Betsy J. Green

Hollywood Returns to SB

One of the first movies to be filmed in our area after the June 1925 earthquake was filmed out near San Miguel Island. Richardson Rock, a rocky islet near San Miguel, was used by the Fox studio for scenes in a silent movie called The Ancient Mariner. The filming there took 10 days.

Clara Bow and Earle Williams had the leading roles. The movie takes place in the present day but includes a dream sequence from Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.

Post-Quake Fiesta
There was a Fiesta celebration after the June 1925 quake, but it was reduced from a week to two days. However, there was plenty of the usual excitement. The first night, there was music, songs, and dancing in Santa Barbara High School's newly built Peabody Stadium. The horse parade was held at the stadium as well.
"Flashing smiles and flashing searchlights, clinking heels and clinking stirrups, soft music and soft voices – and all Santa Barbara there to see it ... the spirit of Old Spain in Santa Barbara … Forgotten for a night were the masses of crumbling ruins on Estado [State Street], forgotten five weeks of strain and trouble; only the laughter and gaiety of 'A Night in Spain' were remembered." – Santa Barbara Morning Press, August 15, 1925

Way Back When: Outdoor Movies on State Street
In addition to dealing with the damage and debris from the June 29, 1925 earthquake, the city of Santa Barbara organized an open-air movie theater to help people relax. "In response to hundreds of requests for some sort of amusement during the present hectic period, an open-air theatre will be opened immediately at State and Arrellaga streets ...
"The 'airdome' will have a seating capacity of more than 1,000 people ... with a full-sized stage capable of handling vaudeville and legitimate attractions. Motion picture equipment will also be included as soon as electric power can be secured." – Santa Barbara Morning Press, July 10, 1925)
Aerial photos of the earthquake damage were also exhibited at this theater! Outdoor movies and vaudeville acts were also shown at Santa Barbara High School's Peabody Stadium.

Way Back When: Hitting the Books

The Santa Barbara Public Library was badly damaged during the June 29 earthquake in 1925, but just a few weeks later, the let's-get-this-done head librarian Frances Linn was getting ready to open a temporary library in a high-end stable on the corner of Sola and Chapala streets. Books could be returned, and some were available to check out.

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."