Ventura History

Main Street Parade: July 4th, 1874. Courtesy of Los Angeles Public Library

Just strolling down Main Street (originally named "Camino Real"), you can find reminders of the rich Ventura history from just around every corner. From the majestic sea-facing City Hall and the Ranchero of Olivas Adobe to the Two Trees that distinctively reside on a hilltop above Ventura, there's a story to tell... Have a Question about Ventura History?   Ask the Locals!

VENTURA HISTORY TIMELINE

1000 A.D. – Shishalop Village, believed to be the Chumash Provincial Capital, is settled directly on the beach at end of Figueroa Street. The local Chumash Indians, or “shell bead people” made a peaceful living hunting, gathering, fishing and trading shell bead money with nearby tribes. Using 25’ plank canoes, they efficiently travel to and from the Channel Islands and up and down the coast. Many Chumash thrive on Santa Cruz, San Miguel and Santa Rosa Islands.


1542 – Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo sets anchor near modern day Point Mugu. He describes the area to the queen as “the land of everlasting summers.” In 1543, Cabrillo succumbs to gangrene after falling and breaking his arm while exploring San Miguel Island. He is said to be buried on the island though his gravesite has never been located.

 
1782 –  On Easter Sunday, March 31, 1782 Father Junipero Serra, officially established his ninth and final mission by erecting a small wooden cross on the beach and celebrating mass. He named his new mission San Buenaventura ("city of good fortune"), after the 13th century Franciscan monk, St Bonaventure. The original Mission grounds expand to the Ventura River and include a prolific garden of fruit, vegetables and herbs. With Chumash labor, a reservoir and a seven-mile aqueduct is constructed to channel water to the mission from the Ventura River. San Buenaventura Mission is one of the most prosperous of all the California Missions. Excavations have turned up many artifacts of Ventura history. 


1812 – A Large earthquake and tidal wave force Padres and local Indians, now living and working at the mission, inland. Padre Señan, head of Mission wrote "...sea was greatly stirred up by the tremors in such a way that the waters might flood the Mission...". They built temporary “casitas” up the Ventura River towards Ojai (now called Casitas Springs).


1834 – After winning independence from Spain (1821), Mexico issues secularization of the California Spanish Missions.


1841 – Rancho San Miguel is deeded to Raimundo Olivas. Labeled the most magnificent ranch south of Monterey, the 4,693 acre ranch stretches from the Santa Clara River to the mouth of the Ventura River and includes 4 miles of coastline. Raimundo and his wife, Teodora, build a 2–story adobe. It’s a good thing too, since the couple had 21 children to feed, clothe and shelter. Yes, 21! The Olivas Adobe has stood the test of time and is now a museum where you can get a glimpse of the Ranchero life.


1848 – California is sold to US via the US/Mexico Treaty.


1850 – California becomes 31st US State after heated debate in congress.


1865 - Instrumental in building railroads across California, Chinese immigrants settle in Ventura County. China Alley establishes on Figueroa St (across from the Mission). The alley contains temples, tea-houses, infamous gambling halls and even its own fire brigade. By the 1870’s an anti-Chinese movement forces Chinese out of Figueroa Street. By the 1920s, the last of the Chinese settlements are burned down or removed. Many Chinese families move into nearby Ventura neighborhoods and eventually away from the county.


1866 – The city incorporates as part of Santa Barbara County. Spears Saloon (present day Capriccio’s on Main & Palm) serves as San Buenaventura’s official meeting hall.


1872 – Venturans welcome their new pier. Prior to the pier, Venturans had to row out to pick up goods thrown overboard by cargo ships (don’t worry, people were carried). Quickly becoming the busiest port from San Pedro to San Francisco, horse-drawn carriages are used to haul products on and off the wharf daily. The wharf has undergone several renovations over the years due to shipping accidents, age and stormy seas.


1873 – It’s official! Ventura becomes its own county.


1887 - First train in Ventura History pulls into the new Ventura Depot on Front Street to much fanfare. Rumor has it that San Buenaventura shortens name to Ventura when it’s discovered the name is too long to fit onto the railway tickets and time boards. Today the location remains an empty lot overlooking the 101 freeway and the Pacific Ocean.


1890 - Union Oil Company formed with Thomas Bard as president (later California Senator). Ventura Avenue booms, producing over 90,000 barrels of oil per day at its peak in the 1920’s.


1898 – The “Tale of Two Trees” begins. The two blue gum eucalyptus trees that overlook the city are beloved landmarks to Venturans as much as any other. One tree is part of a grove of 13 trees originally planted by Joseph Sexton and Owen Marron. By 1940 only five trees remained until vandals chopped down three trees. The trees were replanted bringing the total back to five. In 1956 vandals once again chopped down three trees leaving one original tree and one replacement tree standing. What’s left? Two Trees!


1900 – Livestock is the number one commodity but soon replaced by the Lima Bean, making Ventura the “Bean County of the Nation” with over 50,000 acres planted by 1920. Today, strawberries rule the day as Ventura’s county’s number one crop.


1902 – As a gift to the city,  the first American doctor in Ventura history, Dr. Cephas Bard and Sen. Thomas Bard open Elizabeth Bard memorial hospital (located on the corner of Fir and Poli). Dr. Bard’s professional dedication, kindness and equal treatment of all patients earn him immense popularity. Often accepting items as payment for services, Bard’s vast collection of Chumash artifacts are a major contribution to the Ventura County Historical Museum collection. Unfortunately, suffering from cancer, Bard is the first patient to die in the hospital only few months after its opening. Housing offices today, The “first modern hospital” in Ventura History is the only remaining Mission Revival building in town. Local legend has it that it the building is haunted by former patients and Dr. Bard.


1909 – One of the most influential people in Ventura history, E.P. Foster, donates land for Seaside Park “as a public park and a place for recreation….and pleasure for the general public.”


1912 – With the help of EP Foster Gird Percy turns the Rincon Trail (“little more than a cow trail” alongside the sea) into the first automobile friendly highway, Rincon Highway. Prior to that, travelers waited out the high tide or traversed over the mountainous Casitas Pass (unless it was winter) to traverse between Ventura and Santa Barbara.


1913 – Ventura County Courthouse opens on Poli Street (serving as the Ventura County Courthouse thru the 1960s. Today, the courthouse serves as Ventura City Hall.


1917 – The Ventura County Fair moves from Port Hueneme to Seaside Park.


1918 – Kenneth and Tonie Grant donate 107 hillside acres to the City of San Buenaventura. Overlooking the Pacific Ocean and the city below, Grant Park is one of the most picturesque parks in Ventura. The cross on top of the park was first erected in 1782 as a marker for those traveling to Ventura. The cross has been replaced many numerous times over the years, the most recent in 1941. Today, the park is privately owned by San Buenaventura Heritage, Inc. and a favorite for romantic picnics.


1936 - Statue of founding Father Juan Junipero Serra is placed in front of the Ventura County Courthouse.


1950 – The remaining residents in the area known as Tortilla Flats are displaced by the Ventura Freeway. The multi-cultural neighborhood of working class Mexican, Chumash, African American and “dustbowl” Anglo-Americans who lived along Figueroa and Garden Street contributed greatly to the social, cutltural and political Ventura history. In its hey-day, the area was a lively neighborhood that attracted some of the biggest band acts of the era including Tommy Dorsey and Chuck Berry. A mural located underneath the freeway overpass celebrates this neighborhood as an integral part of Ventura history not to be forgotten.


1960 – The construction of the 101 Freeway diverts travelers away from Main Street, greatly reducing tourism. Many businesses suffer, but downtown becomes popular among antique and thrift store bargain hunters.


Present Day – Revitalization of Downtown. A theater and a business boom of boutiques, art studios, eateries, nightlife and urban housing breathe new life into downtown Ventura. Mixing the old with the new, city planners work to maintain Ventura history with the tastes and demands of the modern world.

Want to learn more about Ventura history? What better way than to explore some of the many Ventura Museums.
 

Let's all help each other learn more about Ventura's histroy! If you have a question, ask us! If we can't find the answer, maybe other Ventura locals will. Enter the topic of your question Ask Your Question! [ ? ] Close Help Don't worry about space, make your question as long or short as you need it to be. Upload 1-4 Pictures or Graphics (optional) [ ? ] Close Help Do you have a picture that helps you ask your question? Great! Click the button and find it on your computer. Then select it. Add a Picture/Graphic Caption (optional)  Click here to upload more images (optional) Add a Picture/Graphic Caption (optional)  Add a Picture/Graphic Caption (optional)  Add a Picture/Graphic Caption (optional)  Author Information (optional) To receive credit as the author, enter your information below. Your Name (first or full name) Your Location (ex. City, State, Country) Submit Your Contribution Check box to agree to these submission guidelines. (You can preview and edit on the next page) Click here to see the rest of the form and complete your submission. What Other Visitors Have Asked About... Click below to see Ventura History questions from our other visitors... history on the railroad to ojai  when was the railroad built,what was its prime purpose and when was it pulled out ? name of store  Trying to remember the name of the toy store that use to be located on main, across the street from the mission.... tidal wave  Did a tidal wave hit the Ventura coast coming to about the top of the coastal bluffs - c. 30 - 40 feet? In what year? What caused it? My grandmother ... california school for girls (1920)  Looking for any information about the "California School for Girls" located at Ventura, California on the 1920 US census. Rancho Santa Ana  I would like to know more about Ramon Gonzales de la Riva and his family who owned Rancho Santa Ana for a time in the 1870s. What role did he play in ... EP amd Orpha Foster  Both EP Foster and Orpha Woods were born in Illnois but they were married in Ventura in August of 1874. When and where did they first meet? Was it back ... ventura school for girls  looking for information of a girls reform school in or about the 1930's to 1940's possibly across the street from a building with a cannon in front as ... Historic bus stations?  Where were the bus stations, such as Trailways or Greyhound, in downtown Ventura? Are the buildings still extant? Why is there no bus station now? Drug store on California and Main  I'm interested in knowing about the drug store with the fountain located on the corner of California and Main Street during the 1950's. Do you know where ... ventura pier  I was on the Ventura Pier in the late 80's during a big swell. The next day we checked the surf and most of the pier was gone. What was the date when the ... Bus service from Santa Monica to Ventura in late 1941  How far away was the bus station for buses coming from Santa Monica from the At The Side Car Diner in late 1941? Balboa Middle School  For years, there have been rumors at Balboa that the school used to be a women's prison. Is this true? If not, when was the school built, and did the ... ventura pier   Not rated yet At one point didn't the pier extend off Seaward ave? Figueroa Street neighborhood 1930-1960  Not rated yet I'm looking for information and pictures for Figueroa Street from 1930-1960. My father's family owned homes there during that time. Martin Hernandez sicfatur@... Vacant art deco building California Street  Not rated yet Why is the beautiful "new" building next door to Cafe Fiore on California Street downtown still vacant? Ventura County Courthouse Tower Clock  Not rated yet During 1900 a Seth Thomas Tower Clock was intalled at the 1875 Ventura Courthouse on Santa Clara St. The clock was salvaged when the Courthouse was demolished ... HIstory of Mayors  Not rated yet When was Frank J. Dennis Mayor of Ventura? Carl j Wallace & Blanche Pauline Leoni Wallace  Not rated yet My Grandfather, Roy R. Wallace Sr., his brother Carl and Paul Wallace were all in Ventura Police Drpt. Investigations, fingerprints, patrol, cb communication.... Heard of Jeff and Helen Boyd  Not rated yet Heard of Jeff and Helen Boyd and Walter Ray Beene one of the 1st Brokers in ventura? History of Ventura Ave. area.  Not rated yet Are there any pictures of the area. Specificly 124 West Park Row Ave. and or history? when was ventura ave named   Not rated yet When was Ventura avenue named and the year . history of babe, douglas kathreen dent of the dent ranch  Not rated yet was the first poker house and repubican house on 400 franklin lane. and sold to ramona ramirez medrano until the area was redisign Mayor  Not rated yet who was the first mayor of Ventura? Ventura Avenue Bowling Alley  Not rated yet what was the address and what year did it open and close? Any other fun facts you might know. Thank you native americans in casitas springs  Not rated yet was there ever a rancheria or reservation or onclave of native americans in casitas springs? if so, could they have been related to oklahoma indians? thank ... alternative history.  Not rated yet surely venturas history goes farther back than the white mans version,and all there glorious accomplishments,can you give some info to the spanish land ... Are there any pictures of the house that stood at the end of California St in the 50's? (Seaside Park)  Not rated yet Any pics of house at end of Calif. St.(Seaside Park)in 50's? Casitas Springs/Park View Drive  Not rated yet What is the history of Casitas Springs/Parkview Drive, including the railroad that would have passed through Casitas Springs? Are there old photos of this ... Mill School  Not rated yet What is the history of Mill School (now gone) on North Ventura Ave? Flood of Ventura River  Not rated yet When was the flood in 1962? Casitas Pass Road between Lake Casitas and Carpinteria  Not rated yet Was there a school on Casitas Pass Rd (Hwy 150) between the east and west Pass? I believe there was one, but don't know the dates. N. Ventura Annexation timeline  Not rated yet Over the years, parts of the N. Ventura Avenue have been annexed by the City of San Buenaventura, I think up to Ramona was in the 1960's and then later ...

Return from Ventura History to Home Page