Old and New Santa Barbara Panoramas
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This post wasn't really planned. I drove up to SBCC yesterday to see if the Atkinson Gallery was open, but didn't realize that it was closed for the holiday. Duh.
Unsure where to procrastinate next - and really not wanting to go back to my cave to do actual work - I walked out to the roundabout overlooking Cabrillo Street and sat down on the railing. I was surprised at how peaceful and quiet it seemed - especially on Black Friday. I could actually hear the splashing from the swimmers at Los Bano's below but not really much from the cars that were passing much closer. I could see the newly black and brown Tea Fire area above the city, and all the way up to the Mission.
Sitting there (not yet at the point of staring blankly into space), I slowly realized that I was sitting at a similar vantage point to one in an old photo of Santa Barbara given to me by a former professor of mine that I had hanging in my garage. I decided take a few pictures just in case it was the same spot (I've been carrying my camera around with me).
When I got home, uploaded the pictures, and then scanned the old photo, I could tell the vantage point was actually very similar( part of the cliff must not be there any more) though the landscape has changed dramatically. The old photograph (which looks like it was taken during a Fiesta parade) is pre-harbor; the exact date of the photo (according to a nearly illegible signature and copyright) appears to be 1908, though the boats on the horizon indicate that it may have been a wartime photo*. Another obvious 'now-and-then' contrast is the Santa Barbara Riviera - once bare - now peppered with homes (and partially bare more recently due to the Tea Fire) is especially striking.
I don't have any grand observation to share, other than a general sense of wonder at the passage of time. Sometimes it's those things that are obviously different that stand out to me. But more than not, it's the things that haven't really changed that mess with my head a little; the shape of the mountains, the behavior of the water etc..
Larger version of my photo here
Larger version of old photo here
Here is a link to the entire Flickr set
* UPDATE:
I just received a comment from Jon suggesting that perhaps the ships were part of the Great White Fleet, dispatched by Teddy Roosevelt in 1907. See below:
Jon writes:
"Mention was made in the article that the 1908 panorama photo may have been taken during war time. Given the date...1908...and given the similarity between the several warships in the photo, I was reminded of the Great White Fleet...a large armada of U.S. Navy Battleships...that was sent around the world, by President Theodore Roosevelt, commencing in 1907. Checking-out Google, I found the Great White Fleet Itinerary (www.history.navy.mil./faqs/faq42-3.htm) which states that the fleet departed Magdalena Bay, Mexico, on 11 April 1908 and arrived in San Francisco, on 6 May 1908. Thus... depending, of course, on the specific date when the photo was taken...the large warships, seen in the photo, very well could be those of the Great White Fleet sailing north to San Franciso. Perhaps, others have seen the possible connection and commented, in similar fashion.
The panoramas are spectacular and bring back grand memories of when my family and I lived, there, from 1964-1970. A very special place, indeed!! Kind Regards, jon"
Very Interesting.. I will update this post if any more information emerges. In the meantime.. Can you read this copyright? 1908 or 1909?
UPDATE # 2:
Ok. So after a little digging, it looks like the dates match up. It's not the Fiesta Parade (as I wrongly guessed), but the Sailor's Parade during the Santa Barbara Flower festival on April 28th, 1908. So Jon's suggestion that the fleet might be the Great White Fleet seems pretty spot-on at this point! Thanks Jon!
Check out this old postcard from the Festival:
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I wanted to introduce ethanseye who had the opportunity to get into the restricted Tea Fire disaster area with a press photographer early on. His video expresses a moral conflict of those who feel the urge to document disasters, and the 'grey area between exploitation and sympathy'. Ethan has just started his blog with the City2 community. Stay tuned to his blog for more thoughtful and beautiful takes on local news and events.
To see his post, click here
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All the evacuation notices have been lifted for Santa Barbara and Montecito, though there are still many road closures. Over 211 structures have been damaged or destroyed (and the number is still growing).
I was up on Mountain Drive today (to help a friend sift through the ashes of his home) and got a first-hand look at some of the damage. It's heartbreaking. There is an interesting mix of people up there; fire personnel, Cops, Landscapers, Marborg guys doing cleanup, homeowners assessing damage, and All-State agents everywhere. The general vibe seems to still be shock for the homeowners, though many of them are springing into action already, salvaging what they can, junking everything else. Pretty sad.
Looks like the Tea Fire was set accidentally by a group of around 10 students (they're calling them the 'tea-fire ten') who were apparently having a bonfire up at the Tea Gardens. I've read that 9 of the 10 were SBCC students, though of course they could have been anybody. I know very few Santa Barbaran's who haven't sneaked up there over the last 40 years.
I snapped a few shots of the burned area today which are here
Here are some aftermath pictures from Doc Searls
And in case you missed it, here are my dramatic photos from the night of the fire and a very interesting and well made citizen piece put together by Patrick Lawler and another by Ricky Montalvo.
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I was driving down from the Riviera today and saw a bunch of squad cars and a camera crew. I stopped a safe distance away, and found out that a child had just been struck. According to a woman I talked to at the scene, the car was a Toyota Prius traveling East on Pedregosa. Thankfully, the child did not suffer any serious or life- threatening injuries. The woman said that she lives in the neighborhood with her family and sees cars speeding on this street all the time (often 'bottoming-out at the base of the steep hill). It was her opinion that there should be a stop sign at the intersection to avoid close-calls, and of course, unfortunate near tragedies as was the case today.
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Looks like the Tea Fire is 40% contained as of tonight say local fire officials. This could of course change quickly as more Santa Ana's are expected within the next 24 hours. Some evacuation orders are being relaxed as some residents have been allowed to return to their homes and properties.
Here is a new partial list of homes damaged:
http://www.santabarbaraca.gov/Resident/Safety/PIO/
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After a successful effort on Friday, Direct Relief International, in conjunction with Santa Barbara County Public Health, will have free masks available to the public on Saturday between the hours of 10:30 and 2pm, at the Pavillion Arts Center at East Beach.
The easy to wear and helpful N-95 masks help to block particulate matter (ash particles) from entering the lungs, and are especially helpful to those with respiratory conditions.
More information on DRI's website, which can be found here.
See the video below for Direct Relief's Brett Williams discussing Friday's mask relief drive. Once again, my hat is off to the good and tireless folks at DRI.
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Though no exact explanation has been given. The authorities are telling people who remain north of APS to boil their water before drinking. More from KEYT3:
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