bjgreen
Photo: A Haynes-Apperson of 1903 (Wikimedia)
By Betsy J. Green
A lengthy article in the local paper 100 years ago this month looked back at the first automobile in Santa Barbara, way back when in 1904.
“Frank Conant was the pilot and proud possessor of this vehicle, one of the first gasoline-propelled equipages to make its appearance with the, then, peaceful environs of Santa Barbara.”
The Conant car caused quite a stir here. “To stop it in front of a store to market, was a signal for the entire staff of employees to rush for the curb and offer their services, in order that they might give the device the ‘once over.’”
The Conant car caused quite a stir here. “To stop it in front of a store to market, was a signal for the entire staff of employees to rush for the curb and offer their services, in order that they might give the device the ‘once over.’”
However, the paper noted that there had been an earlier horseless carriage here. “A two-cylinder Haynes-Apperson, owned by one Captain Huescamp of Montecito.”
Betsy’s Way Back When book — 1918 — is now available in local bookstores and at Amazon.com. This is the fifth book in her series of the history of Santa Barbara, one year at a time. Learn more at
