Mission cross has been a beacon since the dawn of Ventura
For more than two centuries, the old mission cross perched on a hill above Ventura has been a highly visible beacon for travelers. The first explorers came by ship and mule. Today, motorists speed past the landmark that lies east of Highway 101.
With a sweeping view of coastal Ventura and the Channel Islands beyond, it's been the site of countless weddings, anniversaries and first kisses. The landmark survived Ventura's transition from a dusty mission outpost to a bustling modern city.
Five years ago, it withstood a potential constitutional lawsuit challenging the city's ownership of the religious symbol. But the marker's biggest foe has been the elements.
In the 226 years since the cross was first planted, its timbers have been replaced at least twice and possibly three times. The historical record is unclear.
Earlier crosses withered away or were blown down in winter storms that came roaring over the beach city.
Last replaced in 1941, the 26-foot emblem is still in good shape. But the one-acre plot surrounding it, including an asphalt parking area, needs a major face-lift, civic boosters say.
Plans are underway to do just that, said Marie Lakin, spokeswoman for the Serra Cross Conservancy, a nonprofit group that maintains the site. Preservationists are in the midst of a campaign to raise $1 million to add a circular walkway, benches and landscaping.
A parking lot would also be relocated to give the immediate area surrounding the cross a more peaceful feel, she said.
"It's an underutilized gem," Lakin said. "Everyone goes up there and looks around because it's got the most amazing view. But no one's been able to fix it up and make it a lovely, leisurely park to stroll around."
The cross was planted under the direction of Padre Junipero Serra shortly after he founded San Buenaventura Mission on Easter Sunday in 1782. The mission is the ninth in a series of 21 missions erected by Spanish friars across California, and the last built by Serra.
California at that time was untamed land with few roads. The cross, milled from pine trees, was planted high on a hill to help travelers find the mission. Most historical accounts say the original cross stood for nearly 100 years.
On November 2, 1875, fierce winds and rain knocked down the cross, leaving its parts scattered around the scrubby hillside. Don Jose de Arnaz, one of the city's prominent citizens, climbed up the hill the next day with his daughter Ventura to inspect the damage.
