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...

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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.
 

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