Betsy J. Green

No Fireworks for the Fourth

As you might expect, Santa Barbara had enough excitement from the earthquake on June 29, so folks wanted to take it easy for Independence Day in 1925.

"Simple Rites to Mark July 4 ... Today Santa Barbara residents will celebrate ... without noise, without display, but with a simple, reverent service in Alameda Park."

The editor of the local paper added, "We have many things to be grateful for today, but the greatest of these is the fact that we live in the grandest country in the world, in the best city, filled with a citizenship of the highest type that knows how to meet an emergency ...

Hurrah for the Fourth!

Hurrah for Santa Barbara!

Hurrah for the manner in which its citizenship has met a crisis.

Hurrah for the future!"

– Santa Barbara Morning Press, July 4, 1925

Some folks get nervous when the weather turns warm, but usually they don't say anything until after an earthquake.
"When Santa Barbara awoke this morning, the familiar feel of 'earthquake weather' was in the air, according to old-time residents." – Modesto Bee, June 29, 1925

BTW - I'll be speaking about the earthquake at the SB Architecture Foundation on June 26. Tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lecture-by-betsy-green-the-earthquake-survivors-speak-tickets-1303443066299

More info about Saturday's Great Quake event here: eq25.org

Way Back When: Odd Occurrences Before the Quake
Midwest Earthquakes?

A day before the Santa Barbara earthquake on June 29, 1925, the headline in the local paper shouted the news about a series of strong earthquakes that shook the inhabitants of Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota, and Washington State. Montana does experience frequent quakes, but still ... hmmm.
Image: Santa Barbara Morning Press, June 28, 1925

BTW - I'll be speaking about the earthquake at the SB Historical Museum on June 18, the SB Genealogy Society on June 21, and at the SB Architecture Foundation on June 26.

More info about other quake-related events here: eq25.org

Way Back When: Odd Occurrences Before the Quake
A Sign from Above?

Three days before the earth shuddered violently on June 29, 1925, there was an odd apparition in the early morning sky in Santa Barbara. Was it a sign of things to come?

"Yesterday morning ... the heavens over the city were sprayed with streamers of lights believed by many to be the aurora borealis or northern lights ... The phenomenon is said to have been visible for more than 20 minutes before beginning shortly after 5:00.
"Local scientists explained the display with the statement that a sandstorm passing over the city simultaneous with the rising of the first sun rays over the mountains produced an effect that has not been witnessed here for several years." – Santa Barbara Morning Press, June 27, 1925

I shared stories told by the survivors of Santa Barbara's big 1925 earthquake at the Santa Barbara Public Library yesterday (6-1-2025) with a large crowd of folks. This is the first of many events this month for me and other historians/experts. The 100th anniversary of the earthquake is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for all of us, eh?

Here's a little sample: "The quake was perfectly awful. The noise of things falling in my house was enough to scare one to death, without the terrible noise of the quake. The big chimney went, and upstairs a bookcase and contents fell over. The refrigerator contents were one big combination salad. Broken glass everywhere."

More about my other Quake Month talks here: https://www.betsyjgreen.com/events.htm

And other Quake Month events: eq25.org

Fast Action at the "Flying A" Studio

Dateline: May 1925

There seemed to be a lot of activity at this location at the old "Flying A" movie studio, but it wasn't movie making. "A team of six players from the Fairbanks-Pickford studios in Hollywood defeated the Montecito team seven matches to one in a game of Doug at the Flying A Studios yesterday afternoon.

"The game, evolved by Douglas Fairbanks, more for training than anything else, is a cross between tennis, volleyball and badminton, an old English game. Its purpose is to give the greatest amount of exercise in the least possible time."

The Latest Buzz in SB

Dateline: May 1925
A Hollywood movie studio was in Santa Barbara this month filming scenes for a movie called "The Keeper of the Bees." The filming, as you might expect, involved those little critters. "A unique property being used is a consignment of 60 hives of bees, with an expert apiarist in charge of them. [The director] claims the bees are trained so they will not sting the actors, and added guardedly that he hoped the man was correct. (There were no further stories about the filming, so apparently the bees bee-haved.)
[Spoiler alert – this was the last movie filmed in Santa Barbara before the June 29 earthquake.]

An Eye-Catching Headline

Dateline: May 1925

It's hard to read past an article with a headline like this: "Sea Captain Finds Bones of Monster … The skeleton of a giant prehistoric animal believed to be a mastodon has been unearthed … on San Miguel Island, according to Captain Bob Ord who yesterday brought three pieces of petrified [bones] to Santa Barbara which he asserts are only a small portion of the 12-foot tusks … He plans to remove the jawbone and teeth on his next trip to the island."

[Pygmy Mammoth remains have been found on the islands of Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, and San Miguel.]

Two months and counting to the 100th anniversary of Santa Barbara's big earthquake - June 29, 1925. There will be lots of earthquake-related events coming soon.

More info on my events page.

Thanks to the Carpinteria Arts Center for the April book festival!