Santa Barbara's Royal Presidio: The Rise, Fall, and Rebirth of Spain's Last Adobe Fortress

Unique in California history—and beloved by visitors and residents alike—the city of Santa Barbara boasts three great historical properties: the Mission, the Courthouse, and the Presidio. Least known is the Presidio. This book fills this vacuum, beginning with the story of its adobe construction between 1784 and 1790. This itself was preceded by the construction of three other Spanish forts: Monterey (1770), San Diego (1773), and San Francisco (1776). All four Presidios helped secure the Spanish settlement of Alta or Upper California, as the mixed-racial soldiers and their families became the first Spanish settlers of the region. The Santa Barbara Presidio was the last Spanish fort founded and built not only in California, but in all of Spanish North America, an area that, in its day, covered much of the southern portion of the modern United States from Florida to California. This book celebrates the Santa Barbara Presidio’s place in not only American history but also that of Spain, and honors the community that came together to ensure its preservation and faithful reconstruction.

Jarrell Jackman holds a Ph.D. in American Cultural History from the University of California, Santa, Barbara. He was employed by the Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation for 35 years, where he served as Project Administrator and then CEO. His many honors include recognition by California State Parks, the California State Parks Rangers Association, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. For his work on the Santa Barbara Presidio, he was knighted a commander in the Royal Order of Isabel la Catolica by King Felipe VI of Spain.