Tag Archives: History

Fight With a Condor: Experience of a Forest Ranger in Santa Barbara County (1902)

Posted on December 30, 2014 by Jack Elliott

Although the forest ranger mentioned in the newspaper article below is Joseph Montgomery, I wonder if it may actually have been a brief about Josiah T. Montgomery, for whom Montgomery Potrero atop the Sierra Madre Mountains is named. I do … Continue reading →

Posted in Santa Barbara County | Tagged Condors, History, Los Padres National Forest, Nature, Newspapers, Santa Barbara, Sisquoc, Vultures, Wildlife | 1 Comment

Chumash Indian Mortars and the Puzzle of the Midden

Posted on December 3, 2014 by Jack Elliott

We had set out to go spearfishing, but a south wind and a west swell combined to ruin conditions. We drove up the mountain from the beach and hiked down into the canyon, the creek within which drains into the … Continue reading →

Posted in Ventura County | Tagged Archaeology, Chumash, Creeks, Hiking, History, Indians, Midden, Mortars, Mussels, Native Americans, Writing | 13 Comments

Alligator Pears First Successfully Introduced To USA In Santa Barbara

Posted on August 4, 2014 by Jack Elliott

Morning dew on an avocado leaf in my small backyard orchard. “. . .the avocado became definitely established [in California] through the introduction of three trees from Mexico in 1871 by Judge R. B. Ord of Santa Barbara. Two of … Continue reading →

Posted in Santa Barbara | Tagged Alligator Pear, Avocados, Farming, Food, History, Horticulture | Leave a comment

Eddy Fields’ Initials, Manzana Creek (Circa 1900)

Posted on July 22, 2014 by Jack Elliott

Blue skies and golden grass along lower Manzana Creek Trail at the Pratt homestead site. “The Pratts homesteaded just below Cold Spring on Manzana Creek. They had a stepson by the name of Eddy Fields. At the site of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Santa Barbara County | Tagged Backpacking, Eddy Fields, Hiking, History, Manzana Creek, Nature, Photos, Pratt Homestead, San Rafael Wilderness, Sisquoc Pioneers | 1 Comment

Native American Rock Art (Kern County)

Posted on April 17, 2014 by Jack Elliott

This rock art panel painted on granite sits in a shallow canyon along the foothills of a mountain range on the edge of California’s Mojave Desert. More art adorns the underside of a natural shelter formed by the boulders, but … Continue reading →