Prisoner's Harbor Plantings and Fields

Historic Cañada del Puerto, circa 1900-1920

Santa Barbara Historical Museum

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Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits

During the Caire era, the area at the mouth of the Cañada del Puerto was landscaped with grasses and trees planted in rows. Workers straightened the creek with the aid of stone retaining walls, diminishing the lagoon that had formed at the mouth of the drainage. Laborers planted more eucalyptus trees in a row behind the warehouse and sheep pens and stone pines near the foot of the pier. The rugged but picturesque Prisoners Harbor was molded into a welcoming scene for guests and workers. In some old photographs the site appears as a park with its large areas of green open space, trees growing in well-chosen places, and the stately Mediterranean residence with its carefully tended rose garden.

The low ridge directly to the east of the harbor, reached by a trail that continued to the east end, had adequate land for cultivation. At least three grain fields which marched up the hill in a southerly direction and were named, in order: Campo Primero, Campo Segundo and Campo Tercero (first, second, third).