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The Exhibition runs through May 31, 2025

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With that goal in mind, RTF operates a model sanctuary, and the first to rescue entire family bands of wild horses. RTF recognizes the deep bond and intricate social structure that exists in wild horse herds and it is their priority to honor that. In addition to providing a safe haven for wild horses and burros, through collaboration with esteemed equine geneticists RTF is also working to preserve several rare genetic strains. Though these strains represent our lived and cultural history, many of them are threatened or already extinct in the wild. RTF offers many opportunities for the public to visit and connect with these horses themselves so that they may understand what we are losing and why we must work to save them.

Join us for the grand opening Sunday, February 25th from 12:00pm to 3:00pm to meet RTF’s team along with Isadora and Inez, equine ambassador from the historic Wilbur – Cruce Spanish Mission bloodline.

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Joe De Yong (1894-1975) was a preeminent western artist, whose inspirational life story should be shouted from rooftops. But Joe wasn’t like that, preferring to draw attention to others rather than himself. His own life was remarkable, from a childhood case of cerebral meningitis that left him deaf for the rest of his life, to becoming the only protégé of Charles M. Russell, to working on movie sets with Cecil B. DeMille and western celebrities of the time. He had an incredible talent himself;  his art spanned painting, sketching, illustrating, etching, and sculpting.

The exhibit opens on Saturday, July 15th and includes photographs of Joe’s life, stories of the times in his own words from letters and notes, paintings, etchings, sculptures and even his illustrated hats and chaps.

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Visitors and locals alike may marvel at some of the gnarled and venerable olive trees throughout the Santa Ynez Valley and wonder at their age and why they were first planted here. The Museum’s Historian, John Copeland, not only knows the heritage of the orchards, but produces various olive oils today on the property he and his wife Shannon own, known as Rancho Olivos.

John and Shannon will host a tasting of their current Rancho Olivos oils as they entertain with stories of valley history, modern olive farming and virgin olive oil production. The Sunday, June 11^th pop-up follows the popular Saturday, June 10^th Jazz and Olive Festival in Los Olivos.

Where:
Santa Ynez Valley Historical Museum
3596 Sagunto Street, Santa Ynes, CA 93460

When:
Sunday June 11th from 1 – 4pm
History, growing, milling talk and tasting!

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The Western saddle was not only a tool of the cowboy and vaquero but a status symbol.  A tooled saddle, a new hat and fancy boots with a decorated shaft were important to the hardy cowboys after a long and dusty cattle drive.  See the saddles and the cowboys that rode in them, on the range and about town.

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Jack Swanson was born in 1927 in Duluth, Minnesota to Margaret and Leonard Swanson. The family moved frequently during the Great Depression, and in 1942 came to Oakland, California. Teen-aged Jack headed south to work on at the Dry Creek Ranch, 10,000 acres of rolling San Joaquin rangeland. The owner, 90-year old I.L Borden was a rawhide-classic, impeccably dressed, with a black patch over one eye. “We got nothing but horses here son, and we could use some help,” he told Jack. The young Swanson soaked up the experience like a sponge. In 1944, he turned seventeen and the Second World War had taken many of the young men who worked the ranches so he was able to find work. His feeling of freedom was overwhelming. It was at a time when a cowboy could still ride almost anywhere in California and he took jobs across the Mojave and up into the Tehachapis. The old vaqueros he met along the way were happy to find someone able and willing to work.

It was a magic period for the young cowboy. It was about this time when he met a vaquero that would change his life. Frank Martinez was head “horse breaker” with the huge Miller & Lux Ranch at their horse camp near Buttonwillow in the lower San Joaquin. Martinez would teach the young cowboy much and that time with the old vaquero was, in Jack’s words, “Unforgettable and priceless.”

When Jack left the Tehachapis and made the long ride home horseback across the state, he had already signed up for the Navy. He was stationed on hospital ships until his enlistment was up, and after the war, attended the California College of Arts and Crafts on the G.I. Bill. Jack knew exactly what he wanted out of an art school, and didn’t find it there. He hit the road with his horse Amigo and made some money running match races with the fleet footed quarter horse. They rode into Carmel in 1949, where he and Amigo shared a stall at the Hodges stable near the Carmel Mission.

He was soon discovered by Carmel icon Lloyd Tevis and his man Friday, Major Morgan. The two taught the young man the pleasures of a well-told story, strong whiskey, and freshly baked bread. Donald Teague, Armin Hanson, John O’Shea and a cadre of early California artists invited him into their studios and homes to swap stories long in the night. Jack enrolled in the small Carmel Art Institute, and it was there that he met and soon married his wife Sally, giving her his horse when he proposed to ensure a yes. The couple soon became a part of the Carmel art scene, becoming lifelong friends with artists Steve Crouch, Eldon Dedini, Gus Ariola, Ann and Gene Baker, Frank and Betty O’Neal, Feg Murray and many others. In 1956 Jack and Sally bought land from Ann and Fred Nason in Cachagua, and built what would become Whiffletree Ranch, trading paintings for lumber and building the ranch themselves. Jack’s reputation as an artist who depicted the vaqueros of the Pacific Slope grew. His subject rode from the vast rangelands of Nevada and eastern Oregon to the pastoral oak-covered hills of California, and in 1967, Jack became one of the first members of the prestigious Cowboy Artists of America. His work has been exhibited in major museums, the California Governors mansion, the White House, and is a part of numerous private and corporate collections.

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In the 1890s San Francisco was known as the “Golden City of the West.” San Francisco’s success and wealth during the last decade of the 19th Century meant garments became more than practical necessities. Fashion was alive and well in the City by the Bay and stylish clothing had become an important part in the life of San Francisco’s society.

The 1890s fashion collection at the Santa Ynez Valley Historical Museum features 20 unique dresses that “proper” women wore when “visiting” or entertaining. The designs, fabrics and styles of dress are a fascinating look into how women wore their clothing and why certain clothing designs were necessary for the lifestyle of the day. In this exhibition the museum has on loan a stunning dress owned by Lillian Coit, a much loved benefactor of San Francisco firefighters. Coit Tower that sits on Telegraph Hill was built by San Francisco city fathers to honor Mrs. Coit and her civic work.

This fine exhibit is truly a dress history that reflects the wealth and sophistication of a golden time before World War I. A catalog describing each dress in detail accompanies the exhibition.

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The Santa Ynez Valley Historical Museum brings a world class exhibit of authentic Samurai warrior armor and accessories to Santa Barbara County.

Fascinating, historical and terrifying at the same time, this private collection of Japanese Samurai warrior armor has never been displayed in public – and will never again. The exhibit features nine authentic Samurai armor suits along with Samurai helmets, ceremonial coats, foot coverings and weaponry.

Supported by an educational catalog with beautiful photographs and descriptions of each collection piece, this unique, historically rich exhibit is not to be missed.

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