My wife, Michele, and I have taken to visiting the Stations of the Cross Garden at the Santa Barbara Mission almost on a daily basis.
It lies next to the large parking lot and was the site in mission times of the barracks that housed neophyte Indians.
We have had some incredible conversations with other visitors who, like us, appreciate the serenity of the garden and the 14 stations recreated in beautiful mosaics.
One day recently we were talking to a woman who, once she learned of my connections to the Presidio downtown, mentioned that she had been to events in the Presidio chapel several times and really appreciated that it had been reconstructed.
That immediately reminded me that the very site of the garden had previously been part of an open field on which the Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation had commenced rebuilding the chapel in 1982 (the original dated from 1785).
Thanks to the mission padres, this site was where the California Conservation Corps crews would make the adobe bricks for the chapel reconstruction.
In fact, they would make 30,000 bricks on this site and load them on pallets. Ozzie DaRos, owner of Santa Barbara Stone, then had them loaded on one of his trucks and delivered them at no expense to us at the Presidio.
Each brick weighs about 55 pounds, and each pallet could hold about 20 bricks. It took multiple trips to transfer the bricks, and all totaled it required filling the field six times.
The CCC crews made 95% of the bricks, with the remaining ones made by volunteers.
Once transported to the Presidio site at East Canon Perdido and Santa Barbara streets, the CCC crew was responsible for laying the bricks on the walls.
James Madison Alden’s 1855 painting of the Santa Barbara Presidio chapel, which was later destroyed in the 1857 Fort Tejon earthquake. Note the remains of the bell tower behind the bells. Credit: Santa Barbara Mission Archive Library photo 
The Santa Barbara Mission’s Stations of the Cross garden occupies the former site of Indian barracks and later an open field where California Conservation Corps crews made adobe bricks for the Presidio chapel reconstruction. Credit: Jarrell Jackman photo 
The third Station of the Cross, depicting Jesus Christ falling for the first time. The Stations of the Cross is a 14-step Catholic devotion commemorating Jesus’ last day on Earth before His crucifixion. The 14 devotions, or stations, focus on specific events of that day. Credit: Jarrell Jackman photo 
A California Conservation Corps crew makes adobe bricks at the Santa Barbara Mission. Credit: Jarrell Jackman photo 
A total of 30,000 adobe bricks — weighing 55 pounds each — were made at the Santa Barbara Mission. Credit: Jarrell Jackman photo 
The California Conservation Corps was involved in the final phase of the Presidio chapel arch. 
The foundations of the Presidio chapel reconstruction. Credit: Jarrell Jackman photo 
Walls of the rebuilt Presidio chapel near the roofline. Credit: Jarrell Jackman photo 
California Conservation Corps crew member Laura Finney lifts adobe mortar up the Presidio chapel wall. Credit: Jarrell Jackman photo 
The California Conservation Corps crew celebrates the near-completion of the Presidio chapel. Credit: Jarrell Jackman photo 
The completed Presidio chapel with the bell tower that was added later. Credit: Jarrell Jackman photo 
CCC Interns Ralph Ross and Marlon Moland assisted in maintenance and various activities at El Presidio de Santa Bárbara State Historic Park. Credit: Santa Barbara Historical Museum photo 
Nacho Piña, former director of the CCC Camarillo Center, presents Jarrell Jackman’s book, Santa Barbara’s Royal Presidio, to former Gov. Jerry Brown at the 50th anniversary celebration of the California Conservation Corps earlier this month in Sacramento. Brown started the program during his first administration. Credit: Piña family photo 
Jarrell Jackman presents his book, Santa Barbara’s Royal Presidio, to the California Conservation Corps. The book features a section on the CCC, which was instrumental in the restoration of the Presidio chapel. Credit: Jackman family photo 
Tile plaque commemorating the California Conservation Corps Camarillo Center is awaiting reinstallation at the Presidio chapel. Credit: Jarrell Jackman photo 
Nancy and Nacho Piña flanked by Michele and Jarrell Jackman. The Piñas were married in the Presidio chapel, and Nacho was named a life honorary member of the Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation in recognition fo his contributions to the Presidio restoration project. Credit: Piña family photo
Needless to say, lifting these bricks was arduous work, and even more so as the wall reached its height of well over 15 feet.
The Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation provided supervision, but the hard labor was provided solely by the CCC crews.
Chumash Indians and skilled Indians from the Mission San Gabriel Arcángel had provided the original labor to construct the chapel in the 1780s; the Indians were paid for their labor.
This story I thought worth telling and so I decided to contact Nacho Piña, who was director of the CCC Camarillo Center in the 1980s and had made a commitment to have crews available to rebuild the chapel.
The stars began to align. He told me he was leaving the next day for the 50th anniversary celebration in Sacramento on July 7.
He was taking a copy of my book on the Presidio that described the contributions of the CCCs to El Presidio de Santa Bárbara State Historic Park.
Then-Gov. Jerry Brown had created the program in 1976 to mirror the federal Civilian Conservation Corps, which by the way, was responsible for reconstructing and restoring Mission La Purísima Concepción in Lompoc in the late 1930s and early ’40s.
Sure enough, Piña was able to deliver a copy of the book to Brown.
Our Santa Barbara community owes a great debt to the corps for helping bring back the founding site of our town.
The organization contributed not only labor for the chapel project, but also engaged in various other programs, including archaeological excavations, and intern programs in which they learned about park maintenance and interpretation.
In thanks for the enormous contributions of the CCCs, we had installed a plaque in a boulder at the park honoring the CCCs. Unfortunately, from people sitting and climbing on it, it had to be replaced.
A presidio descendant, Jeannie Davis, made an exact copy of it, which has yet to be reinstalled. There is a nice location on the chapel wall next to the comandancia where it could be displayed.
There is one other plaque inside the chapel that lists the names of the early presidio soldiers and families are buried in the floor of the chapel.
One of those buried there is also Juan Bautista, the son of the Chief Yanonali. It was also the last site where Father Junípero Serra (now a saint) said the Founding Mass.
Please consider contacting Gov. Gavin Newsom at ov.ca.gov/cohttps://www.gntact/ and California State Parks director Armando Quintero at armando.quintero@parks.ca.gov and urge them to install the plaque so the California Conservation Corps is acknowledged for their Herculean efforts to bring back our Presidio chapel.
