Santa Barbara in Santa Barbara County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

Old Stagecoach Route

1861 - 1901

Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, November 30, 2020

1. Old Stagecoach Route Marker

Inscription. "The first overland stage coach arrived in Santa Barbara on Monday evening, April 1, 1861, celebrated by firing of cannon, etc." Many of Santa Barbara County's own stage coach runs started from this spot which marks the location of the first Arlington Hotel, destroyed by fire in 1909.

Erected 2013 by Wells Fargo Bank, Goleta Beautiful, Goleta Historical Society, City & County of Santa Barbara, E Clampus Vitus De La Guerra y Pacheco Chapter 1.5. (Marker Number 1.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Roads & Vehicles. In addition, it is included in the E Clampus Vitus series list. A significant historical date for this entry is April 1, 1861.

Location. 34° 25.483′ N, 119° 42.388′ W. Marker is in Santa Barbara, California, in Santa Barbara County. Marker is at the intersection of State Street and Arlington Avenue, on the right when traveling south on State Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1317 State Street, Santa Barbara CA 93101, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. This Street Name Anapamu (approx. 0.2 miles away); Tympanum (approx. 0.2 miles away); President Reagan Meets Queen Elizabeth II (approx. 0.2 miles away); First Ruling Sovereign of Europe to Visit America (approx. 0.2 miles away); Jose Francisco De Ortega (approx. ¼ mile away); Santa Barbara County Courthouse (approx. ¼ mile away); a different marker also named Santa Barbara County Courthouse

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(approx. ¼ mile away); Myron Hunt (approx. ¼ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Santa Barbara.

Also see . . . Marking the route of stagecoaches (Lompoc Record, July 9, 2013). "Stagecoaches rattled over San Marcos Pass, carrying mail and passengers, from the 1860s to 1901, when the first railroad train went through between San Francisco and Los Angeles, and the stagecoaches died....Today, a series of 53 tawny, five-foot signs mark the 40-mile stagecoach route from San Barbara to Los Olivos." (Submitted on December 5, 2020.)

Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, November 30, 2020

2. Old Stagecoach Route Marker

Arlington Hotel image. Click for full size.

Carleton Watkins (courtesy of the California State Library), circa 1874

3. Arlington Hotel

Credits. This page was last revised on November 13, 2023. It was originally submitted on December 5, 2020, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. This page has been viewed 1,050 times since then and 164 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on December 5, 2020, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California.