Harry Nelson

1
Goleta Slouth (by an amateur)

• Harry Nelson
• UCSB/Physics
• RFG
• December 12, 2005
• http//hep.ucsb.edu/people/hnn/goletaslough.html

2
Conjectured History of Slough

• -? (10,000 yr?) to 1780 or so stable
• 1780-1925 Euro Agriculture, siltation
• 1812 Earthquake land opened up in vicinity (of
  San Miguel Chapel, Fairview/Hollister) to such
  an extent that it causes horror Chumash
  withdrew to SB Mission Mescalitan Rancheria
  threatened by ocean flooding
• Legal issue 1850 at statehood where was tideland
  boundary?
• Record rains Nov. 1861-Feb 1862, heavily silt
  the slough
• 1925-present Euro urbanization
• 1942/3 filling for airport, leaving the tiny
  portion extent today

3
From SB Museum Natural History
4
Rogers 1929 Reconstruction
Prehistoric Man of the Santa Barbara Coast, 1929
5
AK Brown, 1967
The Aboriginal Population of the Santa Barbara
Channel, 1967
6
AK Brown Overlay
7
European Contact

• My survey not systematic (eg, Cabrillo, Manila
  Galleon, Vancouver, etc..)
• At least 3 written accounts from Portola
  Expedition Sunday, August 20, 1769
• Costanso (engineer) two mouths (Goleta
  Beach/Devereux) to east marshes and creeks of
  considerable extent
• Crespi (priest, two accounts!) good-sized inlet
  appearing like a sea arm, which reaches a great
  way inland IV knoll ¼ league in length, mouth
  at either end Goleta Beach mouth ½ of a
  quarter league
• Fages (soldier) one comes in sight of a long,
  bare point of land, on the eastern side of which
  a great estuary penetrates inland by two separate
  arms, which are probably about half a league
  distant from each other. This estuary runs
  close to the north side of a small hill which
  rises on a point of land and has the appearance
  of an island The estuary spreads continually
  over the level ground eastward, forming various
  swamps and ponds of considerable extent

8
1782 Map by Pantoja
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1782 Map by Pantoja
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1782 Map by Pantoja
11
Mission Era (?)

• Cattle Ranching (?)
• San Jose Creek Winery
• San Miguel Chapel ruined in 1812, probably near
  Saxpilil (Fairview/Hollister) (Buffy)

12
Diseno Maps (1840-1860) (online, cdlib)
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Diseno Maps (1840-1860)
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Diseno Maps (1840-1860)
1861/2 comes the deluge
15
1868 U.S. Coastal Survey (story about earlier
data)
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1888 County Map
17
Sexton Memoir
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Recollections about siltation
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Sextons Memory Map
20
USGS 1902
21
Aerial Photo (UCSB) - 1928
22
Aerial Photo (UCSB) - 1938
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Aerial Photo (UCSB) - 1943
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Perspectives/Conclusions

• 1954 student name for UCSB Slough U
• 1969 fight to stop 217 extension through
  remaining slough (Underground Newspapers)
• Lost Triangle Mescalitan/(Fairview/Hollister)/N
  ews Press Printing Plant slated for intense
  development
• Complete Restoration?