Category Archives: Santa Barbara

Swordfish Cave, Earliest Chumash Rock Art On California’s Central Coast

Posted on February 11, 2014 by Jack Elliott

“The people venerated the swordfish because they sometimes chased whales ashore and thus the people had a lot of meat.” —Luisa Ygnacio (c. 1835-1922) “All, whatever there is in the ocean is just like everything that is here on this … Continue reading →

Posted in Santa Barbara County | Tagged Archaeology, Chumash, History, Indians, Native Americans, Petroglyphs, Photos, Pictographs, Rock Art, Swordfish, Writing | 9 Comments

Point Conception, the Cape Horn of the Pacific

Posted on February 9, 2014 by Jack Elliott

A mural of Point Conception lighthouse painted on the exterior of a building in Lompoc, California, Santa Barbara County. An accompanying reader board describes the surrounding coastline as “the mariner’s stretch of nightmare coast known as ‘the graveyard of ships.’” … Continue reading →

Posted in Santa Barbara County | Tagged History, Illustrations, Lighthouses, Non-fiction, Ocean, Pacific, Point Conception, Richard Henry Dana Jr., Sailing, Sea, Writing | 4 Comments

8@20 WNW 286°

Posted on January 29, 2014 by Jack Elliott

A lesser set wave on Friday, January 24, 2014. As an observer it’s interesting to me, the big(ger) wave event along this stretch of coastline. I surf and I surf, and I surf, through the months or even years, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Santa Barbara County | Tagged Beach, Nature, Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Photos, Sunsets, Surf, Surfboards, Surfing, Writing | 7 Comments

Salmon Choking the Santa Ynez (1896)

Posted on January 24, 2014 by Jack Elliott

Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) (c) Timothy Knepp – U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service The following newspaper brief was published in the San Francisco Call on March 11, 1896 and testifies to the way things once were not all that long ago … Continue reading →

Posted in Santa Barbara | Tagged Fish, Fishing, History, Lompoc, Nature, Oncorhynchus mykiss, Salmon, Santa Ynez River, Steelhead, Trout, Wildlife, Writing | Leave a comment

Mussel Harvest At Low Tide: Modern Man, Ancient Practice

Posted on January 20, 2014 by Jack Elliott

It’s been 80 degrees the last few days; winter in Santa Barbara. The negative low tides of winter offer a great chance to get the kids out on the beach exploring tide pools and instill in them a curiosity and … Continue reading →