Historian Jarrell Jackman reveals the intriguing details behind the creation of the Santa Barbara Presidio, and the controversial effort to restore it in the 1990s, in the latest episode of Santa Barbara Talks with Josh Molina

Jackman’s new book, “Santa Barbara’s Royal Presidio: The Rise, Fall, and Rebirth of Spain’s Last Adobe Fortress,” is available at Chaucer’s, The Book Den, and online.

The book tells the story of the adobe fortress, which was constructed between 1784 and 1790.

The Santa Barbara Presidio was the last Spanish fort founded and built not only in California, but in all of Spanish North America, an area that, in its day, covered much of the southern portion of the modern United States from Florida to California, according to a Chaucer’s news release.

In the podcast, Jackman explains the history of the fort and the conditions surrounding its creation.

“The relationship between the Indians and the soldiers is much more complex than people want to take it,” Jackman said. “Actually, there was a tremendous relationship between the Indians and the soldiers.”

He said half of the soldiers were “mixed blood, they had Indian or Spanish blood.”

About 20% of the soldiers were African, he said. There’s a record from 1790 that lists the population at the presidio by racial background.

Watch the full interview by clicking on the You Tube link below.

“There was only one person at the Presidio in 1790 who was born in Spain, and he was a servant of the comandante,” Jackman said. “By the time the so-called Spanish got here, there was really a mixed bag of people and its diversity that we celebrate today was represented in the soldiers who were there.”

Jackman said the book outlines the history of the presidio and offers a more “complex view” of what perceptions people might have of the Spanish’s role in shaping Santa Barbara. He also talks about some community opposition to restoring the building.

“There were a lot of things to think about,” Jackman said. “I am a believer in the project itself, but I also believe other points of view are important to understand.”

Jackman also shares his views on Santa Barbara’s current political struggles, including the fate of State Street.

“I always thought that closing State Street would be a great idea. Now that it’s happened, I think it’s a terrible idea,” Jackman said. “I realized that so much of the community transpired passing through there.

“And now we have lost our two major parades coming down State Street. That idea really bothers me.”

Joshua Molina is journalist who currently writes for Noozhawk and teaches journalism at Santa Barbara City College and Cal State University, Northridge. He formerly covered politics and land use for the San Jose Mercury News. Santa Barbara Talks is an independently owned podcast where Molina looks to bring together voices from all perspectives to discuss and provide solutions to the challenges related to housing, education, transportation and other community issues. Subscribe to his podcast here and consider a contribution here.