Mountain Drive Oral History Collection, 1985-1992

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Summary

Title:
Mountain Drive Oral History Collection
Dates:
1985-1992
Creators:
Santa Barbara Regional Oral History Clearinghouse, Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, Santa Barbara Historical Museum, Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Cleek, Patricia Gardner, 1925-2018, Remak, Roberta Ann, 1925-2008, Gasser, Teddy G. (Dorothy Grace), 1948- , Bruss, Wendy, Benet, Linda, Newbery, Helen C., 1912-2010, Anteau, Laurie (Laurie Ann Johnston), 1956-, Bernhardt, Bunny (Ruth Pritchard), 1930-, Birdsell, Marty L., Jr. (Martin Lewis), 1936-2005, Boegle, Jack (John Yost), 1907-1995, Claytor, Becky M. (Rebecca M. Rodriguez), Daily, Natalie Maravic, 1925-2006, Dole, Kathryn (Kathryn Lee Holcomb), 1920-2011, Dunn, Burdette L., 1918-, Fortner, Elizabeth, Grant, Lou (Clara Louise Tuckerman), 1916-2012, Greyson, George, 1926-2000, Hill, Sandy P. (Sandra Petertyl), 1926-, Hill, Stanley D., 1923-2009, Hyde, Gavin, 1930-2019, Johnston, Dick (Richard Woodwell), 1931-2017, Johnston, Gill, Jr, (Gill Stuart), 1924-2003, Lane, Mervin, Jr. (Mervin Louis), 1928-2016, Lane, Peggy (Margaret), 1926-2013, Macy, Bud (Eliot Eldridge), 1920-2011, Maurer, Eric W., 1915-1987, Maurer, Nina (Nina Ruth Macy), 1916-1994, McPherson, Paule P., 1935-, Neely, Chris (Christopher Ulrick), 1951-2020, Robinson, Frank D. (Franklin Donald), 1923-2004, Schertz, Ed (Edward Louis), 1931-, Sisson, Susan Robinson (Susan Gilmour Hamilton), 1947-, Smith, Dana D., 1922-2000, Soini, Mary Lynn, 1942-, Tonetti, Susan Hyde, 1905-1989, Walden, Chris (Christine Louise), 1943-, Young, Noel, 1922-2002, and Santa Barbara Regional Oral History Clearinghouse
Abstract:
Mountain Drive, a residential enclave of free spirits located in the hills above Montecito, coalesced in the years following World War II. The driving force behind its formation was Robert McKee Hyde, known to all as Bobby. The spirit of the community was bohemian, a "live-and-let-live" feel that fostered a close-knit camaraderie. Community interaction often centered on a growing number of celebrations and festivals. Probably the best-known was the Wine Stomp, begun in 1952, in which the Wine Queen selected that year was joined in the large wine vat by neighbors to crush that season's harvest. Two generations following development of the Mountain Drive community an advanced oral history class set out to record the personal memories of those who were part of Mountain Drive's early days as a Central Coast experiment in non-conformity.
Extent:
2 Linear Feet 2 record storage boxes, 48 Cassettes, 51 Diskettes 5.25", 40 Gigabytes, 46 Folder(s), 48 Photographic Prints, 37 Negatives (Photographs), and 1 Volumes Lane, Mervin. 1985. Going to town. Santa Barbara, CA (P.O. Box 4513, Santa Barbara 93108): Sadhe Pub. [fiction]
Language:
English .
Preferred citation:

[Identification of file], Mountain Drive Oral History Collection, AR-1992-001, Gledhill Library, Santa Barbara Historical Museum, Santa Barbara, California.

Background

Scope and content:

The Mountain Drive Oral History Collection contains thirty oral histories of people who experienced the early days of Mountain Drive, Santa Barbara's bohemian community. The collection originated as an advanced oral history course conducted during the summer of 1986. The success of the group project, and the feeing that it had only scratched the surface of a rich subject, caused the effort to be continued for six years. One of the envisioned outputs of the project was a publication on the history of Mountain Drive, but internal funding for the book was never realized. Twenty-two of the recorded oral histories were transcribed into electronic format using the first generation of personal computers. The collection also contains related materials such as photographs, news clippings, newsletters, an outline of the proposed publication, drafts of chapters, and project administration materials.

In 2021, an effort to improve access to the oral histories led to digitization of the audiocassettes, development of a website, and collecting of additional materials.

Biographical / historical:

Bobby Hyde, born in 1900, a writer and son of a Santa Barbara artist, instigated the plan to create a community based on his desire to live an unconventional life. He purchased 50 acres of rugged land in the foothills above Santa Barbara and parceled out one acre lots to like-minded friends and relatives in the post-World War II 1940s and 1950s. The community was made up of writers, artists, teachers, musicians, naturalists, tradespersons, wine makers, free thinkers and their families.

Bobby Hyde's idealism fueled a communal spirit of neighbors helping each other build adobe homes, buy commodities in bulk, and grow their own food. With a sense of humor, Mountain Drive families developed annual traditions that inspired California folk customs such as the communal hot tub soak, the Renaissance Pleasure Faire, early music revival, home wine making, and Santa Barbara's Summer Solstice parade.

The experiences and mythology of the Mountain Drive community have been documented in no less than six monographs, three dozen articles, two music albums, a major motion picture, a radio program, an oral history project, and a social media presence.

Acquisition information:
The materials were transferred from the Santa Barbara Regional Oral History Clearinghouse.
Processing information:

The Mountain Drive Oral History Collection was processed by Chris S. Ervin CA in December 2020.

Arrangement:

The Mountain Drive Oral History Collection is arranged in four series:

1) Interviews, 1986-1992

2) Related Materials, undated

3) Manuscript, 1991

4) Administration, 1985-1991

Bibliography:

Chiacos, Elias. 1994. Mountain Drive: Santa Barbara's pioneer Bohemian community. Santa Barbara, Calif: Shoreline Press.

Frankenheimer, John, Edward Lewis, Lewis John Carlino, Rock Hudson, Salome Jens, John Randolph, and David Ely. 2014. Seconds. [DVD]

Hyde, Robert. 1960. Six more at sixty. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday.

Lane, Mervin. 1985. Going to town. Santa Barbara, CA (P.O. Box 4513, Santa Barbara 93108): Sadhe Pub.

Neely, William L., and Allan Shields. 1992. Wild Bill Neely and the Pagan Brothers' Golden Goat Winery: journal and drawings. Mariposa, CA: Jerseydale Ranch Press.

Santa Barbara Collegium Musicum. 1965. A concert of music of the Renaissance. [Place of publication not identified]: Lazell.

Young, Noel. 1973. Hot tubs; how to build, maintain & enjoy your own. Santa Barbara: Capra Press.

Indexed terms

Subjects:
Mountain Drive (Santa Barbara, Calif.)
Alternative lifestyles
Counterculture
Communal living
Oral histories
Names:
Santa Barbara Botanic Garden
Santa Barbara Historical Museum
Santa Barbara Museum of Art
Santa Barbara Regional Oral History Clearinghouse
Anderson, Judith, 1897-1992
Anteau, Laurie (Laurie Ann Johnston), 1956-
Arnold, Josephine M. (Josephine Mary), 1905-2003
Arnold, Tom (Thomas Edwin), 1902-1981
Benedict, Rehlein (Renate), 1926-
Bernhardt, Bunny (Ruth Pritchard), 1930-
Bernhardt, John, 1921-1963
Birdsell, Marty L., Jr. (Martin Lewis), 1936-2005
Boegle, Jack (John Yost), 1907-1995
Carlisle, Marilyn, 1936-2005
Carlisle, Stuart
Chiacos, Elias
Claytor, Becky M. (Rebecca M. Rodriguez)
Daily, Natalie Maravic, 1925-2006
Dole, Kathryn (Kathryn Lee Holcomb), 1920-2011
Dunn, Burdette L., 1918-
Feldmann, Peter
Fortner, Elizabeth
Grant, Lou (Clara Louise Tuckerman), 1916-2012
Greyson, George, 1926-2000
Hill, Sandy P. (Sandra Petertyl), 1926-
Hill, Stanley D., 1923-2009
Hyde, Floppy (Florence Fenno Tuckerman), 1904-1980
Hyde, Gavin, 1930-2019
Hyde, Bobby (Robert McKee), 1900-1969
Hyde, Robert Wilson, 1875-1951
Jaeger, Winifred
Johnston, Dick (Richard Woodwell), 1931-2017
Johnston, Gill, Jr, (Gill Stuart), 1924-2003
Katz, Erich (Erich Max), 1900-1973
Lane, Mervin, Jr. (Mervin Louis), 1928-2016
Lane, Peggy (Margaret), 1926-2013
Lazell, John W.
MacGillivray, W. Don, Mayor (William Donald), 1919-1994
Macy, Bud (Eliot Eldridge), 1920-2011
Maurer, Eric W., 1915-1987
Maurer, Nina (Nina Ruth Macy), 1916-1994
McPherson, Paule P., 1935-
Neely, Chris (Christopher Ulrick), 1951-2020
Peake, Michael (Michael Channing), 1940-2021
Richardson, Bill (William), 1926-2013
Robinson, Frank D. (Franklin Donald), 1923-2004
Schertz, Ed (Edward Louis), 1931-
Secunda, Arthur (Arthur Holland), 1927-
Sheinbaum, Betty Warner
Sisson, Susan Robinson (Susan Gilmour Hamilton), 1947-
Smith, Dana D., 1922-2000
Soini, Mary Lynn, 1942-
Stack, John Wiley, 1924-2014
Tonetti, Susan Hyde, 1905-1989
Tremaine, Kit, 1907-1997
Walden, Chris (Christine Louise), 1943-
White, Tommy (Tom)
Young, Noel, 1922-2002

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:
Chris S. Ervin CA
Date Encoded:
This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2022-04-21 17:31:26 +0000 .

Access and use

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Terms of access:

Property rights reside with the Santa Barbara Historical Museum. For permissions to reproduce or to publish, please contact the Head Archivist of the Gledhill Library.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of file], Mountain Drive Oral History Collection, AR-1992-001, Gledhill Library, Santa Barbara Historical Museum, Santa Barbara, California.

Location of this collection:
136 E. De La Guerra
Santa Barbara, CA 93101, US
Contact:
(805) 966-1605 x105
archivist@sbhistorical.org
Website