U.S. National Park Service
Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail Anza and the expedition meet the Chumash, by artist David Rickman
Anza and the expedition meet the Chumash

Artist: David Rickman
  Santa Barbara County - Along the Coast in Chumash Country


Counties on the trail from south to north: 


To download as a PDF, click here (760 Kb). Viewable with Adobe Acrobat Reader 
Map of Juan Bautista de Anza trail in Santa Barbara County
Chumash huts
Similar to the ones described by Father Font, these Chumash huts, made of willow and
tule, are at Mission La Purísima. Many of the Spanish names used by Font for Chumash villages, such as Carpintería, San Buenaventura, and the two villages (Dos Pueblos de San Pedro y San Pablo), are still names of nearby places.
Photo: Ron Ory


Driving Directions for Auto Route

Continuing on the route from Ventura County, go north on US 101 to the City of Santa Barbara. Take the Carrillo Street exit east to Cañón Perdido Street and the El Presidio de Santa Barbara State Historic Park. The park offers exhibits on the history of the American Indian, Spanish, and Mexican periods. As you continue north on US 101, stop at Goleta Beach County Park or one of the state beach parks (El Capitán, Refugio, or Gaviota). A trail connects El Capitán and Refugio State Beach Parks. At Gaviota, the historic route continues along the coast, but the road turns north through Gaviota Pass. The auto tour route follows US 101 to CA 1 and the town of Guadalupe.

Continue on US 101 to CA 1. Follow CA 1 through Lompoc and turn east on CA 249 and follow signs to La Purísima Mission State Historic Park. This site is not on the original Anza expedition route, which followed the coast, but allows one to experience a Spanish Mission community. Continue north on CA 1. Stop near Vandenberg Air Force Base. Continue north on CA 1 towards Guadalupe. From the area south of Guadalupe northward to Missions San Luis Obispo and San Antonio, the auto route closely follows Anza's.

To continue on the route, see San Luis Obispo County.


Hiking/Biking Ideas

The Pacific Coast Bicycle Route from Ventura connects with bikeways in the City of Santa Barbara, and connects to this bike route north through the county.  A hike and bike trail, the Aniso Trail links El Capitán and Refugio State Beaches. "Aniso" means seagull in Chumash. The Andree Clark Bird Refuge (on Cabrillo Blvd. in Santa Barbara) gives hikers opportunities to see local wildlife at the coast.

Gaviota State Beach
Gaviota State Park takes its name from the Spanish word for seagull. The Chumash lived in nearby villages they called "Khalam" (at Jalama Creek), "Onomyo" (Gaviota) and "Quasil" (Refugio Beach).
Photo: NPS
  About Your Visit to Santa Barbara County


Many colonists on the expedition marveled at Pacific Ocean. They saw waterspouts thrown up by whales, and passed through land of the Chumash peoples, whose skills impressed them. From these natives, they obtained some baskets, cups, trays, and many varieties of fish in exchange for glass beads. Going further, they crossed the Santa Maria River near the town of Guadalupe at the northern boundary of Santa Barbara County.

 
 


Sites of Interest

A. La Rinconada and Expedition Camp #75
Traveling past a village they called La Carpintería, camp was made on February 24, 1776 at La Riconada near the border with Ventura County. Here, Font describes the Native Americans, their skills, houses, sweathouses (temescals), money and boats (called tomols). The site of the camp is preserved in Rincon County Beach Park. Carpinteria State Beach is a few miles to the west, and offers Chumash interpretive programs.

B. El Presidio de Santa Barbara State Historic Park
Encompassing the original site of the 1782 Presidio, the park interprets life in California under Spanish rule. Some soldiers of the original garrison were members of the 1775-76 Anza expedition. It offers exhibits on the history of the Spanish and Mexican periods, and includes the Buenaventura Pico Adobe built by Anza expedition descendants. The address is 123 East Cañón Perdido St. in Santa Bárbara.

C. California State and County Beaches Expedition Camp #76-78
Goleta Beach County Park, the U.C. Santa Barbara campus, and the Santa Barbara Airport are the sites of the Chumash villages of Mescalitán (Camp #76). Font writes, "Here there are three large villages on the banks of the estuary, the largest one being on the road which we are traveling." Mescalitán is commemorated with a plaque along the Coast Route Trail at South Patterson Ave. and the Atascadero Creek Bikeway in Goleta. Along Anza's route, El Capitán, Refugio, and Gaviota State Beach Parks provide opportunities to interpret the natural environment and the native cultures at the time of the Anza expedition. Jalama County Beach offers an experience of the land and sea as the expedition might have seen it.

D. La Purísima Mission State Historic Park
This camp is at the mouth of today's Santa Ynez River and is within Ocean Beach County Park. Up the river to the east is Mission La Purísima. Although it's not on the historic Anza route and wasn't constructed until after the expedition, it's on the auto tour route. Visitors can see animals and plants of the missions and exhibits on the life that the Spanish settlers brought to the indigenous people. It is located at 2295 Purisima Road near Lompoc.

E. Vandenberg Air Force Base and Expedition Camps #79-80
Camps #79 and #80 are on Vandenberg Air Force Base, and access is restricted. The base offers weekly bus tours of the facility, much of it on Anza's route. Amtrak's Coast Starlight route from Ventura to San Luis Obispo is on the historic route. From Gaviota through Vandenberg Air Force Base, the train is the only way most members of the public can see the landscapes that Anza saw.

  Learning On The Trail in Santa Barbara County
Questions on the Trail
Gaviota
Photo: Greg Smestad
Past Gaviota (above) at Point Conception, Font describes, "all the land is thickly covered with flowers, and green with a variety of grasses, good pasturage, and fragrant and useful plants." From Santa Barbara, you can explore the Anza Trail by train. Docents from the South Coast Railroad Museum provide onboard interpretive programs on Amtrak's Coast Starlight line. After visiting the museum or taking the train, answer the following questions -

Question: Where can you see futuristic rocket launching pads today on Anza's historic route?
Question: Are the hillsides grazed by cattle today (pasturage) as Font predicted? What would make the land good for this activity?


On the CD: Chumash and the Sea

Listen to Chumash descendant Mike Phillips as he describes his people. He supplies his hand-crafted Chumash musical instruments and artifacts to museums such as the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History (2559 Puesta del Sol Road) where visitors can learn more about these peoples.

On Saturday, February 24, 1776, Father Font writes,
"...They have commerce with [the tribes] of the Colorado River, with their cuentas or beads, consisting of flat, round, and small shells [olivella] which they hunt for in the sands of the beach, and of which they have long strings hung around the neck and on the head...Once I went near a hut which I saw open, to examine its structure, for among all the huts which I saw in all the journey these are the best. They are round in form, like a half orange, very spacious, large and high...The Indians are great fishermen and very ingenious. They make baskets of various shapes, and other things very well formed, such as wooden trays and boxes, and things made of stone. Above all, they build launches with which they navigate. They are very carefully made of several planks which they work with no other tools than their shells and flints. They join them at the seams by sewing them with very strong thread which they have, and fit the joints with pitch, by which they are made very strong and secure."

Click to play the Chumash and the Sea MP3 audio file

Play MP3 file of The Chumash, the Channel and the Sea,
an interview with Michael Phillips
(playing time 3 minutes 40 seconds)


Additional Resources

Santa Barbara County Parks - 610 Mission Canyon Rd., Santa Barbara, CA 93105;
tel.: 568-2461,
web: countyofsb.org/parks


California State Parks Channel Coast District Headquarters - 911 San Pedro St., Ventura, CA, 93001;
tel.: 805-585-1847,
web: parks.ca.gov


El Presidio de Santa Barbara State Historic Park - 123 E. Cañón Perdido St., Post Office Box 388, Santa Barbara, CA 93102;
tel.: 805-965-0093,
web: sbthp.org


La Purísima Mission State Historic Park - 2295 Purisima Rd., Lompoc, CA 93436;
tel.: 805-733-3713,
web: parks.ca.gov/
default.asp?page_id=598



Vandenburg Air Force Base - 30 CES/CEVPC 806 13th St., Suite 116, Vandenburg AFB, CA 93437;
tel.: 805-605-0748,
web: vandenberg.af.mil


Amtrak's Coast Starlight - 209 State Street Santa Barbara, CA 93101; tel.: 800-872-7245,
web: amtrak.com


South Coast Railroad Museum- 300 North Los Carneros Road, Goleta, CA 93117;
tel.: 805-964-3540,
web: goletadepot.org


Chumash Hut
Chumash hut
Photo: Ron Ory

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