bjgreen
Way Back When in 1925 – A Quake-Proof Home
The buildings in Santa Barbara destroyed by the earthquake in June 1925 made headlines all over the world, but plenty of homes and buildings survived with little or no damage. One was a home that had just been completed the…
Way Back When in 1925 – Charlie Chaplin in SB
In November 1925, the local paper reported, “Charlie Chaplin ... spent several hours in Santa Barbara yesterday. Mr. Chaplin expressed amazement at the rapidity with which the reconstruction of the city has been conducted. He is on a pleasure trip,…
Way Back When in 1925 – Baseball Party on State Street
The World Series this year was between Pittsburgh and Washington, and everyone on State Street could listen in. The local paper reported, “A huge radio set will be installed on the roof” of a building there “and every detail of…
Way Back When in 1925 – Doug & Mary Pitch In
The local paper reported in October 1925 that the mega movie star couple Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford contributed $5,000 to the Santa Barbara Relief Fund. (This would be worth more than $90,000 in today’s dollars.) More about my books…
Way Back When in 1925 – “Earthquakers?” Why Not?
The new nickname for the Santa Barbara High School football team in October 1925 was “The Earthquakers.” (Apparently, the name was only temporary.) More about my books here: betsyjgreen.com Youtube channel: Betsy J Green
Way Back When in 1925 – A Luxury Hotel on the Mesa?
A $3.5-million Biltmore Hotel with 400 rooms was planned for Leadbetter Point in October 1925 – about where Shoreline Park and Santa Barbara City College are today. The local paper wrote: “For years, Santa Barbara has dreamed of a great,…
Way Back When in 1925 – Who Owns the Air?
Santa Barbara pilot Dave Mathews was arrested for flying his plane over the fairgrounds in Ventura during a horse race without permission. Actually, that was not an accurate description of the complaint. He didn’t just do a fly-over, he flew…
Way Back When in 1925: Bye Bye Horses!
“Santa Barbara is now completely modernized. No more will the tramp of horses’ feet resound within the city barns at Santa Barbara and Ortega streets , no more will drivers pat their faithful charges before hitching up of mornings to…