bjgreen
By Besty J. Green
You may or may not have spotted the distant comet that cruised by recently, but plenty of folks saw something a lot closer to home in 1914.
“Entire Northern Sky Illuminated for Several Seconds,” wrote the Santa Barbara newspaper. The meteor described as “a ball of fire that was bright even in the moonlight, is believed to have fallen in upper Mis¬sion Canyon. The aerial visitor made its appearance about 7:00 last eve¬ning and was seen and heard by several persons in the vicinity of the Old Mission … The meteor first made its appearance above Cold Springs … The meteor was in plain sight about four seconds and as it fell, there was a swishing sound … The ball of fire was about a quarter the size of the full moon, and as it disappeared, its entire course was a trail of sparks.”
Betsy’s Way Back When book — 1919 — is now available in local bookstores and at Amazon.com. This is the sixth book in her series of the history of Santa Barbara, one year at a time. Learn more at .
