August is International Pirate Month. Normally you think of pirates on the east coast and around the Gulf, but California had her run-in with “California’s only pirate” Hippolyte de Bouchard. De Bouchard was a French-born Argentine sailor and corsair who made his way to Monterey in 1818. He started with plundering the Presidio of Monterey, He and his pirate mateys found the pickings were quite ripe along the coastal missions. He worked is way down to Mission Santa Barbara, then Mission San Juan Capistrano. The attacks and pillaging sent panic along the missions prompting Mission San Buenaventura to move cattle and holdings inland. It’s very strange to think of a horde of pirates dropping anchor off the Santa Barbara coast and making their way up to Gaviota Ranch. De Bouchard continued to move south, on to Mexico in 1819, then to Peru where he joined the Peruvian Navy and he became an admiral. As you look down the path where de Bouchard once plundered, what would he make of the multi-million dollar properties dotting the coast now? Better booty than the missions! If you want to explore this coast, the California Coastwalk is a great resource to hike and see history. https://coastwalk.org/
