Santa Barbara Street Transportation

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Vol. XV, No. 1

WinJer, 1968

rare photograplir printed on “SoHo” paper, shows the brand new single truck electric car with Hattie K. Miller, popular daughter of the Line’s president, the Hon. B. F. Miller, at the brake lever. The car was the pride of the Con.solidated company and was a- pretty sight painted and varnished in maroon and cream, tvilh elaborate filigree lining to fancy up” the car. The passengers are all members of the Miller family, with Dewey H. Miller standing at the far right.

FOREWORD Street cars operated in Santa Barbara for 53 years, from 1876 to 1929.

The mule cars lasted for 20 years. No single edition of NOTICIAS would be large enough to tell the whole story of street transportation in Santa Barbara. William Everett for many years has been an acknowledged authority on urban and interurban transportation and we have asked him to write a brief summary of some of the more important elements in this phase of our community development. The photographs have been selected from the files of the Gledhill Library of the Santa Barbara Historical Society.

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Santa Barbara was a peaceful little town in 1876 the year after the comple tion of the Arlington Hotel. Mule car No. ], drawn by99a horse, had a clear right-of-way down State street even at the “rush hour.

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> 7’/ii5 excellent photograph shows the Arlington annex on Victoria street lookini' east, with a mule car (minus the mule) coasting down Victoria street toward the Southern Pacific station at Ranche.ria street (now the Freeway). Note the tall pole at the corner of Slate street with its four arc lights that cast a pale bluish glow over the entire central part of town. There was a similar pole on lower State street.

SANTA BARBARA STREET TRANSPORTATION

By William Everett The beginning of Santa Barbara street cars was rather unusual. For several years the town had a mule car line running up its main street from Stearns Wharf to the Arlington Hotel at Victoria street. In later years this line was extended along West Beach Boulevard (now Cabrillo) to the Bath House at Castillo street. In the summer of 1896 a company was organized and called the “Consolidated Electric Company.” The company had permis sion to establish lines in Santa Barbara, but the mule line, hearing about the proposal, secured permission to electrify its line.

State street being the main thoroughfare was the most important in town and both car lines were determined to get an exclusive franchise for that street. The City Council awarded a franchise to the mule car line to string trolley wires along the right-of-way, and a battle royal ensued. The Con solidated Company also had a crew stringing wires and installing poles, and for a day or two the rival crews found themselves engaged in digging holes for the poles by day and filling up the holes of their rival by night.

The fued ended with the Consolidated buying out the mule car line.

The original line was narrow gauge, and the new electric line, for a time, adopted that gauge for its cars. The Consolidated purchased four cars which are shown in an accompanying illustration. On the first day of opera tion the four cars constituted a gala parade up State street, with bands and bunting and city officials, and honored by all, a veteran white mule (minus its ears, which had been burned off in the Victoria street car barn fire some years earlier) rode along in state with its mate, standing on a specially con structed flat car towed by the last car in the parade. The white mule’s name was “Maud,” but following the fire, she was re-named “Phoenix.”

Mules were the sole motor power for street cars in Santa Barbara for twenty years! The original car line ran from West Beach, east to State, up State to Victoria, and the new Arlington Hotel, then the finest in California south of San Francisco. Later, a branch line ran down Victoria street to Rancheria and the new Southern Pacific Railroad station, but that was not until the railroad came in 1887.

The Consolidated soon extended its line to the Old Mission, ending its track abruptly at the foot of the entrance steps above the fountain. Still later the line was extended up Alameda Padre Serra to accommodate the new Normal school which eventually became Santa Barbara College and finally the University of California, Santa Barbara, and the El Encanto Hotel.

In 1903 the company received permission to build the East Beach line in hopes of continuing the tracks on to Summerland, some six miles to the east. That extension to Summerland was never constructed, however.

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The day the mules were retired, October 1st, 1896, there was a gala street car parade made up of three cars recently con verted to electrics. The first car contained County officials, with Miss Hattie K. Miller at the controls. Miss Miller was the daughter of the company president and an ardent street car buff. The second car contained City officials and their ladies. The third car brought along a military band, and behind it was a trailer containing two of the veteran mules which had provided the motive power for the street railway for twenty years. The black mule was “Quawt,” a quadruped of no particular distinction, hut the white one was “Maud,” notv renamed “Phoenix” because she had survived a car barn fire which burned both of her ears. The sign on the trailer read: “This is my last trip.” She was pensioned by the Daily Indepeiulent and put out to pasture, hut later offered for sale along with the rest of the 36 notv surplus animals.

The mule cars, being the principal means of transportation, were often very busy. One driver collected 80 fares on a single trip between the JPharf and the Arlington. Each driver had 8 mules so as to provide each animal with frequent rest stops between trips. Before the railroad came there were sometimes two steamer arrivals a day at Stearns Wharf.

At about the same time as the East Beach extension two more cars were added to the fleet of four. The new cars were larger than the original narrow gauge cars and considered the finest that could be found. The numbers of the cars, in the order of their purchase, were 2, 4, 6, 8, 12 and 14. In 1904 two additional cars were purchased, numbers 16 and 18. Number 16 was later re-numbered 19 following a wreck later to be described in this narra tive. These two cars were larger than any of the previous cars. They had standard sized bodies on narrow gauge trucks, which proved to be the undoing of No. 16.

Within a week of the time these cars had been put in service, on Easter Sunday morning, April 10, No. 16 and two other cars stood at the end of the line at the Mission waiting for the large crowd of worshippers from the church. The first two cars were filled and left for town. The remaining crowd, numbering about 125, boarded No. 16, filling it to capacity, and beyond.

As the loaded car started down Laguna street hill it soon became ap parent that it was traveling far too fast. As it came to the first curve on New Mission street it gave a tremendous lurch, but it stayed on the tracks. By now the motorman realized that his brakes had failed! The car gained speed at every revolution of the wheels, and as it approached the second curve into Garden street, panic took possession of the passengers. There were wild screams and pandimonium set in as the big car jumped the tracks and turned over. When ail reports were in it was found that five had been killed and 30 injured, 17 of them seriously.

Car No. 16 was re-built and numbered 19, but neither of the latest big cars were ever allowed to run again on the Mission Line.

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This is car number 8 with its sign “City Limits,” going east on West (now Cabrillo) Boulevard. Note the palm trees which today are nearly forty feet tall. This picture was made in the late nineties, before the Potter Hotel was built. At this time the cars were on a 20 minute headway, there being 23 cars per day from 7:34 a.m. to 10:45 p.m. Their main stops were the Plaza (now Castillo and Cabrillo), mid-point (later the Potter Hotel) Southern Pacific Depot, Carrillo street, the Arlington Hotel, the Mission, and later Alameda Padre Serra to the El Encanto Hotel and the State Normal School (later to become Santa Barbara College).

Up to the year 1913 all cars were painted forest green and were narrow gauge. In that year the line was known as the Santa Barbara & Suburban Railway Company and the tracks were converted to standard gauge. Even brand new center entrance cars were added to the company’s rolling stock and all cars were painted blue and white, later, cream and white. An ex ception was Car No. 8 which was maroon when delivered. The East Beach line was discontinued owing to a lack of patronage. The old Quarantina street car barn burned down, but fortunately without the loss of a car. A new car barn was built on Castillo street a block from the beach, the same barn which is owned today by “Old Spanish Days in Santa Barbara,” and which houses the floats and carriages used in the Historical parade each Fiesta time.

When the Southern Pacific Railroad tore down the original depot at Rancheria street, and built the new station between State and Chapala streets, its present location, the West Victoria street line was discontinued.

The Oak Park and Mission lines were extended and the Carpinteria street line was cut back and extended out East Haley.

In 1924, seeing the writing on the wall because of the growing auto mobile traffic, the company tried to sell out, but the city fathers objected.

The company then purchased 11 new “Birneys,” one man cars sometimes called “dinkeys.” Only one year later the company was unable to pay its bills and the Southern California Edison Company, which supplied the elec tricity for the carlines, had to take over operation to satisfy the delinquencies.

The center cars never operated after 1924. The Edison company kept the little one-man cars in operation until 1929, and on October 1st of that year the last street car in Santa Barbara made its final run.

When the Santa Barbara street railway tvas abandoned in 1929 in favor of motor buses, the cars looked like this. While the line was incorporated under the name of Santa Barbara & Suburban Railway company, the projected Summerland extension never materialized.

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Scope of Operations \ fS*

SANTA BARBARA MISSION

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SANTA BARBARA ARLINGTON I HOTEL

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The Western Hailroader

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STREET CAR MEMORIES Pearl Chase recalls the Saturday night dances at the Potter Hotel when she was a young girl. At the conclusion of the dance all of the young people would make a rush for the waiting street cars and crowd them to capacity.

When the cars reached the State street grade the load was often too much for the motors and the overload would cause the circuitbreaker to shut off with a bang and flash, bringing the car to a standstill and plunging it into darkness. Then the conductor would have to elbow his way through the crowd up to the front of the car where the circuitbreaker was installed above the door and push it back into place. Immediately the lights would come on and the car would be able to start again, only to have the process repeated several times before they reached their destination. The darkness and the delay didn’t seem to worry the young people; it provided them with some moments of merriment, she said.

In the 1890’s a popular form of amusement ivas to ride the new street cars, recently electrified, to the Old Mission. Three of the cars in this picture were mule cars converted to electric poiver. .At this time the street railway was narrow gauge, 3 feet six inches. The entire system measured 7 miles long.

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THE END OF THE LINErr

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In his article entitled “Plaza del Mar,

in the Winter 1966 issue of

NOTICIAS, Selden Spaulding recalls how the end of the carline was so pop ular around the turn of the century. “One reason for its popularity,” recalls Selden, “was that in those days life moved for us at a much slower pace than it does now. Another reason . . . was that there were fewer mechanical entertainments to be enjoyed.” He was referring, of course, to movies, radio, television, airplanes, etc. People frequently took a car ride, as we have in dicated elsewhere in this narrative, just for the sheer satisfaction of sitting on a bench at Oak Park or at Plaza del Mar, to talk with friends or strangers, or just to watch the people, the birds and the sea.

“It was at the Plaza that the street railway had its terminus,” wrote Spaulding, “The small, square, three compartmented street cars arrived here every ten minutes. Actually, in spite of the high sounding designation, the so-called ‘terminus’ was nothing more than the end of the line. There was no shed here, and not even a platform. When any given trolley car came to a final stop, the trolley pole was reversed on the trolley wire, the motorman and the conductor changed stations in the car, one fender was raised and the other one was lowered, and then the antique vehicle was ready to start its return trip to the Old Mission or to Oak Park, as the case might be.”

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FOREWORD No organization since Santa Barbara became a city has been more vital to its progress and economy than the Chamber of Commerce. Organized first in 1872 as the Immigration Bureau, it ushered in a period of develop ment wliich, in a single decade changed the community from a sleepy little Spanish pueblo to a promising American town.

Among the developments following the building of Stearns Wharf in 1872, coming in rapid succession, were the arrival of the first steamer, the Anne Stoffer, a side-wheeler, which for the first time enabled tourists to step directly ashore instead of being rowed into shallow water and then carried on the backs of sailors through the surf. The alternative was a haz ardous and uncomfortable journey by stage coach from Los Angeles.

The first order of business of the Immigration Bureau was the promo tion of a tourist hotel. The famous Arlington Hotel was the result of its ef forts. The main street, muddy in winter, dusty in summer, was graded. Board walks were laid. Street lights were installed. A mule car line established. A daily paper started. A Court House was built. The Lobero Theatre was founded by its namesake. One bank, followed by two more, were started.

A man from the East by the name of Charles Nordhoff wrote a best seller called “California — a book for Travelers and Settlers” and started a rush for Santa Barbara making it a health and tourist resort practically over night.

The population soared to nearly 4,000 souls.

There was agitation for a railroad connection with the east, and the persistence of the Chamber of Commerce, then called the Board of Trade, paid off in the end and by 1887 the rails had reached Santa Barbara from Saugus.

Fourteen years later a connecting line from the North put the town on the main coast line between San Francisco and Los Angeles.

The following history is taken from the Chamber of Commerce magazine for July, 1906, and has been reproduced in facsimile.—Ed.

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VOL. I

JULY, 1906

NO. 7

The Chamber of Commerce the history of the remarkable progress that has marked the development of the Pacific Coa^t, is written, much of the credit mu^l and will be given to the indefatigable work of those organiza *jj

tions which under the various designations of Chambers of Com

merce, Boards of Trade, Promotion Committees, Improvement Associations, etc., have so zealously striven for the exploitation of latent resources, to attradl the attention of the world to their respedive localities, for the improvement of domes tic environment, and for promoting in every honorable way, the interests of the community represented.

Moft emphatically has this been true of Southern California, which today comprises within its borders the moSt intelligent and progressive community of citizens of equal number, to be found in any sedtion of the United States. In every town with a population of one thousand or more, some working organiza tion is engaged in an effort to make that town bigger, better, and more beautiful.

So quietly and unobtrusively do these organizations labor for the general weal that frequently the community which is the immediate beneficiary, hardly realizes what the local organization is doing for it. It accepts the results of the work, much as it might regard a good crop of beans or an especially favorable fruit season,—something sent by a kind Providence as a reward for peculiar merit.

The willing workers who su^ain these wonderful instruments for public weal, are sometimes discouraged by the lack of interest displayed by their fel lows, but never disheartened by dearth of results, because results never fail to materialize, and the city that has an organization such as exists in moSt of the

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President McKinley parade, 1901, passing famous Diehl’s Grocery store in the 700 block of State Street. Note street cars following the parade.

SANTA BARBARA

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Southern California towns, is just as sure to feel its influence as the sprouting grain is sure to spring upward toward the sun.

Santa Barbara Org'anizations Dunng the pa5t third of a century, Santa Barbara has, at various times, had such an organization as is indicated above. These were generally formed when Board of a degree of a<ftivity marked every line of effort and it was felt that Trade might assi^ in making things go ^ill fa^er than they were already moving.

Such was the case with the organizations that came into being in 1872 and again in 1886, during the booms of those bygone days. They did a great deal of good while they la^ed, but as a boom product they died with its burning, being, like Jonah’s gourd, quite unable to bear the Stress and Strain of every day conditions.

The present organization, which for the laSt dozen years has been a ganglion of municipal activity, did not come into being by the hot-house forcing of boom conditions. In faift, quite the opposite, for it was during the inactive years succeeding the hard limes of 1893 and 1894, that a goodly number of our moSt enterprising and progressive citizens fell that the need of an organization formed for promotion and improvement purposes, was even greater in dull times than in days of prosperity.

The First Organization Through the urging of the editor of the Daily Press, then in its firSt year, a meeting was called Sept. 22nd, 1872, to organize an Immigration Bureau.

Much attention had been drawn to Santa Barbara in various ways and settlers were coming rapidly. Its fame as a health resort had gone abroad in the land and invalids in all stages of decay were flocking here by every steamer. Conse quently some of the citizens thought that an immigration bureau to keep up the flream that was flowing in this direction, would be very desirable. At the meet ing above mentioned, Mr. Thos. B. Dibblee was chosen President, Edward Ivison, Vice-President, C. A. Storke, Secretary, and J. L. Morris, Treasurer.

Mr. Dibblee claimed that he could not give the time necessary for the duties of President, and Edward Ivison was made President with Eugene Fawcett, Esq., afterwards Judge Fawcett, as Vice-President.

The newspapers of the day have left no record that much was done by this body. Calls for meetings appeared quite frequently in the Press, but they evidently lacked a quorum, as rarely does any hint escape that “something was doing.”

On March 21st, 1873, the Press announces that the “Chamber of Commerce (into which it seems the Immigration Bureau had by this lime grown) was going to do something, and on April 10th, 1873, a meeting was held at which the subject for discussion was the pressing need for a flr^-class hotel.

We hear nothing more of this “Chamber of Commerce", but the agitation then Parted finally resulted in the formation of a flock company and the building of the Arlington, then the befl hotel in California outside of San Francisco.

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Board of Directors of the Santa Barbara Chamber of Commerce July 1902. Left row: fudge Aitkin, President; E. W. Hayward, H. R. Hitchcock, G. W. Tomlinson, C. W. Racy, E. B. Hoover. Right row: C. M. Gidney, Secretary; L. W. Redington, R. Canfield, Charles A. Carrier, and J. Will Smith.

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A Second Attempt From the disappointment of not being able to secure railroad communica tion with the ea^ during the seventies, the panic of 1873 which reached this coa^l in 1874 and 1875, and the dry year of 1877, Santa Barbara did not recover until well along in the eighties, when the general prosperity of the whole country and Southern California in particular, combined with the prospe<5l of immediate railroad connection with the Southern Pacific at Saugus, started a real estate and building boom.

Mr. O. W. Maulsby. President. July, 1900 to January. 1901

Things for a time were lively and the adivity of the real edate market made some of the old settlers who had been vegetating for years with no more exciting subjeds for cogitation than ‘‘plaza titles", the ‘‘Norway Survey” and local poli tics, rub their eyes and wonder ‘‘where they were at.”

One of the fir^l produds of the incipient boom was a meeting called for the evening of Dec. 4th, 1886, a day which had been marked by a magnificent celebration of the centennial of the founding of the Old Mission. At this meet ing a temporary organization was made which at a later meeting was perfeded 18 —

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by ihe choice of permanent officers and adoption of by-laws.

Articles of Incor

poration were also prepared and the following is the paragraph of said articles which sets forth the objedt of the organization: “That the purpose for which it is formed is to develop trade and commerce, advance and proledt the interests of the citizens of the City and County of Santa Barbara, to provide for receiving and entertaining distinguished visitors, to advise as to the beSt plans to adopt for the improvement of Streets, sidewalks, roads and public parks and highways, to influence in proper ways, legislation for the beSt interests of the City and County of Santa Barbara, and to prescribe rules and regulations of trade and commerce for the government of the members of the corporation.

Of this organization. Judge E. H. Heacock, now U. S. Court Commissioner in San Francisco, was chosen president, A. O. Perkins and E. S. Sheffield, both since deceased. Secretary and Treasurer respe<flively.

The collapse of the boom in the latter part of 1887, carried down with it the Board of Trade.

The meetings were held at longer and longer intervals and

Anally ceased altogether.

Organization of Present Body As hereinbefore stated, the next attempt at organization for promotion and improvement was made in a period of depression and not of boom. A number of citizens with the welfare of the community at heart, held a meeting at the City Hall, Jan. 4th, 1895, and perfeded an organization known as the Board of Trade of Santa Barbara County. Of this body, M. B. McDufAe was chosen President, C. H. Frink Secretary and G. F. Trenwith, Treasurer. The by-laws in setting forth the obje<5t of the association recites: “To call attention to the thriving business towns in the northern part of the County and to the cheap and fertile lands surrounding them, and to the vaSt nat ural resources of the county St\W undeveloped, such as petroleum and asphallum; to encourage the building of permanent roads in order to facilitate better cornmunication between different parts of the county and of one free highway over the mountains; to advertise the peculiar advantages of the se<5lion contiguous to Santa Barbara as a health and pleasure resort, and promote every wise enterprise that will assist in beautifying and improving the town or adding to its business and especially to assist the Flower Festival Association in the work which has conferred such marked beneflt on this locality.

In general the objedl of this associa-

tion ip to assist in forming an intelligent public sentiment whose foundation shall be a juSt pride in our own fair city and county and which when properly direcfted will make it the moSt altracftive sedlion upon the Paciflc CoaSt.” The by-laws also provided for monthly meetings of all the members, and a membership fee of three dollars with Afty cents as monthly dues.

At the second meeting of this organization the subjects for discussion were the coming Flower Festival which the Board of Trade desired to assist, and the desirability of sending weather telegrams to the New York Herald.

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The subjecfl of better streets early occupied the attention of this body, a special effort being made to have Haley and Milpas Areels put in better condi tion.

This movement later led to the proposition advanced by the Mayor and Council to have all the graded streets treated with a covering of crushed rock and asphaltum over a twenty-foot ilrip in the middle thereof. The expense,

Mr. W. C. Show, President, January, 1901 to July, 1901

some $60,000, was to be met by a bond issue. The plan did not commend itself to the members of the Board of Trade nor to the eledlors at large, for it was submitted to the people and voted down-

Its weakness lay in that feature which

contemplated but a partial covering of the roadway, the pradtical sense of the people realizing that a water-proof covering to be effective, must cover a street from curb to curb.

Qye^tions of promotion, improvement, legislation, etc., were constantly before — 20 —

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the Board o^ Trade, and a glance at some of the more important will from this distance in time be interesting.

In addition to the time-worn subjeds of terminal rates, port of entry, fed eral building, etc., the Board of Trade took up the question of a municipal water supply and at all stages of the proceedings which led to the city’s ownership, gave it a warm support.

Agitation

was also begun for the construction of a

road to the Cuyama Valley, a projedt which after five years of various vicissitudes, received the favorable consideration of the State Legislature and a bill making an appropriation for the construdlion of the road was passed during the session of 1901, but promptly vetoed by Governor Gage.

In 1896 the Board took an active Interest in the movement for a new city charter and suggested the names of some of the more prominent members of the Committee of Fifteen Freeholders who framed the city’s fundamental law.

In the same year the Board took up the question of the eredlion of a bath house on the water front, and some six or seven thousand dollars was subscribed towards the stock of a proposed bath house company, but the time did not seem ripe for the enterprise and it was abandoned.

Through the years 1897 and 1898, little or nothing was done, the Board lived at a dying rate, meetings were few and far between and by the beginning of 1899 the membership had fallen to 35 persons.

At a

meeting held

Feb.

Mlh, 1899, these facts were set forth and a

motion was duly made and seconded that the Board of Trade disband and piace what funds it had in some bank for future disposition.

Fortunately there were

some present who were not “quitters”, and an amendment was offered and adopted that in lieu of quitting, a committee on reorganization be appointed. So successful was this committee’s canvass and so thoroughly did it stir the public on the question that at the next meeting 38 new members were added to the roll, the membership fee was abolished and new direcftors elecfted.

Thomas D. V^^ood, the present Mayor of Santa Barbara, was elecfted Pres ident, William Wyles Secretary, and Alfred Edwards was chosen Treasurer, a position he has ever since held.

During March, 1899, 42 more

members were added, the name of the

organization was changed to Chamber of Commerce of Santa Barbara County, and Unity Hall secured as the home of the organization.

In April ileps were taken to incorporate the Chamber under the laws of the State of California and articles of incorporation were duly filed in the office of the Secretary of State on May 25th, 1899. During April, 86 new members were added, bringing the membership up to two hundred, below which point it has never since fallen.

The limits of this sketch preclude more than a bare reference to the work of the Chamber of Commerce during the seven years that have elapsed since its incorporation. A complete report would pracftically be a history of this community for the period covered.

The minutes of the meetings of its Board of — 21 —

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Dire<ilors alone fill two large volumes of 500 pages each, exclusive of reports on file.

Its sphere of adivity has touched at every point the public life and every

interest of the community has felt the inspiration of its vitalizing influence.

Soon after incorporation- the work of securing a bath house that would be worthy of a city possessing the finest water front on the Pacific shore, was taken up and negotiations were opened with the Dibblee estate for the purchase and gift of lands for that purpose. Twenty earnest members subscribed $100 each toward a fund to make said purchase. The site was secured and then offered

W. H. Aiken, Esq., President, July, 1902 lo July, 1903

as a bonus to any corporation or individual that would eredt and maintain a bath house to cost not less than $10,000, This offer was duly accepted by the United Ele<5lric Gas and Power Company, which not only fulfilled its conlrarS as to the co^t of the structure, but more than trebled said cost, thus adding to the city’s water front not only a great necessity but an ornament as well.

While this work was under way the question of a new high school building was before the citizens and a serious controversy at one time threatened to obstruct, temporarily at least, the erection of any building at all.

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In this juncfture

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a committee of the the Chamber of Commerce so diplomatically handled the situ ation

as to merit the approval of the citizens, secure immediate a<5lion on the

proposition and draw from the City Council a moil complimentary vote of thanks for the opportune solution of a vexing question.

Early In 1901, ten thousand copies of a most valuable and exhaustive statistical work, covering very completely the county of Santa Barbara, was published by the Chamber.

It was a work that had long been needed, and the Steady

demand while it lasted showed the limelin ess of its publication.

The issuance of

this work was the beginning of a campaign of information concerning this delight ful sedtion, that has been zealously kept up ever since,

More than

200,000

pamphlets have been distributed to inquirers and through bureaus of information.

The far-reaching effect of this work was soon felt and for the past six years a steady tide of immigration has come this way, increasing the population of the city 1 00 per cent, doubling its wealth and vastly adding to its attradtiveness.

Second only to its promotion work has been the propaganda of improvement, urged and led by the Chamber of Commerce.

Streets, roads and trails have

been the objects of some of its most earreSl efforts and everywhere are monu ments to its Indusury of a charadter that will not perish. lightful scenic drives and trails are, either in whole or Chamber’s work.

Some of the most de part, the

result of the

Mountain fastnesses, valley vistas, wide stretches of seascape

and landscape, have been made accessible to the pleasure seeker and traveler by the sy^em of highways and trails which the Chamber has established. world-famed Mountain Drive, the unique and charming Cliff

The

Drive, the pictur

esque LaCumbre Road, the quiet Sheffield Drive, and the wonderful La Cumbre Trail with its wide network of connedling bridle paths, are some of the more striking exponents of the work of this organization.

By constant demand and stimulation the local authorities have been kept to a higher standard of efficiency in street and highway construction and this branch of the Chamber’s work is as untiring as it is needful.

Another department of the municipal economy that has felt the Chamber’s influence to a very large degree, is the park system of the city.

Indeed we may

well say that the Chamber’s influence has created that system, for it was a spe cial committee on the subjerft that obtained the City Council’s consent for the submission to the citizens of a plan for the creation of a Park Fund and the appointment of Park Commissioners.

With the carrying out of this plan com

menced the improvement of the Plaza Alameda, now one of the most beautiful spots in the city.

The additional space secured for the Plaza del Mar at the

time of the acquisition of the bath house site, has been improved and almost the entire water front east of State street, has been dedicated to park purposes.

At

the suggestion and through the efforts of the Chamber, the natural playground at Oak Park has been secured for all time. It is but fair to say, in this connection, that the persevering efforts of one of our leading citizens, Mr. Henry Tallant, contributed very largely to the success of the enterprise.

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Within the past year

SANTA BARBARA

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anolher tract of wonderful possibilities has, through the efforts of the Chamber, been secured for park purposes.

This latest acquisition is situated at the eastern

entrance to the city and will when improved be a most happy introduction to the other attractions of Santa Barbara.

In the reception and entertainment of distinguished visitors and important associations of individuals, the work of the Chamber has been of very great value to the city, inasmuch as it has led many visitors to carry with them most pleasant memories of their sojourn in Santa Barbara.

Among the objects of these atten

tions has been the highest dignitary of earth, the President of the United States, two incumbents of that office having been entertained in this city during the past six years.

Jarrell T. Richard}, Esq., President, July, 1903 to July, 1904

In times of great disaster the Chamber has been active and foremost in affording relief to the ^ricken. When the distant city of Galveston was overwhelmed by wind and flood. Sept. 8lh, 1900, nearly $1000 was forwarded by this Chamber for the sufferers from that dreadful storm. When earthquake and fire had worked their dire de^ruction on our own metropolis, April 18th last, a committee of the Chamber raised $ I 1,000 for relief within two days after the calamity and more than $ I 5,000 was subscribed in all, together with a large amount of food, clothing and other necessaries.

Funds The funds of the Chamber of Commerce are derived from the dues of the

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members (which are $6 per year), from voluntary contributions and from an appropriation by the Board of Supervisors, made in pursuance of a ^atute which authorizes it to expend not exceeding $2000 per year for the purpose of inducing immigration into the county. For the last few years this sum has been divided by the Board of Supervisors among the Chambers of Commerce in the county in the proportion of $1000 to the Santa Barbara Chamber and $500 each to Lompoc and Santa Maria.

The expenditures of the Chamber for the past five years, ending with Jnly 1st, 1906, have been $18,646.88, or an average of $3729.37 per year.

C. S. Stoddard, M. D., President. July, 1904 to July, 1905

That so much has been accomplished with this small amount of funds is striking proof of the care and competence of its Board of Dire<5lors.

Officers At the first election after incorporation Thomas D. Wood was again elected President and William Wyles secretary. At that time the by-laws pro vided for an election every six months and the President and Vice-President were elected by the Chamber at large.

At the election of January, 1900, Mr.

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Wood and Mr. Wyles were again chosen to succeed themselves, but Mr. Wood resigned before the expiration of his term and the Vice-President, Mr. C. A. Edwards was elected by the Board of Directors to fill the balance of the term.

At the July election in 1900, Mr. O. W. Maulsby, at that time postmaster of this city, was elected President with Mr. Wyles again as Secretary, who also continued to serve for a portion of the term beginning with January, 1901, when Mr, W. C. Show of the firm of Show & Hunt, was elected President. Before the end of Mr. Show’s term, Mr. Wyles resigned as Secretary and Mr. C. M. Gidney was chosen to fill the vacancy. He has continued to serve as Secretary since that time. In June, 1901, the by-laws were amended so as to provide for annual elections instead of semi-annual as theretofore and under the extended tenure, beginning July, 1901, Joseph J. Perkins, Esq., was eleded President.

During his term the by-laws were again amended so as to provide for the elec-

Howard-Canfield Building, Present Home of the Chamber

tion of fifteen diredlors, who from among their number should eled a President and Vice-President.

At the eledion in July, 1902, W. H. Aiken, Esq., was made President by the Board of Diredors then chosen. For the year beginning July, 1903, and ending luly, 1904, Jarrelt T. Richards, Esq., was the choice of the diredors for President, and for the year following, July, 1904 to July, 1905, Mr, C. S. Stoddard was honored in like manner.

Following the eledion of the Board of Diredors in 1905, Joseph J. Perkins, Esq., was again honored with an election as President, his term closing with the month in which this magazine is published.

It is with pleasure that we present the portraits of most of the gentlemen named above. The absence of those omitted is due to an excess of modesty on their part and not to any lack of effort to secure the photographs.

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Joseph J. Perkins, Esq., President, July,1901 to July, 1902 and July, 1905 to July, 1906

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28

SANTA BARBARA HISTORICAL SOCIETY OFFICERS President

Paul G. Sweetser

First Vice President ..

.. Mrs. Wilson Forbes

Second Vice President

Hugh J. Weldon Mrs. Charles Cannon

Secretary Treasurer

John Gill

Past President

Thomas J. McDermott

DIRECTORS Rev. Virgil Cordano

Dr. Edward Lamb

Hobart Skofield

Mrs. Edwin Deuter

Mrs. Leo T. McMahon

Garrett Van Horne

Mrs. W. Edwin Gledhill

Mrs. Godwin Pelissero

John Galvin*

John Jordano, Jr.

Francis Price

Thomas M. Storke*

Mrs. Henry Griffiths

Acting Museum Director

Courtenay Monsen, Curator of Education .... Editor of Noticias

HISTORICAL SOCIETY MEMBERSHIPS Classes of membership: Benefactor, $5000.00 or more; Life, $1000.00; Patron, $500.00; Fellow, $100.00; Associate, $50.00; Contributing, $25.00; Sustaining, $10.00; Active, $7.50; Student, $5.00. Dues are tax deductible.

Mailing Address: 136 East De la Guerra Street

Santa Barbara, California 93101 ●Honorary Directors

Nori'Profif Org. QUARTERLY BULLETIN OF THE SANTA BARBARA HISTORICAL SOCIETY 136 EAST DE LA GUERRA STREET SANTA BARBARA, CALIFORNIA 93101

U. S. Postage PA I D Santa Barbara, Caltf.

Permit No. 534