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Welcome to the Anza Guides Website!

This site is a resource for Trails and Rails Guides on Amtrak’s Coast Starlight trains along the Juan Bautista De Anza National Historic Trail between Santa Barbara and San Jose.

Some pages here are password protected. If you forgot the password, contact your Trails & Rails Coordinator.

Recent Posts

  • Thumbnail for the post titled: Contribute to the Anza Guides Blog!

    Contribute to the Anza Guides Blog!

    If you are interested in adding relevant articles of interest to this site, I’d love to show you how. It’s best if you have already used WordPress or a similar…

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    Native People: The Anza Expedition and the Settlement of California by Mickey Ellinger

    The Anza Expedition from the viewpoint of Native Americans
    pdf of Brochure provided by Marty Conoley

  • Genesis of the Coast Rail Line

    Bruce answers a couple of emails from one of our guides asking about the beginnings of the Coast Line.

  • Thumbnail for the post titled: Home to Limuw

    Home to Limuw

    A story of one man’s return to his roots, and the September 1, 2001, Chumash recreation of a tomol paddle from Santa Barbara to Santa Cruz Island.

  • Car attendant giving talk on Coast Starlight in 2004

    Talk by Car Attendant on Parlor Car in 2004

    Interesting video from Yorkman Lowe. Parlour car attendant talk.

  • Thumbnail for the post titled: Dangermond Preserve

    Dangermond Preserve

    Tangible Resource: Land around Pt. Conception Connected Theme(s): Preservation of undeveloped coastline Universal Concept(s): Preservation, Natural Area Main Points: – 24,000-acre (38 sq mi) nature preserve protecting 8 miles of…

  • Trail & Rails on Condé Nast Traveler

    This article was written by Sarah Kuta and published by Condé Nast Traveler on May 20, 2022 Read on the Condé Nast Site Meet the Retirees Who Serve as Volunteer…

  • newpaper front page reading

    Ellwood Beach WWII Attack

    Thanks to Marty C. for forwarding this story from Edhat about the Japanese submarine attack on the Ellwood Oil field in Goleta. Here’s another article from GoletaHistory.com

  • Thumbnail for the post titled: T&R Training Components are Moving Online

    T&R Training Components are Moving Online

    As I write this, it is the spring of 2020. Our Trails and Rails program is currently on hold indefinitely, due to the threat of COVID-19. Trails and Rails training…

  • Thumbnail for the post titled: Kate Bell’s Cactus and Ellwood Oil

    Kate Bell’s Cactus and Ellwood Oil

    Thanks to Bruce for finding this video. Can’t see the cactus from the train, but the stories are related to the ones we tell. Read the story here.