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Santa Paula, a Southern California town located in Ventura County about fifteen miles from the Pacific Ocean has a rich and fascinating history. People have lived in the area for over 10,000 years, from the villages of the Chumash, a Native American tribe that first settled the area to today’s modern city.

The Chumash arrived in the area about 10,000 years ago and lived in villages ranging from Morro Bay in the north to Malibu in the south as well as on three of the Channel Islands off the shore of Santa Barbara. Due to the abundance of natural resources in the area, the Chumash were probably the most successful Native American tribe in California. Many of the local landmarks still retain Chumash names, such as the nearby city of Piru and Mupu School.

Juan Cabrillo, a Spanish explorer was the first European to encounter the Chumash tribes during his exploration of the California coast in 1542. It wasn’t until centuries later that Spanish expeditions and settlers began arriving in the region in large numbers. In 1769, Spanish settlers arrived at the site of what would eventually become Santa Paula. They found the Chumash villages of Mupu and Srswa. The nearby Ventura Mission was founded soon after in 1782 by Father Junipero Serra. During this period the Chumash tribes experienced a steep decline in population during this time as new diseases were introduced and their historical way of life was disrupted by the Mission system and Spanish rule.

As the Spanish and Mexican colonization of Southern California continued, Santa Paula and the surrounding area was eventually divided up into various land grants. Rancho Santa Paula y Saticoy was a 17,773 acre grant that was given to Manuel Jimeno Casarin in 1843 by the Mexican governor of California. Throughout the 1850’s the rancho changed hands a number of times, eventually being purchased in 1862 by George G. Briggs. Five years after purchasing the land, Briggs divided the land up in 150 acre parcels and began selling it to farmers. (more…)