Surdam and named Nordhoff in honor of the writer Charles Nordhoff who had written a book about California titled, California for Health, Pleasure and Residence: A Book for Travelers and Settlers. The town was laid out in 1874 by San Buenaventura businessman R.G. As the president of Unocal, Bard would return in the 1890s to dig about 50 oil tunnels into Sulphur Mountain, which produced until 1998. Thomas Bard then began selling the surface rights to parcels of Rancho Ojai in late 1867. For economic reasons, falling oil prices at the end of the Civil War and cheaper imports from the east, Scott and Stanford ceased oil exploration in the valley area. Also in 1866, Leland Stanford's brother Josiah dug oil tunnels on the south side of Sulphur Mountain, producing 20 barrels a day for the Stanford Brothers refinery in San Francisco. 6 produced an oil gusher, at a depth of 550 feet, and the Ojai Field eventually produced 10-20 barrels of oil a day. In 1866, Scott's nephew Thomas Bard used a steam-powered cable-tool drilling rig on the north side of Sulphur Mountain. The petroleum exploration of the Ojai Basin was the result of a report of oil seeps (oil springs) along the Sulphur Mountain area. Scott, a Pennsylvania oil and railroad baron. The rancho changed hands several more times before it was purchased in 1864 by Thomas A. Tico sold the entire Rancho Ojai in 1853. Tico operated a cattle ranch on the land and moved his large family to an adobe in the lower valley. In 1837, Fernando Tico, a Santa Barbara businessman, received the 17,716-acre Rancho Ojai Mexican land grant, which included both the lower and upper Ojai valleys. The name Ojai is derived from the Ventureño Chumash word ʼawha'y meaning "moon." A 1905 book on place names in the United States records the name Ojai as being derived from an Indigenous word meaning "nest", though the specific Indigenous language is not identified. According to George Tinker, a Native Scholar, “The Native American population of coastal population was reduced by some 90 percent during seventy years under the sole proprietorship of Serra’s mission system.” Whether due to Spanish rule or as part of the California Genocide under the land's eventual control by the United States, by 1900, the Chumash population had declined to just 200, while current estimates of Chumash people today range from 2,000 to 5,000. ĭue to violence and imported disease, Chumash people died at devastating rates under Spanish rule. Starting in 1769, Spanish soldiers and missionaries arrived to colonize the California coast, Christianize the native population, found military presidios and relocate Chumash people from their villages into Spanish missions. Before the arrival of European settlers, at least 10,000 Chumash people lived in over 150 independent villages, speaking variations of the same language. Ojai sits on the traditional territory of the Chumash, a Native American people who inhabited the central and southern coastal regions of California, in portions of what are Morro Bay in the north to Malibu in the south and the Channel Islands. The city's self-styled nickname is " Shangri-La" referencing the natural environment of this health and spirituality-focused region as well as the mystical sanctuary of the 1937 film adaptation of James Hilton's novel Lost Horizon. The name Ojai is derived from the Mexican-era Rancho Ojai, which in turn took its name from the Ventureño Chumash word ' Awha'y, meaning "Moon". Chain stores are prohibited by city ordinance to encourage local small business development and retain the town's character. It has small businesses specializing in local and ecologically friendly art, design, and home improvement. Ojai is known for its boutique hotels, recreation opportunities, hiking, and farmers' market of local organic agriculture. The population was 7,637 at the 2020 census, up from 7,461 at the 2010 census. The valley is part of the east–west trending Western Transverse Ranges and is about 10 miles (16 km) long by 3 miles (5 km) wide and divided into a lower and an upper valley, each of similar size, surrounded by hills and mountains. Located in the Ojai Valley, it is northwest of Los Angeles and east of Santa Barbara. Ojai ( / ˈ oʊ h aɪ/ ⓘ OH-hy Chumash: ’Awhaỳ) is a city in Ventura County, California. Ojai Arcade, built in 1917 in the Spanish Colonial Revival style.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |