Santa Barbara City Map Poster

About Santa Barbara

Evidence of human habitation of the area begins at least 13,000 years ago. The Chumash people lived on the south coast of Santa Barbara County at the mouth of the Santa Ynez River and along coastal areas for thousands of years. They had unique plank-built boats, called Tomol (Tomols were integral to their fishing lifestyle), which they used in ocean fishing and trade with other Native American tribes along California's coast.[15] In 1769, Spanish maritime explorer Sebastián Vizcaíno gave the name "Santa Barbara" to a small island near channel Islands Harbor ("Isla de la Goleta").[16][17] However, maps as far back as 1695 show that another Spanish explorer Alonso de Salazar was given credit for discovering what is now known as Cabrillo Island,[18][19] which he charted under its present name in 1602.