1965 Pinto Publications Bird's-eye View of Santa Barbara, California

This is a rare and charming 1965 Herbert Harker and Pinto Publications bird's-eye view 'guide map' of Santa Barbara, California. It depicts the city at the height of its postwar population boom and infrastructural development.

A Closer Look

This view is oriented towards the northwest, with the Santa Ynez Mountains and Los Padres National Forest in the background. At right, at the foot of the mountains is the old Jesuit mission which gives the city its name. Businesses are highlighted, both visually and textually (in a directory on the verso), suggesting the involvement of the Chamber of Commerce or some other business organization in sponsoring the production of this view.

Illustrations connect the history and present of the city. Native Americans and Conquistadores sit on either side of the title cartouche, while a bikini-clad diver jumps into the municipal pool just to their right. An old-style ship, presumably Spanish, sails in the foreground. The Southern Pacific Railroad Station in the foreground (now used by Amtrak), like many S.P.R.R. stations, is a distinctive structure built in the Spanish Mission Revival Style popular in the early 20th century. The route of the historic El Camino Real, concurrent with Highway 101 in Central California, sweeps across the front of the view.

Like most California cities, Santa Barbara changed rapidly due to a postwar population boom (the city's population doubled between 1940 and 1970). Infrastructure development, including the 101 Highway, shifted economic focus to amenities and services, away from an earlier emphasis on facilitating production, especially in the oil industry. Three years after this map's publication, a massive oil spill off the coast of Santa Barbara further damaged the oil industry in California and was a catalyst for major environmental regulations at both the state and federal level.

Publication History and Census

This view was drawn by Herbert Harker in 1965 and printed by Pinto Publications. It is not known to exist in any institutional holdings and is scarce to the market.