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]
