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Lompoc (pronounced Lom-poke) was originally settled by
the Chumash Indians who recognized the majesty of this region and
made it the heart of their society. Lompoc is a Chumash word which
has had several interpretations over the years. "Where the
Water Breaks Through" and "Land of Many Lakes" are two of the
earliest translations. Known today as the Valley of Flowers,
this rich valley is the nation’s most prolific flower seed producing
region. Cool ocean breezes give Lompoc a wonderful year-round
climate, producing a lush environment for the production of
vegetables.
The Chumash and their predecessors lived in the Lompoc Valley for
nearly 10,000 years prior to European contact. The establishment of
La
Purisima Concepcion de Maria Santisima Mission (the
eleventh in the chain of 21 Alta California
Missions) in 1787 marked the earliest European settlement
in the Lompoc Valley. The original mission was destroyed by an earthquake
in 1812. Remnants of the mission can be seen at this site at the end
of South F Street, which has been preserved as a State
Historical Landmark. The mission was rebuilt over several years
beginning in 1813 at its current location on the north side of the
Valley. In the 1930's, the Civilian Conservation Corps
completely restored La Purisima Mission resulting in the most
complete and most authentically restored in the mission
system. La Purisima Mission is now an historic State
Park.
The Lompoc Land Company was formed and incorporated in August of
1874 for the purpose of purchasing almost 43,000 acres to establish
a temperance colony. A land rush ensued with fierce bidding
forcing land prices to skyrocket in just one day. The
temperance colony flourished, despite being located on the stage
line midway between the "wicked" cities of Santa Barbara and San
Luis Obispo. Liquor inevitably found its way into the town via
passing stagecoaches. Local druggists were also known to stock
alcohol "for medicinal purposes." The City of Lompoc was
incorporated on August 13, 1888. At that time the courts ruled
that the temperance clause included in all deeds to that time was
unenforceable, since there was no reversion clause. The lands
could not revert to the Lompoc Valley Land Colony, since it had
disbanded years earlier. Temperance, therefore, ended with the
incorporation of the City.
A number of wharves were constructed along the coast during
the early days of the colony, serving as shipping points for
incoming supplies and outgoing agricultural produce until the turn
of the century when the railroad replaced shipping as the primary
means of commercial transportation.
The completion of the coastal railroad between San Francisco and
Los Angeles in 1901, and the subsequent extension of a spur into
Lompoc, provided the impetus for growth in the Valley. Fields were
cleared and leveled for agricultural production of specialized crops
including flower seeds. The flower seed industry so dominated
agricultural production that the area was dubbed The Valley of
Flowers. The Johns-Manville Corporation and others began the
mining of diatomaceous earth in the southern hills. The mining
industry continues to be a major employer.
In 1941, Camp Cooke was established as an Army training
base. It later became Cooke Air Force Base and was renamed Vandenberg Air
Force Base in 1958. The Base was the first missile base of the
United States Air Force. The Space Shuttle program was slated to
begin launches in the late 1980's. However, the when the Challenger
exploded during take-off in 1986, the West Coast Shuttle Program was
terminated, leaving Lompoc in a severe recession. Click HERE for a brief history of Vandenberg Air Force
Base. For a history of Camp Cooke, click HERE.
The Lompoc Valley responded to the Shuttle disaster by focusing
on tourism as a means of fighting it way through the recession. By
focusing on the natural beauty of the Valley, its flower industry,
the pristine Central Coast, and by developing a successful downtown
mural program, the City of Lompoc has built an excellent tourism
industry that is to this day a primary component of the Lompoc
economy. Today, the City of Lompoc is dubbed The City of Arts
and Flowers
The Bank
Dick
The controversy remains over whether
or not the W.C. Fields movie, "The Bank Dick" was filmed in Lompoc.
While Fields most certainly visited the area, the movie was not
actually filmed in Lompoc. Fields was attracted to unique names,
hence the name of the writer of the film, "Mahatma Kane Jeeves," (My
Hat, My Cane, Jeeves) a nom de plume for Fields himself. He found
"Lompoc" interesting by mispronouncing it as "lom-pock." His
fascination may have begun through his close friendship with
Hollywood actor Morgan Wallace, who was born in Lompoc. The movie
did not sit well with local residents because of Field's
mispronunciation. Over the years, however, it has attracted visitors
to town.
We have scrutinized the DVD version of the movie in slow
motion and by pausing the picture. None of the background shots are
of Lompoc. The streets in the movie are dirt. By 1940, when this
film was made, Lompoc's streets were paved. The middle of town as
portrayed in the movie was small and picturesque with what appears
to be a convergence of several streets. Lompoc's main intersection
is the convergence of two streets, both 100 feet wide. In addition,
Lompoc's residential streets and downtown were not as "quaint" as
was shown in the movie. Many of our longtime residents also
corroborate the fact that the film was not filmed in Lompoc. Some
years ago we went to Universal Studios in Southern California.
During the tram ride of the back lot, the guide stated, "This is the
set where W.C. Fields', "The Bank Dick" was
filmed."
Tragedy at
Honda
The year was 1923. On a foggy September night seven
Naval Destroyers went aground off Pt. Pedernales, known locally as
Honda Point. Assuming they were entering the Santa Barbara
Channel, the ships turned left directly into the rocky
coastline. In reality the ships were far north of the entrance
to the channel. Visit the links below for photos and more
information:
http://www.users.qwest.net/~sgolowski/pt.htm
http://www.hazegray.org/features/honda/
http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/events/ev-1920s/ev-1923/hondapt.htm
http://cawreckdivers.org/Wrecks/Honda.htm
Visit Kraig Anderson's
Lighthouse Website to see our local lighthouses:
Pt. Arguello
Pt. Concepcion
Historic Area
Earthquakes - click below
http://www.crustal.ucsb.edu/ics/sb_eqs/#Welcome#Welcome
The Lompoc
Museum 
Lompoc's old Carnegie building, one of seven Classic Revival
Carnegies designed by William Weeks in the "temple style," is now an
historical and archeological museum. It was designated Lompoc
Historical Landmark No. 1 and was placed on the National Register of
Historic Places in 1990.
The women of the community were
instrumental in negotiations for Carnegie funding. A small
library had been provided in a storefront on North H Street
until the sum of $10,000 was received from the Andrew Carnegie
Corporation. During his lifetime, Andrew
Carnegie built 2,811 free libraries in all. Of these, 1,946
were located in the United States – at least one in every state
except Rhode Island -- 660 in Britain and Ireland, 156 in Canada. A
handful of libraries were also scattered in places like New Zealand,
the West Indies and even Fiji. A.D. Burke constructed Lompoc's
library building which opened in 1911. The women of the Civic
Club raised funds to provide books for the new
library.
In 1969 a new library facility was constructed and the
Carnegie building became the Lompoc museum, housing
the Clarence Ruth collection of Native American Artifacts on
the main floor, as well as the Historical Society Gallery and
Centeno Gallery at the basement level.
Visit our Lompoc Museum page.
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