The History Center of San Luis Obispo County

08/30/2026

Happy Semiquincentennial, America!

In celebration of our nation's 250th Anniversary, The History Center of San Luis Obispo County is proud to bring you a look at this week in San Luis Obispo County History.

On September 1, 1772, about 1/2 mile south of the
present site of Mission Plaza, and a bit too close to San
Luis Creek, Father Junipero Serra rang a bell and founded
the 5th of the 21 Alta California Missions, Mission San
Luis Obispo de Tolosa. Father Serra left the very next day
stating that he felt he had left it “as a newborn”. Staying
behind to build the mission was Father Cavaller, 5
soldiers, and about 10 carpenters. They received help
from the Northern Chumash. The original site would be
abandoned the next year due to flooding from the creek.

On September 4, 1949, the annual Pinedorado celebration
began when the Cambria Lion’s Club realized the need
for a community recreation center for the local young
people and adopted the project for securing such a center.
Through the generosity of the Joe Fiscalini Family, several
acres were donated right in the center of town for the
facility. The name Pinedorado was derived in a contest
conducted during its first iteration. Pinedorado Days is still
Cambria’s signature Labor Day festival.

This Week in San Luis Obispo County History has been
brought to you by The History Center of San Luis Obispo
County.

We opened 3 new exhibits this summer. Come
check ‘em out! "Food Sovereignty - A Restorative Revolution" is an exhibit we did in collaboration with the Northern Chumash / ytt tribe, "The Spirit of '76" looks at Patriotism and Americana throughout San Luis Obispo County history, and there is a celebration of the new San Luis Obispo Repertory Theater coming soon which will complete the "Cultural Arts Corridor".

Celebrating our nation’s semiquincentennial all year by
taking a look at our local history, Happy 250th America!

08/27/2026

We're thrilled to announce the History Center Fall Harvest! A celebration of all things autumn and San Luis Obispo County, the evening will feature live music, a delicious meal including several soups made from Dallidet Garden produce, and a keynote speech from the fantastic Wendy Lucas, ytt Northern Chumash Nonprofit President of the Board.

Join us for an evening of celebration. Stroll through the gardens with a glass of wine in hand, learn more about the history of the land we live on and support local history.

Get your tickets on our website!

08/25/2026

Happy Semiquincentennial, America!

In celebration of our nation's 250th Anniversary, The History Center of San Luis Obispo County is proud to bring you a look at this week in San Luis Obispo County History.

On August 23, 1859, a time when San Luis Obispo was
known as “El Barrio del Tigre”, the neighborhood of the
tiger, since it was 2nd only to New Orleans as the most
dangerous town in the United States, Sheriff Francisco
Castro conducted the first and only legal ex*****on in San
Luis Obispo County. A man was hanged in the courtyard
of the mission for committing murder. Vigilante justice ran
rampant then. Why’d ya think they’re called the San Luis
Obispo High School Tigers?

On August 26, 1876, the San Luis Obispo Tribune
published and ad for a local laundry urging residents to
show their “Opposition to Chinese” and to “Patronize
While Industry” reflecting the growing anti-Chinese
sentiment in California during the 1870s.

In an ironic turn of events, on August 27, 1938, San Luis
Obispo’s Fire Company No. 1 located to the first floor of
the 2 story building which also housed City Hall was
engulfed by flames destroying the city’s government
headquarters in the building that used to house Charles
Shoes.

And on August 29, 1947, the federal government officially
transferred 1,057 acres of the former Estrella Army Airfield
to be used as a commercial airport. Today, we call it Paso
Robles Municipal Airport.

This Week in San Luis Obispo County History has been
brought to you by The History Center of San Luis Obispo
County.

Please come check out our exhibit that opened on August 7th,
“Food Sovereignty - a Restorative Revolution”, a collaboration
with the Northern Chumash / ytt Tribe.

Celebrating our nation’s semiquincentennial all
year by taking a look at our local history, Happy 250th America!

08/16/2026

Happy Semiquincentennial, America!

In celebration of our nation's 250th Anniversary, The History Center of San Luis Obispo County is proud to bring you a look at this week in San Luis Obispo County History.

On August 16, 1923, filming of Cecil B. DeMille's silent
movie "The Ten Commandments" ended, which was shot at the
Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes. Too expensive to move the 12
story sets, DeMille had them blown up using dynamite and
they are now buried under the dunes.

On August 22, 2008, a public memorial was held for
Howard Wong Louis, who passed away at the age of 100.
The grand-nephew of pioneer Ah Louis, Howard was
historically significant for saving the Ah Louis Store from
being demolished by city parking lot designers in the 1950s,
successfully preserving the physical history of SLO's historic
Chinatown.

This look at San Luis Obispo County history has been brought
to you by The History Center of San Luis Obispo County.

Please come check out our exhibit that opened on August 7th,
“Food Sovereignty - a Restorative Revolution”, a collaboration
with the Northern Chumash / ytt Tribe.

Celebrating America’s semiquincentennial all year by looking at
our local history, Happy 250th America!

08/09/2026

Happy Semiquincentennial, America!

In celebration of our nation's 250th Anniversary, The History Center of San Luis Obispo County is proud to bring you a look at this week in San Luis Obispo County History.

On August 14, 1930, title was acquired for the incorporation
of The Monday Club of San Luis Obispo, a prominent civic
and cultural organization whose landmark clubhouse was later
designed by Julia Morgan who had designed Hearst Castle a
decade earlier.

On August 12, 1975, the famous Goodyear blimp Columbia
stopped at San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport. The
airship drew massive crowds of local onlookers as it traveled
from Santa Maria up to Oakland.

On August 16, 2015, the Cuesta Fire sparked along U.S. 101
and the Cuesta Grade, ultimately burned 2,446 acres and
prompted major highway closures just north of San Luis
Obispo.

This look at San Luis Obispo County history has been brought
to you by The History Center of San Luis Obispo County.

Please come check out our exhibit that opened on August 7th,
“Food Sovereignty - a Restorative Revolution”, a collaboration
with the Northern Chumash / ytt Tribe.

Celebrating America’s semiquincentennial all year by looking at
our local history, Happy 250th America!

08/02/2026

Happy Semiquincentennial, America!

In celebration of our nation's 250th Anniversary, The History Center of San Luis Obispo County is proud to bring you a look at this week in San Luis Obispo County History.

On August 5, 1904, crowds gathered as a motorized, cigar-
shaped Beachey dirigible, ya know, a blimp, successfully
took flight. Early aviation pioneer A.L. Smith famously
brought this public flight exhibition to the Central Coast,
one of the earliest recorded public demonstrations of a
steered, lighter-than-air aircraft in the county’s history.

On August 8 1940, the United States Army officially
acquired Camp San Luis Obispo which became a vital
infantry training base during World War II.

On August 2, 1990, San Luis Obispo instituted its
historic anti-smoking ordinance . (Cough) San Luis
Obispo became the first city in the world to
completely ban smoking in all public indoor spaces,
including bars and restaurants, sparking a global public
health trend.

This look at San Luis Obispo County history has been
brought to you by The History Center of San Luis
Obispo County.

Celebrating America’s semiquincentennial all year by
looking at our local history, Happy 250th America!

07/30/2026

07/26/2026

Happy Semiquincentennial, America!

In celebration of our nation's 250th Anniversary, The History Center of San Luis Obispo County is proud to bring you a look at this week in San Luis Obispo County History.

On July 29, 1876, an advertisement in the San Luis
Obispo Tribune announced the opening of the Coast Line
Stage Company with direct connections from San Luis
Obispo north to San Francisco and south to Los
Angeles, navigating the infamous and dangerous Old
Stage Coach Road.

On August 1, 1887, D.W. Grover held a land auction that
drew over 1,000 people to look at what he promoted as "the grandest summer and winter seaside resort on the
Pacific Coast". This event laid the groundwork for what
is now Grover Beach.

On July 29, 1909, Union Oil began laying a massive 200-
mile pipeline project extending from the San Joaquin
Valley to Avila Beach. Before World War I, this was the
largest oil pipeline infrastructure project in the world.

“This Week In San Luis Obispo County History” has been
brought to you by The History Center of San Luis
Obispo County.

Celebrating America’s semiquincentennial by looking at our
local history, Happy 250th America!

07/19/2026

Happy Semiquincentennial, America!

In celebration of our nation's 250th Anniversary, The History Center of San Luis Obispo County is proud to bring you a look at this week in San Luis Obispo County History.

On July 25, 1797, the Spanish founded the settlement
at San Miguel, establishing Mission San Miguel
Arcángel . Chosen due to its proximity to the large
number of Salinan villages, the interior walls still
feature murals painted in the 1820s.

Filmed primarily in Cambria, the horror, comedy
movie “Arachnophobia” finished its first weekend in
the box office on July 22, 1990 as the 3rd most
popular movie in the nation behind “Ghost” and “Die
Hard 2”.

On July 21, 2020, The Historic Black Lives Matter
March took place. Protestors marched onto Highway
101 shutting down the El Camino Real, leading to
many arrests.

“This Week In San Luis Obispo County History” has been
brought to you by The History Center of San Luis
Obispo County.

Please check out our exhibit at the Mid-State Fair in Paso Robles honoring the Quarter Millennial anniversary of the USA.

Celebrating America’s semiquincentennial by looking at our
local history, Happy 250th America!

07/12/2026

Happy Semiquincentennial, America!

The History Center of San Luis Obispo County is
proud to bring you a look at this week in San Luis
Obispo County History.

On July 12, 1901, "The Breeze" newspaper reported that
former County Supervisor John Kester while sitting in his
wagon in Cayucos was attacked with a butcher knife by the
one time constable of the town. Bystanders interfered and
disarmed the assailant. The attack was believed to have
stemmed from a long time feud between the men over a
woman.

On July 12, 1914, the cornerstone of what is now
Atascadero City Hall was laid. It took 4 years to complete
the architectural masterpiece. This crown jewel of
Atascadero’s skyline is still a marvel to behold.

Following the devastating 2017 Mud Creek landslide, after
over a year of repairs on July 18, 2018 the Pacific Coast Highway was officially reopened connecting Monterey and San Luis Obispo
Counties.

“This Week In San Luis Obispo County History” has been
brought to you by The History Center of San Luis
Obispo County. Check out our new exhibit, “The Spirit of
’76”, commemorating our country’s Quarter Millennial
anniversary with Patriotism and Americana in SLO County.

Celebrating America’s semiquincentennial by looking at our
local history -- Happy 250th America!