City History

As a mission city, Ventura is one of the oldest cities in California. Prior to the mission period, Ventura was part of the territory of the Chumash people. Many of the Chumash names for the area are still in use today: Saticoy, Sespe, and Simi are all Chumash words

Then, in 1782, the Father Junípero Serra founded his eighth mission, Mission San Buenaventura marking the official founding of San Buenaventura. We were named after Saint Bonaventure (née Giovanni di Fidanza), a Franciscan leader and philosopher. While the acts of the Padres during the mission period are controversial, to say the least, the little mission near the banks of the Ventura River created the permanent community that we know today. El Camino Real still connects the California coast to this day.

The Franciscans soon ceded the area to the Spanish, and the Californios began to rule Alta California. However, at times this hold was tenuous at best, especially in the inland sections. Santa Barbara had the only garrison of troops between Monterey and San Diego. (It's unknown whether Zorro was in Ventura, though.) This era was followed by the Mexican Revolution, and Mexican rule. During this time, immigrants from the United States began arriving in California. Between the Mexican-American War and some rabble-rousing by John C. Frémont, California declared its independence as the Bear Flag Republic. We soon became a part of the United States.

For the most part, local land grants held up in court. Rancho Ex-Mission San Buenaventura, a division of the Mission lands, was granted to José Arnaz by Governor Pio Pico, who then sold the land to M. A. R. Poli. Poli and the San Buenaventura Manufacturing and Mining Company who bought the land, ended up bankrupt. Rancho Cañada San Miguelito to the north and west of Ventura was owned by J.F. Rodriguez and others, who used the land to herd sheep. Rancho Cañada Larga o Verde was owned by J. Alvarado and home to farms and orchards. Rancho San Miguel was owned by Raymundo Olivas, with a significant portion sold to Dixie Thompson's farm.

The name Ventura only came about by a petition to change the name with the Postmaster General of the U.S., as new English weren't used to the Spanish name. This was also to prevent confusion with San Bernadino, which got some of Ventura's mail for beginning with "San B".

In 1872, the Ventura Pier was built. At that time, the primary access to Ventura was by boat, keeping the area smaller than nearby Los Angeles. Thomas Bard is one of the major patrons of Ventura, and is one of the founders of the Union Oil Company (Unocal 76). Oil joined agriculture as a major resource in Ventura, so soon a major highway was built linking Ventura to Santa Barbara and Los Angeles.

By 1925, Ventura College began holding classes at the site of Cabrillo Middle School.

Not really city history, but a cool aside. Despite claims of Texans, California has had six flags too: U.S., Bear Flag Republic, Mexico, Spain, Great Britain (New Albion), and Russia (Fort Ross). The only Six Flags we have now are over at Magic Mountain, though.

• 1891 account of Ventura, Ventura County
  

• Ventura, California