reboso, or scarf, pearl necklace and ear-rings, with the hair falling in broad plaits down the back. Others of the higher class dress in the English style, and instead of the reboso substitute a rich and costly shawl of silk or satin. There is something graceful in the management of the reboso that the natives alone can impart, and the perfect nonchalance with which it is thrown about them and worn adds greatly to its beauty.
"Very few of the men have adopted our mode of dress, the greater part adhering to the ancient costume of the past century. Short clothes, and jacket trimmed with scarlet, a sash about the waist, botas of ornamental and embroidered deerskin, secured by colored garters, embroidered shoes, the hair long, braided and fastened behind with ribbons, a black silk handkerchief around the head, surmounted by an oval and broad-brimmed hat, is the dress universally worn by the men of Cali- fornia."
But if they loved fine clothes, which certainly became them, their hearts were kind and simple. "My house is your home, senor," was the greeting to the stranger who knocked unexpectedly at the door. From the City of Mexico to the pueblo of San Francisco a stranger
HOUSE OF THE COMANDANTE
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could travel without a peso in his pocket. Wherever he knocked at night, the door was opened. The best room in the house, a place at the fireside and the table, and in the morning a fresh horse for his journey, if his own was jaded-all were his, and to offer recom- pense was to offer insult. It is not surprising that such simple-minded, big-hearted people soon parted with their lands.
There were no finer horsemen in the world; and one of their greatest sports was to ride at full speed, and then stop within a few feet of a given line, by suddenly reining the horse on his haunches; or to gallop at full speed and, without checking the horse, pick up from the ground a sombrero or silver dollar; or to grasp the greased head of a rooster, the body of which was buried in the sand, and lift it from the ground. The common mode of travel was by horseback, the men being con- stantly in the saddle; and although women occasionally rode mounted alone, yet they generally rode seated be- hind their husbands or brothers. Carriages were al- most unknown in California before 1845, although Santa Barbara was particularly fortunate in the owner- ship of two, one of which was the property of the Mis- sion, and the other the property of Captain De la Guerra. But there were a number of springless ox- carts, with their lumbering wheels of solid oak, and slow plodding oxen; and when used as family convey- ances they were furnished with leather coverings and cushions.
These were a peace-loving, pleasure-loving people; and they enjoyed many festive days. Near the junction of Garden and Cota streets was located what is known as the De la Guerra Gardens, formerly the private property of that family, and where fruit and vegetables were grown for their private use. But the shady trees which grew there luxuriously and the many springs of water made them an attractive pleasure ground, to
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which the friends of the family, who included all the good people of the pueblo, were frequently invited to celebrate some holiday. The three days' festivity which celebrated the wedding of Mr. Alfred Robinson in 1836, and which was spoken of by Mr. Dana in his "Two years before the Mast," was but one of the many recurring occasions of general pleasure-making and re- joicing.
The following account by Mr. Alfred Robinson of the wedding of Don Manuel Jimineo with Dona Maria de las Angustias De la Guerra, which occurred in 1837, gives an excellent idea of some of the customs prevailing in the pueblo at that time :
"On the marriage eve the bride went with her father to the Mission dressed in her usual church costume, which was deep black; where the joining of hands took place towards morning, and at a late hour the church ceremonies were performed. Breakfast was served with considerable taste, a task to which the worthy friar was fully competent. At the conclusion the bride and bridegroom were escorted to the house of her father. Padre Antonio had made his Indians happy by distributing presents among them; and many of the younger ones, well attired for the occasion, joined in the procession. They approached the town without any regular order until arriving almost within its pre- cincts; where under the direction of the friar, they formed and marched in the following manner: First came the military band, consisting of about twenty per- formers, who were dressed in a new uniform of red jackets trimmed with yellow cord, with pantaloons made after the Turkish fashion, and red caps of the Polish order. Then followed the bride and bride- groom, in an open English barouche, accompanied by the sister of the former. After these in a close carriage came Don Jose and Father Antonio; in another the Madrina and cousins, and lastly numbers of men and
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women on horseback. Guns were fired alternately, at the Mission and in the presidio until their arrival at the house of the 'fiesta de boda.' At one o'clock a large number of invited guests sat down at a long table, to partake of an excellent dinner. The married couple were seated at the head with the father spiritual on the right; and the father temporal on the left. Dinner be- ing over, part of the company retired to their homes, whilst some of the younger members adjourned to a booth, which was prepared in the court yard, suffi- ciently large to contain several hundred people. Here they danced a while and then retired. Early in the evening, people, invited and uninvited, began to fill up the booth, and soon dancing commenced. The music consisted of two violins and a guitar, on which were per- formed many beautiful waltzes and contra-dances, to- gether with a number of local melodies. During the evening all took active part in the amusement, and as the poorer classes exhibited their graceful perform- ances, the two fathers from an elevated position threw at their feet silver dollars, and donations. The 'Fan- dango' lasted until the morning light appeared, accom- panied with all the variety customary on such occas- ions.
"On the next day, Father Antonio as a further com- pliment to the bride, had dinner prepared in the corri- dor of the Mission, the table reaching from one end to the other, and the place being adorned with flags. Here all the town was invited to participate, where old and young, rich and poor, lame and blind, black and white, joined in the feast. For several succeeding nights the 'Fandango' was repeated at the booth, and they had enough of feasting and dancing intermingled with the amusements of the 'Carnes toleridas' to last them for some time."
Few of the festivities were regarded as being suffi- ciently important to be recorded; but an event long re-
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membered was the coming of Bishop Garcia Diego to make Santa Barbara his official residence. The whole population of the pueblo prepared to welcome the first bishop of California; and as the vessel which brought him from the south came to anchor, every house was deserted; and men, women, and children gathered on the beach and on bended knees received his blessing. The guns of the presidio proclaimed the welcome, as the soldiers with beating drums and flowing banners es- corted the bishop, who seated in a carriage passed be- neath triumphal arches, which had been made by the women. After he had partaken of refreshments at the home of one of the leading families, the rejoicing peo- ple led him to his carriage, from which they had re- moved the horses ; and forming in procession dragged it to the Mission.
Within nearly every house was a guitar, and when evening came and twilight darkened, from all parts of the pueblo were heard the sounds of music and rich melodious voices. There was something distinctly characteristic in their songs, in most of which there was a minor tone of sweet plaintiveness. When the lamps were hung and the guitars and violins sounded the waltz, light hearts beat and merry peals of laughter floated through the old California homes. Lissom forms glided gracefully through the halls. Dark velvety eyes looked words unspoken. The hours passed rapidly by, and before the last dance had been stepped and the last soft glance given, the bells of the old Mission tower had sounded the matin call. Those were halcyon days in the fairest spot in a lotus land.
THE RANCHOS
WHEN the Mission was established, it acquired pos- session of large tracts of land that were necessary for supporting the Mission settlement. Some of this land was segregated as ranches to be used for different pur- poses ; as for instance : the lands tributary to El Capitan were at first used exclusively for raising sheep; and the Rancho San Julian was for several years leased by the Mission to the presidio for raising beef. At the time of the secularization these different ranches passed to different owners. There were, however, many valu- able tracts of land that the Mission never made use of ; and these the Mexican government granted to promi- nent men of the early days, as a reward for services to the state. In this way much of the valuable land of Santa Barbara County was granted away. Some of the grants comprise as many as forty thousand acres, and in all there were about thirty grants of ranches in the present county.
In a fertile valley on each ranch sprang up the ranch settlement, consisting of the homes of the owner, the dwellings where the major-domo and the vaqueros lived, and the sheds and corrals for the horses. All of the buildings were of adobe; and often were pictur- esquely located by some stream of water, beneath the shade of oaks. About others were planted the pepper trees so characteristic of Southern California, and which seem to have been introduced by the padres who brought them from Mexico. Every ranch home of im- portance had its vegetable garden, vinyard, and orchard. The principal grape grown was a dark purple one, now known as the Mission grape; and in the orchards were raised citrons , lemons, oranges, pomegranites, figs, peaches, apples, and pears.
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With the exception of a few acres near the setlement, very little of the ground was cultivated. This was probably due to the lack of suitable implements, as the only plows in use were made of crooked branches of a tree. To one end of the branch was sometimes attached a sharpened piece of iron; and the other end was fast- ened to the horns of the oxen. But if only a small part of he land was cultivated, over the hills roamed large bands of horses and herds of cattle, which a few vacqu- eros on their horses were constantly following and rounding up, as there were no fences in those days. Horses multiplied so rapidly that they were regarded as of little value; and large bands of unclaimed horses roamed wild over the county, consuming pasturage which was needed for the cattle. Accordingly, they were frequently driven into corrals where they were killed by a well-directed spear thrust. Even as early as 1815, they were regarded as being of such detriment that at Santa Barbara a wholesale slaughter of horses was made that year.
Probably none of the ranches of Santa Barbara County was granted prior to the year 1800, but one of the earliest grants was that of the Rancho del Refugio, which was granted to Captain Jose Francisco Ortega about that time. The ownership of this ranch passed to his son, Don Jose Maria Ortega, known as Sergeant Ortega, under whose care it was developed and improved, until it presented the appearance of a little Mission. There were numerous houses at the main settlement, which was located near the ocean about thirty miles up the coast from Santa Barbara; and in the picturesque canyon not far from the ocean was erected a mill for grinding the corn. Higher up the canyon was a dam and an aqueduct for directing the water to the mill and thence conducting it to the orch- ards and vegetable gardens. The Ortegas were noted for their hospitality; and all who passed up or down the
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