Betsy J. Green

A Fight with a Devilfish

Dateline: December 1924

"A two-hour fight on the open sea off Santa Cruz Island with a monster devilfish resulted in victory for three Long Beach men Saturday afternoon." The fish measured more than 17 feet and was caught with a hook and line in 90 feet of water.

When first snagged, the large fish almost pulled the fisherman overboard, but two companions came to his rescue. They struggled for two hours before finally pulling it aboard. "The devilfish is one of the largest ever taken in southern California waters, and the only one captured in the Santa Barbara Channel for many years, according to fishermen."

(There had been another of these monstrous fishes that was caught at Stearns Wharf back in 1915.)

The Last Laugh

Each month in my Way Back When – Santa Barbara in 1924 book, I end the month with a 100-year-old cartoon from Life magazine. Here's a cartoon that predicts what we would be eating in the future at Thanksgiving. 

(Thank goodness they were wrong!)

Thanksgiving Dinner at the Carrillo Hotel

While many SB families enjoyed a holiday dinner at home, there were a number of local eateries that offered traditional fare. The Carrillo Hotel promised a "Bountiful Holiday Dinner" – turkey with cranberry sauce, soup, salad, and pumpkin pie. All for $1.50.

A New Hotel in SB for Women Only

Margaret Baylor, a social worker from Cincinnati, had been the driving force in creating the Carrillo Recreation Center. She had also been pushing for a hotel for young working women in the city here. Although Baylor had passed away earlier in 1924, her dream of a hotel for women was finally taking shape in November.
It was decided to name the hotel the Margaret Baylor Inn. The organizers noted that she "understood the lack of congenial association and the lonely, uninteresting leisure hours of young women and girls living away from home. We all remember Miss Baylor's self-sacrificing life, and if for no other reason, we would want to build this Inn as a monument to her memory."

(Spoiler alert – the inn was built in 1927, and is still here at 924 Anacapa St., although it is now named "The Julia" in honor of its architect – Julia Morgan.)

The Zoo in Montecito

In November 1924, a writer from the local paper paid a visit to the Feather Hill Poultry Ranch in Montecito. "Housed snugly in a vacant chicken house were . . . Tango and One-Step, black bear cubs . . . In an adjoining yard, Jack and Susie, full-grown ostriches with their son Rudy, ruled over a mixed flock of peacocks, turkeys, and guinea hens.

"Scattered about the ranch were hundreds of other rare specimens of birds and wild animals." They included a coyote, badger, wildcat, New Guinea Crown Pigeon, a pheasant. In addition to the zoo animals, there were thousands of egg-laying chickens on this 59-acre ranch.

A Pearl Hunt in Goleta

Dateline: October 1920
When the "Flying A" was nearing the end of its days, the studio filmed scenes for a movie in Goleta, California. The story called The Blue Moon was set in the Wabash flats of Indiana, but the studio decided that they could film closer to home.

"A night scene of a pearl hunt on the river, when the 'blue moon' – a pearl that looks 'like a full moon in a cold sky' – was found . . . Some of the river scenes were filmed on a portion of Goleta Slough, a tidewater inlet from the Pacific Ocean . . . The opening scenes take place on a picturesque houseboat built especially for this picture." – Exhibitors Herald, October 16, 1920

Dead Whale Tales

Dateline: October 1917

There was a total of 10 articles about the moribund sea mammal on the beach at Serena (between Summerland and Carpinteria).

"Dead Whale at Serena," was the title of the first article on October 9.

"The monster … was towed out to sea, strapped with sand and bags to sink it, but the buoyancy of the carcass carried the sandbags ashore. Then, like the famed cat, … it came back, washing up on the beach at Serena … Quite a number of people, however, holding their noses, bravely essayed a trip to the scene to view the uninvited guest."

It even made the pages of the "Los Angeles Times," which stated that the carcass measured 72 feet.

Babe Ruth plays here

Dateline: October 1924
You don't have to be a rabid baseball fan to recognize the name Babe Ruth, one of the most famous hitters in history. Well, the Babe himself was here to play an exhibition game in Santa Barbara's Pershing Park.

The Santa Barbara Superintendent of Schools allowed students in city schools to leave school early in order to watch the Big Bambino and his Santa Barbara All-Stars play a game here with the Ventura Elks. Babe and his team won – 10 to 3.

A boar hunt

Dateline: October 1917
A group from Universal Studios was filming a mermaid movie on Santa Cruz Island when they ran out of food. (The island did not have any restaurants, or much else for that matter.) So, the director had to get creative.

"How to feed 75 persons with no food available was the problem that recently confronted Allen Holubar, while directing the six-act Jewel super feature, Sirens of the Sea . . . two wild boars . . . were brought to headquarters. The meat was barbecued and lasted until the following morning when the supply boat showed." – Santa Barbara Morning Press, October 7, 1917

They're Baaack!

Dateline: September 1924

Back in March 1924, Santa Barbara pilot Capt. Lowell Smith joined a group of U.S. pilots who were trying to be the first group of pilots to fly around the world. Finally, after close to six months, the record-breaking group landed in Santa Monica completing the first-ever round-the-world journey. The leading plane was piloted by Santa Barbara's Lieut. Lowell Smith. "The 'greatest reception any place in the world' greeted the fliers . . . There were more than 100,000 on the field to roar a welcome to the fliers."

Although the city fathers in Santa Barbara had hoped that he would make a stopover on the new municipal airfield here, he was only able to attempt a flyover. But, in the end, even that was cancelled because of fog. – Santa Barbara Morning Press, Sep 24, 1924