Betsy J. Green

The Great Wall of the Mesa

As you drive down Cliff Drive between Santa Barbara City College and Castillo Street, you pass by the loooong stone wall on the right-hand side. You might have noticed a small plaque on the wall about midway down. Here's the plaque (see photo). The WPA was a federal agency that provided jobs to many unemployed people during the Great Depression.

Some of the stones in the wall are remnants of "Punta del Castillo," the mansion built by the Dibblee family that was located where City College is today.