Lompoc Tourist Attractions
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Santa Barbara CountyLocation and importanceLompoc, not far from the mission station known as La Purissima Concepcion, lies in the valley of the same name, which has its origin in the language of the Chumash Indians who once lived there and, roughly translated, means "mussel mountain". Lompoc is only 10mi/16km from the Pacific coast, and can be reached via the U.S. 101.Until a few years ago Lompoc was one of the important flower-growing districts of California. Today the area used for horticulture has shrunk to only 1,600 acres/646 hectares, as many individual houses have been built here to accommodate the families of those employed at the Vandenberg airfield only a few miles away. The flower festival is held in June every year.
La Purísima Concepcion Mission
This mission station is the only one situated in the State Historic Park and is located in a charming valley surrounded by the Santa Ynez Mountains. After the first mission building had been completely destroyed in the 1812 earthquake, the Fathers moved their mission somewhat further north, but there too, not far from the old Camino Real, they were still pursued by misfortune. A disastrous drought, a fire and finally in 1824 an Indian rising crushed by Spanish troops did not allow the original building plans to come to fruition. La Purisma is the only mission without an inner courtyard. Secularization further affected it, until finally there was little left but ruins.Places of interestIn the 1930s La Purisma was restored from the ground up by the Civilian Conservation Corps, a body formed by the Roosevelt government, with the result that no other mission gives such a good insight into life in the mission stations. In addition to the church, a monastery, military barracks, a tannery, a soap factory, various workshops and the water-reservoir have been rebuilt in their old authentic form, so that visiting them is essential for a real understanding of days gone by.LocationThe best route to the mission, the ruins of which can still be seen and which forms part of the town of Lompoc, is via the U.S. 101 and CA 246 (Buellton exit).
Lompoc Museum
The building housing the Lompoc Museum was built in 1910. The Museum focuses on the archeology and history of the Lompoc Valley and Santa Barbara County.
Lompoc Pictures
