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Honda, California

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Coordinates: 34°36′56″N 120°38′01″W / 34.61556°N 120.63361°W / 34.61556; -120.63361
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Honda, California
Unincorporated community
Detail of Guadalupe quadrangle, 2015
Detail of Guadalupe quadrangle, 2015
Honda, California is located in California
Honda, California
Honda, California
Coordinates: 34°36′56″N 120°38′01″W / 34.61556°N 120.63361°W / 34.61556; -120.63361
CountryUnited States
StateCalifornia
CountySanta Barbara
Elevation
92 ft (28 m)
Time zoneUTC-8 (Pacific (PST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-7 (PDT)
Area code(s)805 & 820
GNIS feature ID1660767[1]

Honda was a remote and sparsely populated rural district in the vicinity of Cañada Honda Creek in Santa Barbara County, California, United States.[2] The area produced sweet peas[3] and beans,[4] and supported dairy farms.[5] A newspaper account of 1947 stated, "The Jesus Maria rancho, Packard rancho, Bear Creek ranch, Honda section, and a large area in the lower [Lompoc] valley once yielded great crops of cattle and produce and furnished a livelihood for many families."[6] The area is now part of Vandenberg Space Force Base.[7]

History

The main feature of the area, other than the creek, was a Southern Pacific rail stop that opened in 1898.[2][8] The station, located between Arlight and Surf,[8] was built on land that was part of the "old Steele place now owned by H. Dutard."[9] Honda station was the site of a 1907 train wreck that killed 32 people.[10] The victims were primarily Shriners coming from a conference.[11]

Due to a sharp turn in the coastline, and sharp rocks and reef formations underwater, the spot was risky for ships when the coastal landmarks and/or lighthouses of Point Arguello, Point Sal, and Point Sur were obscured by darkness and foggy, low-visibility conditions.[12] Honda was the site of several shipwrecks including 1923 Honda Point disaster that destroyed seven U.S. Navy ships off the coast, just north of Point Arguello.[13] Locals pulled up railroad ties from Honda station and lit them on fire with kerosene to provide illumination for the nighttime rescue of the shipwrecked sailors.[14] The steamer Santa Rosa ran aground at the mouth of Honda Creek in 1911; four crewmembers were killed.[12] The steamer Harvard ran aground "directly opposite Honda station" in 1931.[15]

A seawall was also built along the Honda coastline in 1906 but there was little evidence of it left 30 years later.[16] In 1926 Honda was the site of a rock-crushing operation that was providing road-construction materials to the county.[17] A new schoolhouse was built for the Honda district in 1933.[18] There are no buildings or people left at Honda today, only a "long passing track" north of the arroyo.[8]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Honda". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  2. ^ a b "Scene of Wreck a Sandy Waste". The Weekly Press. May 16, 1907. p. 2. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
  3. ^ "The sweet pea industry". The Lompoc Record. March 13, 1914. p. 2. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
  4. ^ "Truck Wrecked When Brakes Failed to Hold". The Lompoc Record. December 7, 1923. p. 1. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
  5. ^ "Reports from the dairies". The Lompoc Record. February 21, 1913. p. 5. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
  6. ^ "Lompoc was founded..." The Lompoc Record. January 2, 1947. p. 7. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
  7. ^ Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) Program: Environmental Impact Statement. 1998. figure 3.3-3.
  8. ^ a b c "Santa Barbara County Railroads: A Centennial History". issuu. June 30, 1987. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
  9. ^ "Mr. I K Fisher". The Morning Press. February 4, 1896. p. 3. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
  10. ^ Staff, Indy (July 2, 2013). "1907 Train Wreck". The Santa Barbara Independent. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
  11. ^ "Train Wrecked". The Santa Maria Times. May 18, 1907. p. 1. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
  12. ^ a b Staff, Indy (December 7, 2006). "Q:'What is the story of the wreck of the Santa Rosa?'". The Santa Barbara Independent. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
  13. ^ "New Road to Open Up Coast Region". Santa Barbara News-Press. July 24, 1926. p. 11. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
  14. ^ "The Lompocans..." The Lompoc Record. August 4, 1949. p. 10. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
  15. ^ "Harvard Rests Easily Close to Beach". The Morning Press. May 31, 1931. p. 1. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
  16. ^ "Project at Surf". Santa Barbara News-Press. June 26, 1939. p. 7. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
  17. ^ "Famous Landmark Will Disappear at Scene of Many Sea Tragedies". The Lompoc Record. July 23, 1926. p. 5. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
  18. ^ "Honda Residents Fete New Teacher". The Lompoc Record. October 6, 1933. p. 5. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
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