Those who lived in Santa Barbara during the last century depended on the News-Press to keep them informed about the latest developments. Some days the news was ho-hum. Other days, it was monumental.
Fires sweeping down from the canyons or engulfing the wharf. Disastrous floods. The World War II shelling of an oil field near Goleta by a Japanese submarine. A riot by Vietnam War-era protesters and the burning of the Bank of America branch in Isla Vista.
For every historic event that left a mark on Santa Barbara, the news outlet was there to document it.
Here is a timeline of how the News-Press covered a few of the biggest events in the city’s history:
April 14, 1921: After the massive Ambassador Hotel was destroyed by fire, “there seems to be little doubt” the hotel would be rebuilt “fireproof and modern.”
Sept. 10, 1923: Seven Navy destroyers lost their way on a cruise down the coast and were torn apart on the rocks off La Honda. It would become known as the Honda Point Disaster. Four stories dominated the front page and included the names of 21 missing sailors and the heroic actions of local fishermen who pulled the shipwrecked men to safety.
June 29, 1925: “Earthquake Spreads Death, Injured Fill Hospitals,” the banner headline blared. The quake left the city’s stunning mission-style buildings in ruins. A hopeful note on the most prominent story on the disaster stated: “The material damage to the city is heavy, but the men who built the city are still here determined to begin at once the work of reconstruction.”
July 26, 1928: Long before the city’s relationship with the oil industry soured, the Daily News – which eventually merged with the Morning Press to form the News-Press – reported that a “4,300 Barrel Oil Gusher” had been discovered at Goleta, 12 miles west of Santa Barbara. In the story, the newspaper did some gushing of its own: “The oil is a quality never before found in California.”
Feb. 24, 1942: Two months after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Santa Barbara was the site of an event that sent chills across America. A Japanese submarine, “with diabolical cunning and boldness,” surfaced and fired about a dozen shells into the Ellwood Oil Field. Mayor Patrick Maher praised civil defense efforts, saying: “We have proved that any enemy attempt to disrupt morale here is doomed to failure.”
April 13, 1958: After five years of “unspectacular performance,” Lake Cachuma filled to the brim. In a moment celebrated with wailing sirens and shotgun blasts, water began spilling over the top of the 3,250-acre lake’s four floodgates.
Sept. 22, 1964: The 2,000-acre Mountain Drive brush fire destroyed at least 15 homes and “came within yards” of Westmont College. More than 1,000 firefighters were on the fire’s front lines, joined by a pair of World War II-era B-17 bombers repurposed as air tankers.
Want to see more headlines?
The Santa Barbara Public Library has two books from the News-Press of famous front pages. One is titled “Headlines: A History of Santa Barbara, 1855-1982,” from the News-Press itself. The other is “From the Pages of our Past: 100 Front Pages from our Century.”
Jan. 27, 1969: A “storm of the century” resulted in massive flooding. Helicopters scooped about 120 marooned residents in the Santa Ynez Valley to safety.
Jan. 29, 1969: Oil gushed from a Union Oil offshore platform “so new it is yet to produce its first barrel.” The oil came up at a rate of 5,000 barrels a day. A News-Press reporter aboard a Union Oil boat said detergents were being spread to break up slicks, yet there was “a sea of deep brown oil surrounding the platform.”
Feb. 5, 1969: “The muck is ashore on Santa Barbara’s beaches. Thick,” the lead story declared. Making matters worse, oil and natural gas continued to boil up from the ocean floor.
Feb. 26, 1970: Nearly 300 police officers swept through Isla Vista to quell hours of rioting. The Bank of America branch was burned. Rioters, inflamed by a UC Santa Barbara speech by an attorney defending the Chicago 7, shouted, “Power to the people,” and “Right on” as protesters swept through the streets. “Isla Vista has the appearance of a city involved in all-out street warfare,” News-Press photographer Bob Ponce was quoted in the top story.
Feb. 18, 1973: Housing prices across Santa Barbara County were rising at an “alarming rate.” Figures for January 1973 showed the average price of a home had risen to $38,854, compared to $37,000 in the same month a year earlier. Near Santa Barbara High School, one home saw its value skyrocket to $70,000, up from $50,000 the year before.
Jan. 16, 1976: The Santa Barbara Biltmore Hotel is sold to Marriott for $5.5 million. The 181-room hotel on 21 acres was built in 1921.
July 27, 1977: An arson suspect was arrested in connection with the Sycamore Canyon Fire, which damaged or destroyed more than 250 homes. It was a “savage, swift” blaze brought under control with the help of “several quick bullseye drops of retardant by helicopters.”
Aug. 14, 1978: The strongest earthquake in 25 years rattled Santa Barbara. Registering a magnitude 5.1 on the Richter scale, the temblor “was the kind of quake that scared the daylights out of most persons,” the News-Press wrote in its lead story. Some 68 people sought treatment at local hospitals, though no deaths or serious injuries were reported.
June 28, 1990: Yet another wildfire claimed at least 280 homes and businesses, mostly in San Antonio Creek, Old San Marcos Road and Hope Ranch. “The sun was blood-red from the smoke,” according to one of the News-Press’ stories.
Nov. 19, 1998: Just as it had 25 years earlier, the historic Stearns Wharf caught fire, “destroying two restaurants and lighting up the waterfront sky.” Sixty firefighters were joined by Coast Guard and harbor patrol vessels in a battle against the flames. They were hindered, however, by the flammable creosote coatings that had been applied to the wharf’s pilings.