In this installment on El Real Presidio de Santa Bárbara, I try to encapsulate four decades of Presidio history in our community (1782-1820).
The Spanish period can be extended to five decades if the period when Alta California was first established in 1769 is included. The Spanish crisscrossed Santa Barbara during this time, and first developed El Camino Real through the region.
From some I have heard over the years that too much emphasis has been placed on this “sliver” of Santa Barbara history manifested in the Spanish colonial architecture that became a signature of the town after the 1925 earthquake, not to mention the annual Old Spanish Days celebration.