established
Mission San Buenaventura.
Chumash Archaeological discoveries in the area suggest that humans have populated the region for at least 10,000–12,000 years. Archaeological research demonstrates that the
Chumash people have deep roots in central and southern coastal regions of California, and has revealed artifacts from their culture. They had keen oceanic navigational skills made use of the abundant local resources from sea and land. The Ventura Chumash were in contact with the Channel Islands Chumash; both mainland and island Chumash utilized large plank-sewn seagoing canoes, called
Tomol, with the island people bringing shell bead money, island chert, and sea otter pelts to trade for mainland products like acorns and deer meat.
Spanish era soldier, built the
Olivas Adobe in 1841 on his
Rancho San Miguel. In 1769, the Spanish
Portolà expedition, first recorded European visitors to inland areas of California, came down the
Santa Clara River Valley from the previous night's encampment near today's
Saticoy and camped near the outlet of the
Ventura River on
August 14. Fray
Juan Crespi, a Franciscan missionary traveling with the expedition, noted that "we saw a regular town, the most populous and best laid-out of all that we had seen on the journey up to the present time." Archaeological records found that the Chumash village they encountered was settled sometime around AD 1000.
Junípero Serra, first leader of the Franciscans in California, founded
Mission San Buenaventura in 1782 as his ninth and last mission established near the Chumash village as part of
Spain's colonization of
Alta California. The mission was named for
St. Bonaventure, a 13th-century Franciscan saint and a
Doctor of the Church.
San Miguel Chapel was the first outpost and center of operations while the first Mission San Buenaventura was being constructed. The first mission burned in 1801 and a replacement building of brick and stone was completed in 1809. The bell tower and facade of the new mission was destroyed by an 1812 earthquake. The Mission was rebuilt and functions as a
parish church.
Mexican era The
Mexican secularization act of 1833 was passed twelve years after Mexico won
independence from Spain in 1821. Mission land was sold or given away in large grants called
ranchos.
Rancho Ex-Mission San Buenaventura was a grant that included downtown Ventura. The
Battle of San Buenaventura was fought in 1838 between competing armies from northern and southern California. Governor
Juan Bautista Alvarado granted
Rancho San Miguel to Felipe Lorenzana and Raymundo Olivas, whose
Olivas Adobe on the banks of the
Santa Clara River was the most magnificent
hacienda south of
Monterey. Fernando Tico also received a
Mexican land grant for Ojai and a parcel near the river in downtown Ventura.
American era celebration in 1874. The Parade Marshal is
Thomas R. Bard. Following the American
Conquest of California in the
Mexican–American War, California became a U.S. territory in 1848 and a U.S. state in 1850. After the
American Civil War, settlers came to the area, buying land from the Mexicans, or simply as
squatters. Vast holdings were later acquired by Easterners, including railroad magnate
Thomas A. Scott. He sent
Thomas R. Bard to handle Scott's property. Ventura had a flourishing Chinese settlement in the early 1880s. The largest concentration of activity, known as China Alley, was just across Main Street from the Mission San Buenaventura.
Ventura Pier was built in 1872 at a cost of $45,000 and was the longest wooden pier in California. By 1917, it had been rebuilt to a length of . Much of the pier was destroyed by a storm in 1995, but it was subsequently rebuilt. In 1913, the
Rincon Sea Level Road and the Ventura River Bridge opened. The large
Ventura Oil Field was first drilled in 1919 and at its peak produced . The development of the oil fields in the 1920s, along with the building of better roads to Los Angeles and the affordability of automobiles, enabled a major real estate boom. Symphony concerts and Little League teams were sponsored by the oil companies. Contemporary downtown Ventura is defined by extant buildings from this period. Landmarks built during the
oil boom include
Ventura Theatre (1928), the
First Baptist Church of Ventura (1926), the Ventura Hotel (1926), and the Mission Theatre (1928). Main Street in the downtown was closed to vehicle traffic in June 2020 in an effort to boost business and keep people safe during the
COVID-19 pandemic. In January 2025, the Ventura City Council voted to keep Main Street closed and proceed with its designation of a formal pedestrian mall. ==Geography==