AUTOMOBILE ACCESS TO THE SAN FERNANDO VALLEY IN THE 1920S

CHERISHING OUR VALLEY          2013

For those who are inventing new curse words while trying to get into the San Fernando Valley after a hard day's work, access to the region can (and, has long been) a real adventure. Only a few transportation arteries are available in the 21st century. Can you image what it was like in the early decades of the 20th century?

Here are three romantic images of Highways 5 and 101 from early days of automobiles in California.  Can you imagine what these roads were like in the eras of horses and buggies?

Vintage postcard of the Ridge Route c. 1920 - Gift to The Museum of the San Fernandno Valley from Gary Fredburg 2013. (click on images to enlarge them.)  "The climb to Swede's Cut, 'Ridge Route'. Los Angeles to Bakersfield, California."

Modern vehicles, unless they are facing snow or high winds, have little difficulty climbing over the "Grape Vine". Imagine however, what these roads were like 90 years ago?  Think about the conditions the "arkies" and "oakies" faced when they fled the Dust Bowl into California in old and over loaded cars? The conditions described in John Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath were real for the ancestors of many modern Valley residents.

The Ridge Route - vintage postcard -  Gift to The Museum of the San Fernandno Valley from Gary Fredburg 2013. Interstate Highway 5 now serves this area.

Pacific Coast Highway at the "Rincon" - Gift to The Museum of the San Fernandno Valley from Gary Fredburg 2013. Interstate Highway 101  now serves this area. 

Between Santa Barbara and Ventura, Highway 101 this area still called today "the Rincon" (Spanish for corner), the area was once the site of a major Chumash Indian village. In the 1920s this major access road to the San Fernando Valley was an unpredictable experience.

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SANTA BARBARA

CHERISHING OUR VALLEY             2012

One of the most beloved saints venerated by San Fernando Valley residents from the Spanish and Mission era to modern times is Saint Barbara. Images of Santa Barbara can be readily identified by her stance on a rook / castle tower, the palm leaf of martyrdom, and on occasion the sword used by her father to behead her.

Santa Barbara is the patron saint of canon makers. In this statue in the Mission Santa Barbara, she holds a relic wand.

St. BARBARA'S RELICS IN SANTA BARBARA

Relics and mosaic of the martyr Saint Barbara - St. Barbara's Orthodox Church in Santa Barbara, California. Photo by Gerald Fecht for the Archives of The Museum of the San Fernando Valley August 2009. (click on images to enlarge)
The relics of St. Barbara are kept in the enameled jewel box at the base of her mosaic icon.

Mosaic icon of the Virgin Mary and Jesus in the sanctuary of St. Barbara's Orthodox Church in Santa Barbara, California. Photo by Gerald Fecht for the Archives of The Museum of the San Fernando Valley August 2009.
An angel, similar to the one at the left of Jesus and His Mother, graces the right side of the mosaic.

Jesus Christ the Pancreator - detail from the interior dome of St. Barbara's Orthodox Church in Santa Barbara, California. Photo by Gerald Fecht for the Archives of The Museum of the San Fernando Valley August 2009.
The image of Jesus as the Pancreator is meant to convey His Divine authority and power. At Saint Barbara's Jesus is surrounded by smaller icons of the Apostles, Prophets and Saints on a white background. My choice here was to emphasize the mosaic of Jesus with a black border.

Silver encrusted icon of the martyr Saint Barbara at the entrance of St. Barbara's Orthodox Church in Santa Barbara, California. Photo by Gerald Fecht for the Archives of The Museum of the San Fernando Valley August 2009.
It is customary for Orthodox faithful to kiss the dedication icons at the entrance of their churches. Here, the image of Saint Barbara is depicted in her heavenly glory, surrounded by silver. Saint Barbara was killed by her own family members for her commitment to the Christian religion. The City of Santa Barbara was dedicated to her by Roman Catholic missionaries of the Order of Friars Minor (the Franciscans). In Catholic iconography she is depicted with a tower (like the rook in a chess set) and cannons. She was martyred by being hurled from a tower, and is the patron saint of cannon makers.

When I taught Humanities at Moorpark College, I would show my students a series of images (such as these icons and mosaics from St. Barbara's Greek Orthodox Church in Santa Barbara) and get them to talk about far off places they might like to visit. When I revealed that what they had seen was within an hour's drive of Thousand Oaks, many were amazed.
When it gets really hot in Tarzana, our adventure group arranges to explore Southern California's coastal communities. This week we drove to Santa Barbara. At the suggestion of Jerry McAlevey we included a stop at the absolutely beautiful church of Saint Barbara the Martyr.
In my opinion, these images are every bit as beautiful as those in far off Europe. What do you think?
Jerry Fecht