In 1769, an expedition led by Gaspar de Portolà spent the night here, and named the nearby native town "Laguna de la Concepcion."
Unfortunately, the name lost out to 'Santa Barbara.' As for the lagoon itself, it survived until 1812, when a large tsunami, triggered by a 7.2 earthquake centered on the Channel Islands, travelled all the way up to Anapamu Street (aka 'The Rising Place.' Ref. Santa Barbara Streets #3 and The Rising Place, both excellent geocaches in their own right for more on the history of that street). Apparently the locals were disturbed by the sight of three-mast schooners passing by their living room windows, and decided to fill in la laguna shortly thereafter.
Today a bench that used to sit along the lagoon's shore is all that remains. But if you take the time to sit a while, and squint your eyes just a little, you'll be able to imagine how the area used to appear.
This is the twenty-first in the series detailing the street names of Santa Barbara. You are searching for a micro - log only - hidden from sight. Please bring your own pen or pencil to sign the log.
Special thanks to Ron Fisk for the inspiration behind this cache and to Neal Graffy for his research behind the names and stories of the street names of Santa Barbara.