Shalawa Meadow (also called Hammond's Meadow) is a seaside meadow used in ancient times as a burial site by the

Chumash people The Chumash are a Native American people of the central and southern coastal regions of California, in portions of what is now San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura and Los Angeles counties, extending from Morro Bay in the north to Malibu ...

, adjoining a once large Chumash community about 5 miles east of

Santa Barbara, California Santa Barbara ( es, Santa Bárbara, meaning "Saint Barbara") is a coastal city in Santa Barbara County, California, of which it is also the county seat. Situated on a south-facing section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coas ...

in the community of Montecito.

History

The South Coast area of

Santa Barbara County Santa Barbara County, California, officially the County of Santa Barbara, is located in Southern California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 448,229. The county seat is Santa Barbara, and the largest city is Santa Maria. Santa Barba ...

has a

history History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the History of writing#Inventions of writing, invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbr ...

as one of the most important archaeological regions in California, having been densely occupied by the Chumash for over 13,000 years. They ranged from the

Santa Barbara Channel Islands The Channel Islands () are an eight-island archipelago located within the Southern California Bight in the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of California. The four Northern Channel Islands are part of the Transverse Ranges geologic province, and ...

north to the

Carrizo Plain The Carrizo Plain ( Obispeño: ''tšɨłkukunɨtš'', "Place of the rabbits") is a large enclosed grassland plain, approximately long and up to across, in southeastern San Luis Obispo County, California, about northwest of Los Angeles. It con ...

in most of what is now Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Ventura Counties. Many traces of their settlements, art, crafts and tools have been found in this region and many are on display in local museums. Ancient rock art may also be viewed in locations such as Painted Cave in the hills a few miles from Shalawa. This coastal region is also said to be extremely significant in Native American culture due to the spiritual "Western Gate" in the nearby

Point Conception Point Conception (Chumash: ''Humqaq'') is a headland along the Gaviota Coast in southwestern Santa Barbara County, California. It is the point where the Santa Barbara Channel meets the Pacific Ocean, and as the corner between the mostly north-s ...

area.

Development

A mansion named Bonnymede was built in 1906 on a large estate that included what is now the small remaining Shalawa Meadow. Esther Fiske Hammond, who died in 1955, bought the estate in the early 1900s and through 1950 her family built other structures there. Her son George built an airstrip and ran a business flying supplies to a family on nearby San Miguel Island. In 1958 most of the estate was sold to developers, and a condo complex was built in the 1960s named for the Bonnymede mansion that was destroyed in a fire. Complex and contentious negotiations followed until 1989, when 20 condos and 12 private homes were built on the remaining land with three acres of the meadow preserved for public use. Hammond's Estate is on the only Chumash site in the coastal zone that is currently listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Some controversy continues regarding use and maintenance of the meadow, one of the few remaining public coastal parcels in Montecito. The adjoining beach is one of California's popular surfing locations.

Monument

In 1979 a Chumash elder began a movement to protect the sacred nature of the site, joined by surfers and some area residents. A marker monument was built on the small remaining parcel near the southern (beach) approach to Shalawa Meadow with colorful inlaid ceramic tiles adorned with lizards, birds, flowers, and two bas-relief dolphins in turquoise ceramic along with this inscription: Ceremonies are still held on the site during significant celestial events such as solstice and equinox. During summer months the meadow is mowed to bare ground, exposing many gopher holes and reducing the natural aesthetic. This is apparently done to reduce fire hazard, and possibly also to make it less attractive for unauthorized camping.

Access

Access is possible from

U.S. Route 101 U.S. Route 101, or U.S. Highway 101 (US 101), is a north–south United States Numbered Highway that runs through the states of California, Oregon, and Washington, on the West Coast of the United States. It is also known as (The Royal Roa ...

. The Hammond Meadow Trail can be accessed at the south end of San Ysidro Road, where there is parking at the Eucalyptus Lane beach access. Facing the ocean, the trail starts out to the right, and after a short distance, reaches Hammond Beach to the east of the Coral Casino. Walking back to the starting point via the beach makes for a loop with a variety of scenery.

References

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History

Development

Monument

Access

References

See also