Chapter History

Refugio del Cielo Chapter, NSDAR, was organized December 13, 2014, by Joy I. Chamberlain, and many dedicated DAR members from the Santa Ynez Valley. The chapter was named to honor President Ronald Reagan whose “Western White House” was in the nearby area. Rancho del Cielo was President Reagan’s residence during his time as both Governor of California and President of the United States (1974-1996). Reagan went to church and voted in the Santa Ynez Valley, he was considered a part of the Community.

Refugio Pass was a rugged road that traversed the Santa Ynez Mountains into the Santa Ynez Valley. It was the route that connected the mission in Santa Barbara to the mission in Lompoc and the Mission Santa Inés.

Refugio Bay (west of present-day Santa Barbara) got its name after 1795 from Captain Ortega. Lieutenant Ortega was the soldier that built the Presidio which is now Santa Barbara. After his retirement, he requested property from the mission padres and was allowed to use 25 miles of California coastline to raise cattle. He named the huge cove “Nuestra Senora del Refugio” which meant Our Lady of Refuge.

Today Refugio State Beach is a large natural cove and California state park. Historically Refugio cove got its name by being the last stop for ships before they continued to sail north up the treacherous Pacific coast to San Francisco and beyond. It was a cove where they could seek refuge from the many pirates on the high seas.

Photo courtesy Google images.