In July 1985, E.R. "Jim" Blakley (a naturalist and historian of the Santa Barbara backcountry) and Karen Barnette (Cultural Resources Specialist with the Los Padres National Forest) published a book titled Historical Overview of the Los Padres National Forest. Today, this book remains as the only comprehensive historical guide to the entire southern Los Padres National Forest.

Currently out of print, ForestWatch - with the cooperation of the Blakley Family and the U.S. Forest Service - is now presenting the book online, in its entirety, for the very first time. We hope that it unlocks some of the many secrets hidden in the history of these wild lands, beckons your curiosity to get outside and explore their far reaches, and broadens your understanding of the need to protect them for generations to come.

Historical Overview of the Los Padres National Forest
by E.R. "Jim" Blakley and Karen Barnette, July 1985

Cover, Table of Contents, and Acknowledgments

Chapter 1: Introduction (119 kb pdf file)

Chapter 2: Historical Overview

    2.1  Introduction and 2.2  Hispanic Period (1.2 Mb pdf file)

    2.3  Early American Period (1.2 Mb pdf file)

    2.4  Growth and Development (2.0 Mb pdf file)

Chapter 3: Conclusions (240 kb pdf file)

Chapter 4: Notes, and Appendix A: Bibliography (1.9 Mb pdf file)