Local History of the Channel Island Harbor
Port of Hueneme
Ventura Harbor
Time Line

13,000 bc Chumash Indians arrive in the area
1542 Juan Cabrillo lands at Point Mugu
1602 Sebastian Viscaino names the Santa Barbara Channel
1837 declared a Spanish land grant
1865 Thomas Bard comes to California as employee of Thomas Scott
1868 Thomas Bard acquired from Thomas Scott all of his
interests in the Mexican Land Grant,
Ranco El Rio de Santa Clara o’la Colonia.
1871 Bard’s Wharf built
1873 County of Ventura formed
1926 California State Assembly enacted legislation to create a
harbor but didn’t fund it
1937 Citizens passed a bond issue to build the port
1939 Standard Dredging Company began digging the port
1940 Port dedicated
1942 the government confiscates the port for the war effort
1945 US Congress authorizes Army Corp of Engineers to survey new harbor
1947 Navy finalizes a lease of part of the port
1952 Ventura Port District founded
1960 Commercial part of port finalized
1963 Ventura Harbor dedicated
1965 Channel Islands Harbor dedicated
1969 Disastrous floods destroy much of Ventura Harbor
1970’s port develops unique cargo niche especially car import/export
2011 Ventura County Maritime Museum, Boating Center have ground breaking